reported by Allan Fark, FictionFanatic.com

Fans of THE L WORD? have completed the first network-sanctioned, fan-written script for an existing series for Showtime.

The collaborative writing contest launched on February 3, when millions of fans of THE L WORD? were invited to write, read, rate and discuss short scenes based on an instructive "scene mission" provided by a member of the writing team from the hit cable series. Fans submitted their original scenes, the online community voted, and at the end of each week, the most popular fan-submitted scene was added to the script in progress. The process repeated each week with a new "scene mission" until the entire script was completed.

The week of the fanisode's launch, Yahoo!'s Buzz Log tracked a 26% increase in THE L WORD?-related searches, and Showtime announced that ratings jumped 51% over the previous season. "Fans of THE L WORD? are among the most creative and passionate around," said Rob Hayes, General Manager, Digital Media at Showtime Networks Inc. "The success of this event proves that the combination of fan fiction and network support creates a powerful two-way relationship between the fans and their favorite series."

The fanisode was tremendously engaging to the online community. During the eight week contest the site logged 175,000 visits and generated over 3,000,000 page views. Fans spent tremendous amounts of time on the site creating over 18 page views per visit.

All participants, including those who voted and those who submitted scenes, had the opportunity to win prizes provided by Showtime and event sponsors.

Jan Naugle, a practicing naturopath and aspiring novelist from Colorado Springs, CO was selected as grand-prize winner in a random drawing of all seven weekly winners. Naugle will be rewarded with a mentoring session via email on the topic of writing, with THE L WORD? Executive Producer/creator Ilene Chaiken.

Contributors of highly-rated scenes and other winners were featured prominently online during the event, giving them a taste of online fame. Showtime and FanLib will publish a free commemorative eZine (a downloadable digital magazine) featuring the completed script, plus a number of alternative scenes and editorial features including profiles of the winning contributors and other participants. The eZine will be distributed online to all of the participants and voters and other members of the show's online community as a pass-along memento of the event.

Showtime and the producers of THE L WORD? have the option to produce the finished script. THE L WORD? has been renewed for a fourth season and stars Jennifer Beals, Laurel Holloman, Mia Kirshner, Katherine Moennig, Leisha Hailey, Rachel Shelley and Pam Grier.

Recommended Resources:

1) Making a Good Script Great by Linda Seger

2) How to Write a Movie in 21 Days by Viki King

3) The Writer's Guide to Writing Your Screenplay: How to Write Great Screenplays for Movies and Television by Cynthia Whitcomb