On Writing: After You Get In
My first writing related post. Hope it's useful to someone out there.
--
"Millions are to be grabbed out here and your only competition is idiots. Don't let this get around."
-Herman Mankiewicz to Ben Hecht about Hollywood
One of the interesting things you learn after joining the WGA is that each year, only one out of every three WGA members earns enough money to live off from writing. Kinda sobering, isn't it? That TWO-THIRDS of WGA members earn no money writing and many are working second jobs. And these are the ones that got into the guild because they sold something - these aren't even counting the millions upon millions of aspiring writers.
Only ONE-THIRD of WGA members earn money writing. That's the bad news.
Here's the good news. A lot of writers are out of work from time to time. Screenwriters can go years between sales. TV writers can go years in between being staffed. A writer like myself is considered earning no money, since all my animation writing work is (currently) non-Guild. From personal observation and from talking to other writers, it's not as bleak as it appears. And perhaps most importantly, from what I can tell-
One out of every three WGA members is an idiot.
There are out of work writers who are NOT idiots. These writers aren't earning money, but they're still competent, they're still connected in the business, and they still have that burning desire to write something and get it out there. I'd say that about half of the out-of-work writers (or for you math wizzes, one-third of the WGA) fall into this category. These are the writers who are likely going to get staffed next year, or make another spec sale, or nail down one of the OWAs out there. Maybe they're victims of ageism, but they're still sharp and if all things were equal, they'll be back on top.
But there are a large number out of work writers who are idiots. Many of them lucked into one sale or one job, then when it was over, fell to the side of the road because they didn't know what to do next. And now they don't have the skills or connections or luck to get back into the game. Their last agent was in 2002 and has last been seen hiding in Argentina - their last manager changed their number and left no forwarding address. When they were a "hot" writer, they never managed to make friends and contacts within the industry. Maybe they're just untalented jerks that no one wants to work with. For whatever reason, these are the writers that I affectionately refer to as idiots. And these idiots desperately want back in.
A few months ago, I went to an event sponsored by one of the Writer's Guild committees. It was open to Guild members only - an interesting panel discussion with some producers. As soon as the Q&A started, hands shot up all over the room - and the air in the room was thick with desperation. Every question asked was some sad form of, "Why don't you hire me?" and "Where can I send you my samples?" and "Me so writer! Me write you long time!" It was really eye-opening.
If making it as a writer in Hollywood is like a climbing a mountain, you want to reach the top of the mountain and shout down with glee at all the people who doubted you. But here's one of those things that I never learned in any writing book. That top of the mountain? It's an illusion. When you reach the top of the mountain and think you've made it, you learn that there's another mountain behind that one that you have to climb if you want to keep writing in Hollywood.
And if you reach the top of THAT mountain, there's a summit there where there's a really nice stairmaster waiting for you. You stay on that stairmaster til you collapse, or until ageism kicks in and the Sherpas kick you off.
Anyways, my point is that after you start to taste some writing success, you have to work even HARDER to keep it up. All those dull and boring things like writing specs, networking, researching, and keeping up on industry news? You have to do it BEFORE you make it and you have to do it AFTER you make it. If you do, your chances of staying in the good 1/3 are good. If you don't, you're going to end up in the wrong 1/3.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a Tibetan stairmaster with my name on it.
--
"Millions are to be grabbed out here and your only competition is idiots. Don't let this get around."
-Herman Mankiewicz to Ben Hecht about Hollywood
One of the interesting things you learn after joining the WGA is that each year, only one out of every three WGA members earns enough money to live off from writing. Kinda sobering, isn't it? That TWO-THIRDS of WGA members earn no money writing and many are working second jobs. And these are the ones that got into the guild because they sold something - these aren't even counting the millions upon millions of aspiring writers.
Only ONE-THIRD of WGA members earn money writing. That's the bad news.
Here's the good news. A lot of writers are out of work from time to time. Screenwriters can go years between sales. TV writers can go years in between being staffed. A writer like myself is considered earning no money, since all my animation writing work is (currently) non-Guild. From personal observation and from talking to other writers, it's not as bleak as it appears. And perhaps most importantly, from what I can tell-
One out of every three WGA members is an idiot.
There are out of work writers who are NOT idiots. These writers aren't earning money, but they're still competent, they're still connected in the business, and they still have that burning desire to write something and get it out there. I'd say that about half of the out-of-work writers (or for you math wizzes, one-third of the WGA) fall into this category. These are the writers who are likely going to get staffed next year, or make another spec sale, or nail down one of the OWAs out there. Maybe they're victims of ageism, but they're still sharp and if all things were equal, they'll be back on top.
But there are a large number out of work writers who are idiots. Many of them lucked into one sale or one job, then when it was over, fell to the side of the road because they didn't know what to do next. And now they don't have the skills or connections or luck to get back into the game. Their last agent was in 2002 and has last been seen hiding in Argentina - their last manager changed their number and left no forwarding address. When they were a "hot" writer, they never managed to make friends and contacts within the industry. Maybe they're just untalented jerks that no one wants to work with. For whatever reason, these are the writers that I affectionately refer to as idiots. And these idiots desperately want back in.
A few months ago, I went to an event sponsored by one of the Writer's Guild committees. It was open to Guild members only - an interesting panel discussion with some producers. As soon as the Q&A started, hands shot up all over the room - and the air in the room was thick with desperation. Every question asked was some sad form of, "Why don't you hire me?" and "Where can I send you my samples?" and "Me so writer! Me write you long time!" It was really eye-opening.
If making it as a writer in Hollywood is like a climbing a mountain, you want to reach the top of the mountain and shout down with glee at all the people who doubted you. But here's one of those things that I never learned in any writing book. That top of the mountain? It's an illusion. When you reach the top of the mountain and think you've made it, you learn that there's another mountain behind that one that you have to climb if you want to keep writing in Hollywood.
And if you reach the top of THAT mountain, there's a summit there where there's a really nice stairmaster waiting for you. You stay on that stairmaster til you collapse, or until ageism kicks in and the Sherpas kick you off.
Anyways, my point is that after you start to taste some writing success, you have to work even HARDER to keep it up. All those dull and boring things like writing specs, networking, researching, and keeping up on industry news? You have to do it BEFORE you make it and you have to do it AFTER you make it. If you do, your chances of staying in the good 1/3 are good. If you don't, you're going to end up in the wrong 1/3.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a Tibetan stairmaster with my name on it.
posted by Eugene at 8:48 PM
2 Comments:
True dat. I heard a great quote once: "Hollywood is the only war people are fighting to get into."
You never stop proving yourself in this industry. Every job is a new "audition" - and even then you have to prove yourself to each exec. Buuuut - I'm preaching to the Reverend Lovejoy.
*hugs*
I gotta remember that quote. :)
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