Q. Doc, thanks for taking the time to talk with us. You just completed your screenplay “Battle Road”. What is it about?

A. It's about two black men who changed the course of history at the first battle of the American Revolution. One was 75 years old and the other was a slave.

It's quintessential New England, a big plus, because there's a billion screenwriters in L.A. writing L.A. scripts. The key for screenwriters --New England and otherwise -- is to separate your script from the masses and make it unique and producible.

Q. You are a New England artist pitching your spec script to LA and beyond. How is that going?

A. Right now it's a waiting game. I entered four or five contests and used a script query service, and now it's a matter of seeing what results. "Battle Road" is into the semi-finals of the PAGE competition, so that's a good sign.

Q. Did you consider getting an agent before shopping your screenplay? When is the best time for a new screenwriter to reach out to an agent?

A. I used ScriptBlaster, which faxed query letters to 930 agents, production companies and managers. I received 13 requests for a copy or treatment, which is quite high, and a couple are still active, including at Escape Artists, Steve Tisch's prodco ("The Pursuit of Happyness" among others). A query service like that gets the project out there effectively because all you have time for is the logline, which I can recite from memory, and a few details.

Q. Any advice from the trenches on how to create heat for a screenplay while living in New England?

A. Contests can help. Win a contest and the script starts sweating.

Q. What is the best advice you can give to the first time writer with a great idea for a screenplay?

A. Spend 10 percent of your time on structuring your characters and plot, 20 percent writing the first draft, 70 percent editing and polishing. Get feedback from screenwriting groups and paid consultants (don't ask Uncle Oscar) and polish and polish and polish. No first draft is salable.

Q. Any closing thoughts on making it as an artist in New England?

A. It's tough being a screenwriter anywhere. You need to realize that filmmaking is highly specialized, a highly developed discipline. What's nice is that opportunity is opening up now, more than I've ever seen before, even as the competition gets stiffer. No matter how much digital technology makes shooting a film more affordable, though, it's still about the story. Story and character are still king.