What Are Writers Doing During the Strike?

As a new member of the WGA, freshly minted in May of 2023, the month the strike began, I find myself in a really interesting position.

Coming off the Black List in 2022, my career was heating up.

I have been working professionally for ten years but finally booked both a TV show and a movie in 2023, which put me over the top when it came to joining the guild.

But I also found myself on strike for the first time in my adult life.

I was out on the lines the first day before my WGA card even arrived. The first day I got to swipe it was my birthday, which felt really cool.

Strikes can be worrisome as well. I have to admit there’s a scary part of my brain that brings up all the “what-ifs” that pop up. What if all that heat was wasted? What if I don’t work until 2024? What if Hollywood forgets about me?

These are real and anxiety-inducing. But I’ve found so much solace in being on the front lines with writers with more experience than me, who talk openly about the same issues and listen to my worries.

It’s also a place where I feel like I’ve met many new friends.

The members of the neg-com who stop by are amazing at explaining the guild’s point of view and keeping spirits high.

And our spirits have to stay that way.

So yeah, I’m out there picketing around three to four times a week.

But what the hell else am I doing?

Well, I play pickleball with some friends in SAG and other WGA people who have a lot of time on their hands right now as well. I’m going to the gym, which my body seems to enjoy after living a sedentary lifestyle through COVID.

My apartment is spotless most days. And the days it’s not, I have the time to get it that way again.

I’m not pitching, I’m not meeting with execs, I’m not working on any projects I had active before the strike, and I’m not developing with producers.

I’m writing specs and chasing those passion projects that might not be as commercial as other ideas I’ve done in the past. I’m scratching those writing itches that work, and life got in the way of beforehand.

Who knows if they’ll be projects I show people when this is over, but for now, they remind me what we’re fighting for.

They remind me that writers in Hollywood have a responsibility to tell stories.

At the tip of pens, at the touch of our keys, we are creating the most pervasive and impactful art form known today. We’re teaching lessons, creating laughter, eliciting deep emotions, and captivating people.

We’re on the strike lines because at times, it feels like many of the people at the top of this industry on the business side are trying to get rid of that. They’re trying to replace art solely with commerce.

The success of Barbie and Oppenheimer shows voices with distinct points of view in Hollywood should be trusted now more than ever.

AI’s regurgitation of tropes and trite beats can never replace the human spirit and storytelling intellect.

I’m proud to be out there walking to protect that for as long as I need to be. I hope to see you out there walking next to me. Stop, introduce yourself, and let’s talk.

If not there, then on the pickleball court. Where I promise I won’t take it easy.