JaneEspenson.com

Oh, Gentle Readers, I am weary. I’m also footsore and frustrated. There is a corrosive new message oozing across the cyberlandscape. Is it true that we’re fiddling while jobs burn? Well, in an effort to make the issues clear, and out of a compulsion to do what we know how to do, we’ve made the strike entertaining. Is that cavalier? I’m sure it can look that way.

But know that we’re not dancing as lightly as we seem to be. We’re cold. We’re tired. Our feet hurt. We’re concerned about the future — the future of our shows, the future of our careers, the future of the business, the future of the whole darn American middle-class, and the future of any personal sense of security we might have built up. We’re concerned about our relationship with executives whom we like, who aren’t really part of the mogularchy. And we’re greatly concerned about those people who find themselves affected by the strike although they never even got a vote in this action. We may look like we’re laughing, but we’re serious.

So, yeah, we’re tired. But that doesn’t mean we’re weak. And that doesn’t mean we’re divided. And you know what’s keeping us strong and united? You. Fans and aspiring writers. Fans appreciate what we provide, and would like television writing to remain a viable career so that we can keep providing it. And aspiring writers know that we’re doing this so that there is a career here for them to step into. Thank you so much for understanding that. You’re entertaining us too, you know — those masses of pencils made me smile heartily. And I know that doesn’t mean you’re taking this lightly either.

If I were a “bless you” sort of person, I’d say that. But I’m not. So… gesundheit. Gesundheit to you.

Lunch: leftover Persian food. Crispy rice with lamb stew. And Faloodeh for dessert. Do you know this stuff? Frozen noodles with lime juice and rosewater. It’s the childhood favorite your childhood was missing.

P.S. If you’re that guy I almost punched today, the one who claimed that we writers weren’t sacrificing anything, I direct you to, get this, the actual AMPTP website. Even they agree that we’re sacrificing a lot. They think that number will scare us? Take it as a measure of our resolve, and I think it should scare them.

I’m back from the Trek picket at Paramount. Again, there was a crazy wall-to-wall turnout of supporters, fans, and magnificent alumni. I was thrilled to get to see my old friend Armin Shimerman, whom I’ve been able to write for both as Quark and as Principal Snyder on Buffy. I also got to meet Trek actors including Brent Spiner and Nichelle Nichols. I heartily thanked David Gerrold, the writer of “The Trouble with Tribbles,” who pioneered the business of coming in to write “the funny one,” a model I’ve tried to follow in my own writing career. And, get this, when I retired to Lucy’s El Adobe for lunch following the picket, whom did I find? George Takei and Walter Koenig, lunching together. Holy cats, fellow Trekkers. Can you imagine? Sulu and Chekhov, sharing chips and salsa. I was undone.

So, I had exciting first-meets, and charming reunions with old friends (much of the Tru Calling writing staff was there — go figure), but the best part, as always, was meeting you, Gentle Readers. Many of you found me and made an effort to say hello and introduce yourselves. The fact that you support the writers warms my heart. We’re staying strong out there largely because we know you’re with us in this. Thank you so much.

Tomorrow, I’m going to be at Warner Brothers (probably Gate 2) with other women genre writers starting at 8 am. Look for the pink hats. It’s also “bring an actor friend” to the line day, so I’m hoping to have a surprise guest with me. Come by to see who it is!

In other strike news, check this out. It’s a very interesting piece from United Hollywood that might help you think of ways you can help, even if you’re too far away to come join us on the line.

In non-strike news, you can also check this other thing out. It’s another interview with me, this time done by the fine people at SpaceWesterns.com, who asked some interesting questions that made me think very hard.

Finally, I have to point out another prime example of refurbishing a clam (an over-used joke). You remember, I’m sure, extensive conversations we’ve had before about “Good day… I said good day, sir!” I was surprised and interested to hear a variant of this joke on 30 Rock the other night. This version went:

Person One: I said good day!

Person Two: No, you didn’t.

Person One: Well, I meant to.

It’s an interesting attempt to freshen up a familiar joke by making the person deliver it incorrectly. I’m not sure it was entirely successful, but I give it points for taking on such a difficult task.

Lunch: Guac, salsa, chips… eaten while watching childhood icons.

Oh my! I’m still recovering from the massively successful Mutant Enemy Day picket at Fox today. Did I meet every one of you, Gentle Readers? Because it feels as though I did. What a turn-out! Joss was, I know, impressed and moved by the support, as were all of us, both Mutants and Enemies. Thanks so much to all of you who came from nearby and from very very far away to show your support. It means a lot to us personally, and it makes an impact in the struggle as well. Knowing the fans are behind the writers makes it possible for us to persevere as these negotiations drag on.

Lots of people thanked me for the writing advice I dispense here. Allow me to point a finger off-stage to someone else who is giving excellent advice. I recently stumbled across the book “Writing The TV Drama Series,” by Pamela Douglas, and it’s great. I totally recommend it. Pamela has loads of experience as a working writer and she generously lays it all out and includes input as well from a number of “guest speakers,” including my current boss, Ron Moore of Battlestar Galactica.

One of the big reasons I recommend this book is because it’s so spankingly current. The shift away from four acts to five or more, the move from specs of produced shows to spec pilots… she covers it all. I don’t know Pamela personally, but I’m darned impressed.

Once more… thank you for this morning’s picket. What a glorious thing.

Lunch: grilled artichoke, chocolate-dipped fruit

Tomorrow is the big day. “Mutant Enemy Day,” the special event being held in celebration of Joss Whedon and his shows Buffy, Angel, and Firefly (and the up-coming Dollhouse), will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fox studios. I hope you’ll be there.

I spent yesterday evening and this morning at Guild headquarters, making signs for the event. So if you get one that’s exceptionally poorly taped, it might be mine. I invite you to imagine me, beaning myself with the stick, stray tape caught in my hair… I do it all for you.

There is also exciting news about another big impending event with a Buffy connection! I have just received an email from the amazing Marti Noxon about an event she has helped set up for next Friday, the 14th of December at 8 p.m. Marti says, it’s a comedy benefit for the Motion Picture and Television Fund, which is available to provide health and social services to all workers in the entertainment industry affected by the strike. The line-up is EDDIE IZZARD, JACK BLACK AND KYLE GASS (Tenacious D), SARAH SILVERMAN, PATTON OSWALT, and LEWIS BLACK. It’s at Royce Hall, and tickets go on sale over the weekend via UCLA for 75 bucks a pop. […] The money will go to a great cause and it’s an awesome group of performers.

Whoa. I’ll say. My god. What a line-up! I cannot imagine missing this.

Marti points out that there isn’t a lot of time to promote this event. It got a nice write-up in today’s LA Times, but most of the promotion is going to be simple word-of-mouth. That means, of course, that you can buy lots of tickets and get great seats for this one-of-a-kind show! I don’t have a phone number for ticket orders. I called the Royce Hall box office just now, and they either aren’t going to be selling the tickets, or they just haven’t been informed about it yet. I’ll post a phone number or web site order info when I get it, but you should feel free to investigate this yourselves over the weekend if I don’t find out anything.

THEN, Monday at Paramount, there is a special picket for Trek writers and fans. I will be there, as will many other writers who were involved in Trek either intimately or tangentially (like me). Notice that this refers to all Trek incarnations including the original. Personally, my fingers are crossed for a chance to talk to D.C. Fontana. (I’m told that she and I were at the same party recently… that I even sat quite near her, but I didn’t know who she was, and missed out on a chance to talk to her.) Think of the possibilities!

Lunch: See today’s earlier post.

I sat down with the current Disney TV fellows yesterday over lunch. The Fellowship has been disrupted by the strike, so I’m going to step into the void in my small way to try to replace a bit of the mentorship that the studio had been providing. Over lunch, I learned some interesting things that I want to pass along to those of you hoping to get into the program in the future.

The program seems to have had a better rate of both placing fellows on shows, and in having those placed fellows thrive once they got there than in the earlier years of the program. All ten television fellows were placed on shows, and all of them were positive about the experience they had there. That’s simply amazing to me. And — get this — almost all the fellows managed to secure representation before the end of the program. Those who did not, are in the process of securing it now. Fantastic.

I also learned that it seems clear that there is every intention of continuing the program next year despite this year’s disruption. Interviews for next year’s Potentials were held recently, I am told. I hope some of you were in there, Gentle Readers. If not, then the following year must be your lucky year.

The fellows also pointed out something interesting to me that I had not noticed. The participants aren’t just diverse in the usual sense of having backgrounds different than a preponderance of other working writers. They are also diverse relative to each other. It really is an impressively wide variety of backgrounds that are represented. (Including a white guy, so be cool, white guys; there’s room for you, too.)

So, if you do find yourself in that interview chair, think about the things that set you apart and give you your unique take on the world. And I don’t just mean ethnically. If you were raised on a farm, or spent a summer on a fishing boat, or volunteered on skid row, or had an uncle in prison or congress, or grew up on a series of army bases… find that hook, just like you would with a script.

I also learned a bit of new “room” terminology from one of the fellows. There’s often a bit of talk in the room about which scene is the one that’s going to be cut if it looks like the show is coming in too long, which it always does. It’s important to be able to identify this scene early enough so that you can cut it before you spend a lot of time and energy rewriting it. You also need to move any crucial information out of this scene into other, safer, places. (This is also important in spec writing too, of course.) Anyway, the bit of terminology is “on the plastic.” The scene that’s next in line to be cut, is said to be on the plastic. The associated image is that of a mob guy, called into a meeting, only to find that he’s standing on plastic laid down to protect the room. It’s kind of a genius phrase, because it not only suggests that the scene is doomed, but also that the scenes around it will be protected from damage. Genius!

The fellows were gracious, welcoming, informative and unfailingly positive. I’m sure more of you will join their ranks every year.

There is also a lot of new strike news, but I’ll put that up in a separate post.

Lunch: The “Big and Tasty” burger at McDonald’s. I like that it has tomato.

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