You asked, I answered!

Earlier this week I asked people to post me questions so I'd have something to write during NaBloPoMo.

Today, I'm going to answer K.'s question: "What do you think of the TV Writer's Strike? Or Writer's Unions in general?"

While normally I'm suspicious of some unions -- anytime something gets so much power that they're a force to be reckoned with, there's a certain amount of corruption -- I overall like unions. Without them I don't see employers exactly looking out for the welfare of their employees.

As for the writer's strike, to me it makes sense. I love how the production companies say they're not making money off the Internet. Bullshit. If they're not making the money now, they will be shortly. People are buying TV shows and movies off of iTunes, watching free shows on the network websites (Hello Ugly Betty!) thanks to advertising on those websites and purchasing DVDs. If an actor can make money off of those residuals, why not a writer?

I agree with one writer who said that while people watch TV, they don't bitch about the lighting, the costumes or the editing (unless it's truly, truly horrendous). They bitch about the acting and writing. The writing shapes the whole damn thing and to say that a writer doesn't deserve a cut is a crock of shit. They're the ones who are coming up with what we see on the glowing box each night. They're the ones we really bitch about when we say "such-and-such show got terrible this season!" or "What the hell's up with X? That's so not like them!"

Admittedly the idea of a writer's union seems kind of funny -- writing is often a solitary act and most writers that I know of have a hard time even looking at an organization that represents their interests without a little cynicism. Maybe that's why their chants are terrible -- seriously, "We are the writers! The mighty, mighty writers!" -- dude, you need something better.

There's a prediction that we're going to see more reality shows, but even they seem to depend on writers. Not to script the scenes, but more to massage the show and edit it into a coherent storyline. I figure we're going to see a lot of reruns, but really, the only shows I've been watching lately is Project Runway, Sopranos reruns and Ugly Betty (which may be another bitch for another day). I can live with reruns. Not just because I don't watch as much Tv anymore, but also because the writers deserve a cut of the new media action.

ETA: I haven't forgotten your question Kathleen. I promise to get to it! And if any of my two other readers want to submit a question, there's still time!