First off, I apologize for disappearing for roughly two months, but March did hold a lot of surprises for me to deal with, and shortly after Easter my family had to do some traveling for one of our birthday presents, so planning for that got in the way of things. However, as someone who participates in the art of writing, I feel I would be doing a disservice if I did not post about the writer’s strike going on right now.
Let me start out by saying I fully support the writers in their efforts. Going without late night talk shows or other forms of television entertainment for a while is worth it if it grants them leverage in securing better contracts regarding their employment, and it gives me the opportunity to read some of the books I’ve been meaning to for a while now. And I am not alone in standing with the writers; a vast number of late night hosts on air stated they stood behind their staff even though it meant they would be unable to do their jobs, perhaps because the majority of them had been in the writers’ positions in the past. Now, it could be the case that those same hosts know their shows cannot be as good as they are if they do not have the strong team of writers that they do, and just think in terms of self-preservation, but whatever their motives are, they are undoubtedly good allies to have in this conflict.
The strike is not just limited to live television, though. Movies and television alike will be affected, and considering how the writer’s strike of 2007 lasted just over three months until February of the following year, things could be significantly delayed, but that’s the point. Remind the executives as well as the actors that without compensating their writers fairly, good looks and charisma can only sell so much. In entertainment, writing is everything. Someone could have amazing concepts for a movie or TV show, but without quality writing, there will be no way it can succeed. If your entertainment model relies strictly on celebrity cameos and product placement, then you can’t make a quality product.
One possible answer for the executives is to just go in and replace all the writers who want better contracts with ones who might be content with the current status quo, and that would be an option if it weren’t for valuable allies like the talk show hosts previously mentioned. Some, like Seth Meyers, constantly refer to their writers by name in pieces they discuss as part of their show, and even have them on to say a few words or even do a segment or two, which only helps their case; they acknowledge on air that they see their writers as more than just people who type out what they say during rehearsals and shows, but they are actual people that even the audience gets to know as they are.
So I probably won’t have any new television to watch for my birthday in a couple of weeks. I’ll live. So I might have to spend a few weeks or a few months reading or doing my own writing. Somehow, I’ll manage to carry on. If the writers’ strike succeeds, then perhaps we might get a quality of entertainment that surpasses what it was prior to the strike. Pay your workers fairly and you are all but guaranteed to see a boost in morale, and consequently a boost in productivity and quality. Stand with the writers.