4 Tips for Hitting Submit on Your Moonshot Pilot Accelerator Application
Updated: Nov 12, 2024
You need accountability and motivation to submit your TV pilot script to programs like the Moonshot Pilot Accelerator!
Did you know that a huge percentage of applicants for writing competitions and grants submit on the day of the deadline?
It can be hard to prioritize submitting to a fellowship early in the application period, and before you know it, the deadline is upon you! Suddenly, you're rushing to rearrange scenes, fix typos, write your application questions, and make sure everything is good to go. You know that the deadline is at midnight, and you scramble to hit submit at 11:53 p.m., completely stressed out.
Since the final deadline for the Moonshot Pilot Accelerator is in less than three weeks, on Sunday, April 14, 2024, here are some tips for making sure you get things done and ensuring that you feel good about your submission. Read on, and then join us for Hit Submit Day on April 3 if you need extra accountability!
Announce your intentions publicly: Let your friends and family know that you’re planning on submitting, or post about it on social media! You’re more likely to see things through when you know people are rooting for you.
Find an accountability partner: Find someone you can text when you complete major milestones, like finishing the third act or hitting submit on your application. Looking for an accountability buddy for the Moonshot Pilot Accelerator? Try commenting on this Instagram post.
Trade scripts with a trusted reader: Want to make sure your pilot script is polished, typo-free, and ready to submit? Find a friend who’s submitting to the Moonshot Pilot Accelerator or another fellowship, and swap scripts! Pick a date when you’ll trade scripts so that you can read each other’s work and provide feedback. Not only does this give you a valuable outside eye, it also gives you an earlier deadline to shoot for!
Set a specific goal for each day leading up to the day you plan on submitting: Rather than looking at the application as one huge project, break it down into smaller goals. For example, your week leading up to your planned date might look like this:
Thursday: Write the last two scenes.
Friday: Read through my draft to make sure everything makes sense and share it with a friend.
Saturday: Read my friend’s script and meet on Zoom to give each other feedback.
Sunday: Consider my friend’s feedback and decide which notes to take action on. Spend one hour on more substantive edits, like rearranging the order of a few scenes.
Monday: Do one last read-through of my script looking for typos, incorrect character names, formatting, general flow, etc.
Tuesday: Draft the answers to the application questions.
Wednesday: Give my application answers a final read and hit submit!
Do you need motivation and accountability to hit submit on your Moonshot Pilot Accelerator application?
We’re hosting Hit Submit Day on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 to give you a great excuse to get your application in early!
Fill out this quick pledge to submit on April 3, and we’ll send you an exclusive $10 off discount code to use on that day only! If you’re submitting multiple scripts, you’ll be able to use this code on ALL of your submissions! We’ll send you reminders so that it doesn’t fall through the cracks.
You’ll also be invited to our virtual “office hours” from 1-2 p.m. PT / 4-5 p.m. ET, where you can drop in and ask any last questions you may have before hitting the submit button.
A friend of mine nearly missed a writing competition deadline because she kept making changes to her script instead of completing the application. She was also managing university coursework and had been considering an assignment writing service for extra academic support. Eventually, she created a daily schedule and asked another writer to review her draft. That helped her finish everything without rushing at the last minute. Having someone check your progress and setting smaller goals can make submitting creative work much less stressful.
Love the tip about trading scripts with a trusted reader—having fresh eyes can catch not just typos but also pacing and tone issues that you might miss after multiple drafts. It’s kind of like how color and contrast choices in storyboarding can subtly affect mood; even small tweaks make a big difference. For writers visualizing their pilot’s look, checking out tools like ToonToneColor might help bridge script to screen more vividly.