If you have WGA strike story to tell…

You are invited to share it on my blog.

I have been a member of the Writers Guild of America, West since 1987. That means I have been through two previous strikes (1988, 2007–2008).

As I got older, I became more interested in teaching and writing about writing. I launched my blog in 2008 and have been a professor at the DePaul University film school since 2016.

But I am still a proud member of the Guild and a staunch supporter of writers in the film and television business. In fact, one of the reasons I started Go Into The Story was to use this site daily to shine whatever tiny bit of the public spotlight on the screenwriting craft.

So here we are: another strike. This one feels existential, the very viability of a Hollywood writing career at stake.

Living in Chicago, I am far removed from the picket lines in Los Angeles and New York City.

I asked myself: Is there anything I can do to support my fellow Guild members?

I had an idea.

What if I provided film and television writers the opportunity to use Go Into The Story as a platform to share their stories?

How they got into the business … What their experience has been as a film or television writer … How has the business changed … What do they love about writing for movies and TV … Why the strike is important … How they are doing emotionally during the work stoppage … What the Guild and the community of film and TV writers has meant to them.

Personal stories. Something to put a human face on what it means to work in the entertainment business.

First person essay. Op-ed piece. Whatever.

If you are a member of the WGAW or WGAE and have something you think would provide a meaningful contribution to the public discourse during what could be a lengthy shutdown, I’m offering you that opportunity.

Go Into The Story isn’t the L.A. Times or the NY Times. It’s not Deadline or The Hollywood Reporter. But this humble blog drew three million plus unique visits over the last twelve months and it’s widely read by people who work in the business and those whose aspiration is to do the same.

Like many of the initiatives and series I have undertaken on my blog during the last fifteen years, I’m just throwing this one out there to see what happens. Maybe nobody responds. Or perhaps WGA members will find this outlet as a chance to share meaningful personal stories which may help readers learn more about what the film and TV writing experience is like.

Who knows. If the strike lingers, sharing stories may prove to be therapeutic for the writer. Perhaps even provide an uplift for other Guild members as they continue to picket and summon the will to stay strong.

If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to share your thoughts, but I’m thinking these pieces should be 750 words max. Stories should be reflective and biographical, and obviously not about self-promotion. Since it’s my blog, I will maintain editorial control, but I am open to consider anything submitted by WGAW and WGAE members.

Here is a chance for writers to do what they do best: write. If you feel moved to use words to share a WGA strike story with the world, email me: GITSblog@gmail.com.