a writer's perspective

The negotiating committees for the WGA and AMPTP are meeting today in a last-ditch effort to avert a strike. Personally, given the vitriolic rhetoric that has been spewed between the two parties, the cocky swagger of the producers, and the overwhelming solidarity of the writers, I find it hard to believe that we are headed anywhere other than the picket line come first thing tomorrow morning.

There is a perverse inexplicable excitement in the air – like the one that you felt right after the Northridge earthquake, or during the riots, or the week Al Gore was elected president. You know it’s horrible, but you can’t look away, and deep down, something inside you is enjoying the chaos. Maybe there’s some truth to writers only being happy when they’re miserable.

I wonder about public perception of the strike. The trades seem completely biased towards the producers, perpetuating the myth about greedy writers making egregious demands. (Well, think about who’s buying their ad space.) The fact is many of us writers are solidly middle-class, and simply believe that we deserve some pocket change when something we create generates revenue.

Logically, negotiating would begin with the two sides having a position, then ultimately meeting somewhere in the middle. So far, the only plans the producers have put on the tables failed to address any of the important issues that matter to writers, and featured rollbacks in areas such as health and pension benefits. Last week, the WGA offered up a proposal which the AMPTP refused to even address. In an effort to jumpstart the discussions, the WGA made concessions in their own proposal and resubmitted it. In a move that effectively made the strike inevitable, the AMPTP again refused to address the proposal, saying it would only do so if the writers agreed to not ask for money for internet downloads.

Watch the above clip from the Daily Show for a concise take on the internet download controversy. As one of the first shows to be effected, it makes me realize how much I’m going to miss the Daily Show.

This morning, I went to my mailbox to grab yesterday’s mail. Among other things, there is a check from my agency. $4,000. $3,002.23 after taxes. $2,402.23 after lawyer and agents commissions. It is the first check I’ve gotten in a month, and it’s the last check I’ll be getting for a long time. Also, in the mail, my mortgage statement.

I keep the Pennysaver instead of throwing it straight in the trash. You never know.

I have so many questions. Will I be able to keep paying my mortgage? How long will the strike last? Five months like the ’88 strike? Or 2 weeks like the strike of ’85? Will New England beat Indianapolis? Am I breaking rules by writing about the strike for LAist?

I know it’s not going to be easy. But I also know that it is important. The writers are passionate and united about this. I know that some time this afternoon, I’ll be receiving a call from my strike captain, most likely telling me where to be tomorrow morning. And I know that I’ll be there fighting the good fight.