The Winner of the 2026 Inspired Screenwriting Competition!
The 2026 Inspired Screenwriting WinnerThe goal of our competition is to introduce amazing writers to the world and so I’m proud to introduce to you: Winter Ames, the winning script of the 2026 Inspired Screenwriting competition - a big Western romance set in 1920s New Mexico. Its writer, Matilda Corley Schulman, sat down with us to talk about where the story came from, why the setting matters so much to her, and what she is working on next.What Is Winter Ames About?The story follows an extremely troubled law-woman named Winter Ames, who falls in love with an incredibly inept criminal. The story is essentially a two-hander, built around those two characters. The male lead, Max, is a wily, bumbling goof of the kind Matilda loves, someone “trying so hard. Poorly.” The banter between Winter and Max, as well as playful dialogue throughout, give the script a life and energy that suck you in and make the pages fly by.Both leads have something to learn. Winter has to learn to be vulnerable, to listen, and to open her blinders. Max’s arc is about learning to let someone in and own his mistakes. Matilda sees a broader point in this: “No matter what’s happened to you, vulnerability is your strength at the end of the day.”A Strong Woman Who Is Allowed to Fall in LoveThe biggest strength of the script is its lead. You want to go on the ride with her from the start, which is rare, since some scripts are slow burns that take a while to lock in.Hollywood definitely struggles with how to portray their ‘strong female leads’ and often tries to justify their existence by tacking on a traumatic past - as if that is the only way a woman can have found inner strength. Matilda admits that while “strong female lead” might be an overused phrase, it still describes Winter, regardless. She takes a refreshingly different approach, however, by confronting the common trope that our ‘strong female leads’ aren’t allowed to fall in love, as if one must be sacrificed for the other. Matlida’s response: “Can we not survive and be lovable at the same time?”Not every film has to be a heavy think piece. Matilda argues that by skipping to the darkest corners, we risk losing basic lessons of humanity. She finds it more interesting to examine how people maintain their softness in a world of constant bad news - how they can be sensitive but still “kick butt.”Prior to this, Matilda had been writing a lot of darker scripts, but at some point she asked herself a simple question: what are the movies I go to when I just need a pick-me-up? Her answers were things like Pirates of the Caribbean, which she wants on repeat when she’s sick, and fast-paced Guy Ritchie-style adventures with love in them. She wondered if she could write one of those, and then sat down and… did. She says she had “so much fun creating this story,” and being a hopeless romantic, she made it a love story.New Mexico as a CharacterNew Mexico definitely feels like its own character in the script which is a huge plus while reading. Rather than taking place in a vague, unnamed city that forces the writer to work harder to help the reader visualize the world, the script drops you into this super specific place that you can see and feel.Matilda’s family is from New Mexico. Her mom’s side is from Albuquerque, and her family immigrated there from Spain in the early 1900s. Writing the script was a way of trying to do right by them. Her mother gets upset when she sees New Mexico on screen, because it is usually shown as only desert. Matilda’s response was to write what is missing: “There are trees and rivers and mountains.” It is a lot of desert, she says, “but there’s other things there too.”Matilda points to the state’s history of land and territory issues, and to the many cultures and ecosystems packed into one small state, many of which rarely get seen. New Mexico, instead of being its own distinct world on screen, is actually often used to stand in for Texas and Arizona - rarely does it even get the opportunity to be itself.Matilda’s Journey and What Comes NextMatilda began as an athlete in college, riding horses, and thought that was where her professional life would lead. When that went sideways early at Oklahoma State University, she needed an outlet and a community, and she found it in the theater department. She later transferred to Berkeley, where the only open writing class was playwriting. Her mentor there suggested film and TV, and sent her on to grad school at USC. For years, a mentor had urged her to write what she was passionate about: horses. She resisted, thinking no one wanted those stories (which was before Taylor Sheridan’s success). Now, she’s finally writing them. While she loves the Western world of Taylor Sheridan’s 1883, she sees more violence than beauty in that work. Her script, she says, has violence too, but it’s side by side with an innate beauty.Moving ForwardIt’s important to note, Matilda was no stranger to us - two of her scripts also placed in last year’s competition. So, we obviously are fans and we hope to introduce her to more.We believe in the script and feel that it could be a great sample to help her find representation. Matilda would also love to connect with producers who want to make “more big wonderful movies for everyone.” She doesn’t think a female lead should be seen as alienating. “I am a girl and I love Jack Sparrow. Let’s have a female version of that.”She is about to direct her first play, someone else’s, in November. As she puts it, “the theater never leaves,” and is also shooting a short film she wrote in a couple of weeks with her friend directing. She describes it as a whimsical revenge Western with a lot of humor, a darker tone than Winter Ames, and themes including how to escape domestic violence.Matilda Corley Schulman’s Journey from Horses to ScreenwritingMatilda Corley Schulman shares a unique journey that intertwines her past as an athlete with her present as a celebrated screenwriter. After finding her true passion in the theater during her undergraduate years at Oklahoma State University, she embarked on a path that led her to the prestigious USC for film studies.From Athlete to ArtistMatilda’s story began in the world of competitive horse riding, where she initially believed her future lay. However, her path took an unexpected turn when she sought an outlet for self-expression. “I ran away to the theater department,” she recalls, highlighting how the arts became her refuge and her calling.The Influence of MentorshipHer journey continued at Berkeley, where the only writing course available was playwriting. Encouraged by her mentor, she transitioned to screenwriting, discovering her voice in stories that resonate with authenticity. “I pushed against writing about horses for so long, thinking no one would be interested. But now, look where we are!” Matilda reflects on the evolving landscape of storytelling.Authenticity in StorytellingThe heart of Matilda’s work lies in her unique perspective as a woman in the rugged horse world. “The authenticity is what really jumped out to us,” says Jen, when discussing Matilda’s submissions to their screenwriting competition. This authentic lens not only enriches her narratives but also connects with audiences in profound ways.Balancing Playwriting and ScreenwritingDespite her focus on screenwriting, Matilda maintains a strong connection to playwriting. As she gears up to direct her first play, she acknowledges the importance of keeping doors open in her creative pursuits. “I don’t like shutting doors. You can have a million plates in the air as long as they don’t take you off your road completely,” she explains, highlighting her commitment to versatility in her craft.Matilda’s experiences provide a valuable reminder that authenticity and passion are the cornerstones of compelling st… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredwriting.substack.com/subscribe
