ScriptSuperhero.com

Any former kid my age who was a writer or otherwise interested in the past before he or she was personally alive will tell you what the real joy of full mailboxes can be like. So can any war veterans, but I digress.

Some of my fondest memories are things I had waiting for me in the mailbox when I came home from school. For example, I had a couple global pen pals back when I was young, including Lee Kim Koh of Malaysia and Lynda Desjerdin (I think) of Algeria. Both were dear friends for a time. Kim and I corresponded for a couple years, when I was a preteen/teen. Lynda and I kept in touch, though with increasingly less frequency, well into my college years.

The mailbox also brought be tapes of old radio programs my parents grew up listening to, or new music, or fascinating novels. And magazines were the best because most of them came monthly, except for TV Guide, which was a highlight of each week.

A mailbox can be a source of great joy when you’re a kid; despite all the junkmail, at least it’s not a source of joyless bills until later in life.

Very soon, I should be getting my contributor’s copy. It was thrilling a few months ago to find out a magazine had accepted my piece on Ripper victim Mary Jane Kelly. It was fun to research and write, and I’ve been anxious to see the results in print.

That should happen, if all goes well, before Christmas.

While it’s not as overwhelming as sitting in from of an HDTV and a Bose home theater system, and get blown away by the sights and sounds of your own work on the silver screen, there is still a vital, visceral thrill to be had to open a freshly-shipped magazine and get a whiff of that fresh ink on paper smell.

Only writers will know what I mean; but perhaps others could relate to it this way: imagine that first whiff of air to escape out of a tin of Folgers Coffee, the kind that appeals even to non-coffee drinkers, and you’ll get the idea.

This is the fun part of being a writers; the anticipation of seeing your words in print for the whole world to see.

I thoroughly enjoy the show House, M.D.

Hugh Laurie is completely entertaining, and quite a revelation as a dramatic actor for anyone who remembers him from his early-years BBC silliness on, oh, Blackadder II with Rowan Atkinson. And he brings some of that trademark humor to bear in the House M.D. role.

But whether you need a routine physical or a plasma lift, in real life no one remotely cares for grumpy Dr. House types. Take a recent episode from my own life as an example.

I recently had an allergic reaction to a high blood pressure medicine I was on. It took two days, four faxes, and so many phone calls I blew my 300 monthly cell minutes in about three days. And why? Because clinics these days love nothing better than to put you on hold for an eternity, even if all you want to do is leave a quick message for the doctor.

And hey, if you get flustered by such disrespect, be prepared to get hung up on once you finally get to a nurse.

I switched clinics, to make a long story short, and I think one bout with Dr. House would be all most patients could stand before following my example and finding a new doctor.

Unlike image-conscious actors and actresses, one career stress most writers never have to worry about is their appearance; most always remain behind the camera and never have to be a weight-conscious, image-conscious person who is constantly popping diet pills into their mouth instead of a Big Mac at lunchtime.

Still, it is important even for writers to take time out for things like, y’kniow, staying in shape and being healthy enough to enjoy a long writing career. That’s advice I now wish I’d taken.

Although the situation seems to be settling out now, I was recently diagnosed with high blood pressure. At first, it felt like a death sentence had been handed down to me. I felt that much despair. But I’ve been cutting back on the salt and caffeine, trying to find time to work out, and generally making a better effort at not being out of shape.

I don’t think shortcuts are the best idea; nothing beats exercise and reasonable eating habits. Fortunately, my wife is committed to helping me stay alive and is making us more home-cooked meals, as well as making sure my diet is balanced.

The exercise is up to me; I want to live, write, and be a husband and (eventually) father for a long time, not a short time. I may be 41, but I’m just getting started.

Currently, I’m not making enough from my writing career to browse ads for condos for sale with any realistic expectation that I could ever afford one. So if anyone wants to see the 2007 WGA strike end successfully for writers, it’s me.

However, like so many strikes these days, it seems the unions that kick up the most dust are also those whose employees enjoy some of the better-paying careers in America. Pro athletes, actors, writers and the like all have unions decrying the plight of millionaires who want to be billionaires. It’s hardly the “blue-collar” scam that unions started out being.

Sure, you have to land on your feet amidst a sea of aspiring talent to really call yourself a working writer, but once you’re in that elite academy, it’s not a bad gig if you can get it. Most staff writers on the average scripted drama or sitcom brings home a salary in the low six figures. Get “producer” added to the job title and it can close in on at least a cool $250,000, even for a neophyte with writes tripe, but at least it’s five-act-structure tripe.

Find some success and land your own show where you’re executive producer and, bang, you’re in for a lot more than that thanks to lucrative network/producer agreements.

That’s why it’s heartening to see producers with writer roots, like 30 Rock’s Tina Fey, joining the picket lines. Sure, if the strike resolution favors better terms for writers, she’ll be among the first to benefit, but at least she hasn’t forgotten her writer beginnings.

With my various reviews, blogging and other writing projects, I probably make a tenth of one percent of what an executive producer makes for plotting out a 22-episode season, writing a couple scripts and letting other writers do the rest of the real writing work. It’s good money for now, but it’s too bad the WGA overlooks the real money-poor writing careers in favor of Hollywood screenwriters, TV writers and news writers. There are some blue collar bloggers out here who wouldn’t mind a big, huge raise… but we can’t afford the luxury of a strike, nor is WGA remotely interested in us.

Oh well.

One thing writers need as much as anyone else these days is easy access to their money. Since few professions are as online-savvy as writers, looking into checking accounts at online banks like WaMu is a smart idea.

Some traditional banks build online banking into their existing business structure, but only online banks like WaMu have been built form the ground up to handle things like PayPal transactions, accurate balances and other special online banking considerations in a smooth, consistent and reliable way.

That can be handy, too. I have a pair of friends who recently overdrew their account and because access to their account was so limited, it took them a while to correct it. Overdraft fees, daily account overdrawn fees, penalties and interest added up so fast that within just over a couple weeks, they owed the bank more money than they make in a month and were put in danger of losing their apartment.

Stuff like that’s immoral, but it could have been avoided with faster, more accurate information on their real account balance. That’s where banks that are built from the ground up to be online-savvy offer writers … and anyone else … a distinct advantage.

One of the real challenges the 2007 WGA Strike presents writers with is the real danger that other forms of entertainment, which don’t require screenwriters, could surge enough in popularity as to make the lack of new scripted programming not seem as pressing, if the strike drags out.

That could lead to protracted unemployment for millions of folks in California, and is likely to have a negative ripple effect on the rest of the economy. Writers and other Hollywood professionals should make sure they have updated their life insurance policies if this becomes a major, protracted work stoppage.

Unscripted shows have already been popular, threatening the survival of scripted dramas and comedies. Could this be the move that makes such reality programming overexposed enough to wear on viewers’ patience, or will it be the act that allows the public to move on from their weekly addictions.

Right now, in the freshness of the strike, viewers are still caught up in their favorite fictions. We all want to know how Hiro turns out in HEROES, what’s really the rest of the secrets remaining on LOST, whether Jack Bauer can survive another 24, and so forth. Will these addictions remain if the strike lasts six months or longer? I’d begin to doubt it. Certain shows already showing age could be canceled due to an inability to reassemble the cast.

I think writers ought to get improved compensation for their labor, obviously; but the quicker a solution comes, the better.

ScriptSuperhero.com isn’t that old, but this site has already won an award.

Of course, it was pretty much a random drawing in which my site’s name was simply the one called. But at least it’s something. Hopefully, it’ll be the first of many victories for our site.

ScriptSuperhero.com is dedicated to the topic of writing, almost exclusively. I try to give advice and share what I’ve learned so far, hoping others will benefit.

For all my thoughts on the TV and movie writers strike, HollywoodIdiocy.com is the better place to go. But I will say that whether the strike is a good move or will turn out bad, the important point is that it’s hard not to write, when it’s ingrained in you. I think the pressure’s that much worse for writings in the fast-paced, cut-throat world of Hollywood, especially not in the age of increased entertainment demand made by the HD movement and equipment like the HDMI cables that are required for True 1080p reception.

Still, I would find myself going batty if I had a job that allowed me to write, but I couldn’t because I was on strike. I suspect I’d use the strike to write up a ton of pitches and perhaps work on a novel, while withholding my services from the company I’m on strike from.

Most writers write because of the “gotta” factor. That’s how it is for me anyway.

In the meantime, Soldernosk (solidarity), Hollywood script writers! I do hope you get what you feel you deserve and that the strike ends quickly.

A lot of writers have to write stuff they’re not completely enthusiastic about.

It begins in school, with academic papers like such lofty topics as, “How I Spent My Summer Vacation.” Big yawn, right?

But as we get better at writing, sometimes we’re expected to be creative on demand, and that kind of writing assignment can completely suck. Need an example?

When I was in high school, I had a couple friends who were born-again believers. At the time, I wasn’t. I was just a fairly mild-mannered church-going Lutheran boy. But a friend of theirs had died and they wanted a song written in her honor. Who do they come to? Yup, me.

Now, I had written song lyrics that year. I’d even performed one of my songs a Capella in front of a psychology class as part of a “share your talent” thing we were all required to do. So kids in school knew I wrote song lyrics.

Then I was approached to write a song for this girl who’d died, for a girl who was born again, from a family who was, and considering I wasn’t, it was kind of damn hard to even attempt.

I’d never known the girl in question. I knew nothing about her family, her friends, her likes, her dislikes, I didn’t even have a picture of her. And I was being asked to write a song that would capture the essence of who she was for everyone who knew and loved her?

Needless to say, that song never was written, at least not in any completed form. It disappointed my born again friends.

I’ve since come to faith and you can read about what I believe these days on MessianicMusings.com, but I will say that even today, I think being asked to do that kind of writing assignment was a bit beyond reason.

Most people don’t think of the need for a writer when they are buying something like wedding flowers, but stop and think about it for a moment; if you attach a poem to the flowers, wouldn’t it be nice for the person receiving them to read something more creative and original than the 9 billionth twist on “Roses are Red…”?

Of course, I’m not much of a poet, so it’s not like I’m promoting my own services, here. But I do think it’s a shame we’ve lost our sense of the poetic, to a large extent, on the alter of modern life.

Granted, some poetic allusions are quite grotesque if taken literally. “Skin like alabaster,” for example, is comparing soft human skin to a cold, granite-like substance. Not exactly skin made for a warm, cozy cuddle, is it?

Still, at least in the poetic, there was an attempt to complement, to inspire, to paint a picture of admiration and beauty. We don’t have enough of that in today’s society.

This is advice I need to follow better myself. What am I doing still up and blogging at 1:35 a.m. on a work night?

Of course, some of us feel compelled not to stop when the juices get rolling, and that can lead to health complications.

Last weekend, too much of this led to me having a serious migraine all weekend, on top of a cold. Try that mixture sometime.

Better yet, don’t. Better to avoid a migraine than need a headache treatment at 1:35 a.m. when most businesses are closed.

Good night, all!

Not many writers have a personal need for equestrian riding apparel, but any Dick Francis fan will tell you it pays to learn a bit about it.

Horse riding can easily play a role in just about any novel, and the folks who KNOW horses and horse riding are going to know if you’re faking it.

So, don’t fake it. Simple, huh?