I know you’re all waiting for me to write and tell you what happened in terms of staffing…  Okay, more likely no one is waiting for me to write anything.      –Except maybe Mark, who eagerly exclaimed at a party last night: “I always read your blog!”  “I love it!”  (Okay, maybe he didn’t say he loved it.  He was drinking.  Or I was.  I’m just saying… the word “visionary” was used.  But he could have been talking about the DJ’s ipod dog.  No matter, there was ardor in his subtext…)  Anyway, his enthusiasm shocked and flattered me.  It also pressured me to come up with some big, awesome news to justify his anticipation. 

Don’t got any.  Yet.  Sorry.

I mean, I could write about trapeze lessons or the awesome dip we learned in salsa class or my mom coming to visit, but I know you don’t care about all that…

So last week was upfronts.  Not a very good year for comedy, with some networks only picking up two new sitcoms each.  That’s not gonna do much for us writers who keep shouting “Comedy is not dead!  Comedy is not dead!” while sticking our fingers in our ears and following up with the very persuasive “la-la-la-la-la!”   It’s also not gonna do much for our growing sense of panic as staffing season continues.  But it’s a relief/terrifying to know that it’s completely out of our hands now.  The shows are picked, our scripts are written and (hopefully) being circulated to euphoric acclaim, our agents are doing their job and all we can do is… no, not write.  Worry. 

Showrunners are only just beginning to think about staff level writers.  Those meetings will soon come flooding in… right?  I was lucky enough to have a showrunner meeting last week, but I hope and pray I’ll get some more in the coming weeks.  That meeting went very well, even though I knew going in that the show wasn’t looking for new writers.  The showrunner just wanted to meet me, which was a thrill.  This particular meeting was at a café.  Very interesting to try to pitch yourself surrounded by people, food and waiters – particularly if you’re an obsessive people-watcher, as I am.  But when you get face time with people you admire that much, you end up hanging on their every word.

In the meantime, it’s good to just hang out with other writers.  It’s like being in some sort of therapy group.  Even if they’ve been successful for years, you find they’re just as worried about staffing as you are.  It’s good to know if you’re going to go crazy, you’ve got some company. 

So today I went to the Writers Salon sponsored by the WGA.  It’s my third year going to this event.  The first year, I wasn’t in the guild yet, so I begged to volunteer.  It’s an awesome day, held at Hollywood High, with three one-hour sessions in very small, intimate settings with some of the industry’s top writers. 

This year’s theme was writers on the newly elected 101 Best Screenplay list.  (GREAT list, check it out).  I got to listen to the wisdom of Carl Gottlieb (Jaws, The Jerk), Mardik Martin (Raging Bull) and Christopher McQuarrie (Usual Suspects).  Try as I might, I just couldn’t get in to see James L. Brooks, who was so popular, people sat outside the room just to hear what he said from the hallway.  (Damn, I wish I’d thought of that!)

And yes, even though I am a TV girl through and through, I never get tired of hearing writers speak, whatever their medium.  Stories are universal and structure problems cross all mediums.  I told you guys before.  I am a total panel nerd.

Christopher McQuarrie – (who’s been a U of M Visiting Artist) – said the coolest thing today.  The night he won the academy award he was in a miserable relationship with the girlfriend sitting next to him, he and Bryan Singer weren’t speaking to each other and Bryan wasn’t speaking to Kevin Spacey.  (NOT the cool part yet…)  Though it should have been the high point of his career, it wasn’t.  The high point was when he was staring at his bulletin board filled with notecards, saw the manufacturer’s name in the corner and had one of those moments when you’re struck with true, pure writing inspiration. 

McQuarrie told us to be mindful of those moments as they happen now.  Those are the moments that make us love what we do, not the awards or recognition.  Those moments are why we write. 

Similarly, that reminded me of another great piece of advice I got while having lunch with a friend (a former writer and network executive):  “Writing has to be a passion.  As soon as it becomes just a process, you’re toast.”

So it would be easy to obsess over this process of staffing.  I could theorize, hypothesize and speculate about what might happen or what coulda-woulda-shoulda been different.  Instead, it was great to spend the day with old friends, meet new guild members and hear legends speak about the craft of writing.  It always inspires me. 

In this season of waiting, maybe the best thing to do is focus on what we love about writing. 

Okay, so I lied.  Focusing on the love of the craft is definitely time better spent than worrying.

…And it goes a helluva long way to make you feel better when your mom comes to visit, looks at you skeptically and says something like, “do you have a plan?”

If you’re interested in reading some of Alessia’s work you can visit her website at www.alessiacostantini.com