As far as the Writers’ Strike (WGA) is concerned, I wanted to say…
Good for them!!! I don’t typically post anything on worldly news or politics, but this one is close to home, and I fully support these writers! As an author and screenwriter, I can say that in Hollywood, the treatment isn’t great, especially if you’re a “woman” screenwriter. And many writers work for years with minimal to no paycheck. The majority of the movie exec’s and producers are typically rich white men who make the calls and dictate what happens with the creative vision, whether you like it or not. “You want your work sold? Write it the way we tell you it’ll be marketable. No, you like my work? Take it or leave it. But if you take it, appreciate it!!” Appreciate the story we want to share. Appreciate that you’re not doing us a favor and making us money, we’re giving you an opportunity to make money. Not the other way around, actually. I’m not saying don’t make revisions, that’s a neccesity, I’m saying don’t break it down and build it back up the way you want, and then pay us crap!! Then it’s no longer our vision, our rights, our project baby. They toss you around the industry like you’re replaceable, don’t pay enough, and don’t value you enough! Meanwhile, if is wasn’t for the writers who are the backbone and heart of the story, there would be none, and there wouldn’t be any jobs for producers, movie exec’s, actors, TV hosts and personalities, etc… yet the front men and women get all the fame, fortune, and credit.
Don’t even get me started on the celebrities who write (don’t write their own memoirs, children’s books, etc…) and become bestsellers the week their books are released, yet there are unknown writers who work years on their books or screenplays, before being released, who are so talented and can barely make ends meet. Can I be an actor tomorrow without studying the craft first for years, or dance “The Nutcracker” after a few ballet lessons? No! Yet, everyone thinks they have a great story and can write a book! Maybe you do have a great story, maybe not to someone else, but not everyone can or should write a book or a script. If I had a dollar for every time someone told me that. It’s an insult, by the way, to us who are actually out there busting our butts, day in and day out!! Or those who don’t write and try and give us tips on how to sell our work. It’s not a hobby either. It’s our careers!!! I’ve been a writer, studying the craft and writing for over twenty years. Not a hobby. My life’s path. It’s theirs too. Time to take the writers more serious. I can’t even begin to tell you how many people still don’t even ask me or acknowledge my work, or their faces when I tell them I’m a published author and have written a “gangster-crime-drama feature,” like I’m a green alien. “I had no idea!” One guy even said to me once, “I didn’t think you did anything.” I vommitted in my mouth! Lol! Hey, don’t judge a book by its cover. It would be like me not validating you with what you do. Everyone needs to be seen, heard, appreciated and validated for their hard work!
How many of you know the actors who played in “The Godfather, When Harry Met Sally, The Goonies, Moonstruck, Steel Magnolias, The Princess Bride”, just to name a few great ones…but, how many of you know who wrote it off the top of your heads? Exactly!!! Time to change this. The artists only highlight the good writing. Bad writing can make any good artist look bad, but good writing can make any bad artist look good.
#fistsup #pensdown #writersstrike
