Ask A Mentor: Cracking the Code

Aaron Rahsaan Thomas gives advice to a fellow Black writer on code switching.

As the saying goes, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. When that chance arrives in the form of an important meeting, many writers weigh whether or not to show up as their authentic selves. S.W.A.T. showrunner Aaron Rahsaan Thomas answers one writer’s question about whether or not to code switch, the practice of adjusting one’s behavior, appearance, or language to make the other parties in an exchange feel more comfortable or receptive.

Send your questions about the craft, job hunting, your career, or Guild service to Connect (under 100 words, please) with the subject “Mentor,” and we’ll send them to an established screen or TV writer to answer. Questions might be edited for space or clarity and will be published anonymously. WGAW mentors provide informal career advice and are not expected to read scripts, give notes, hear pitches, or help find representation or work. Read more >>

Looking Ahead to the Biden-Harris Administration

The opportunities and challenges to come.

Presidential candidate Joe Biden vowed to be “the strongest labor president you have ever had,” and the WGAW PAC supported the Biden-Harris ticket. Now, as the candidate transitions into leadership, it’s time to hold him accountable to his promises.

Here’s some of what writers should look out for come Jan. 20.

Commitment to unions. During the campaign, Biden issued a comprehensive labor plan to strengthen organizing, collective bargaining, and unions. In keeping with his promise, President-elect Biden must begin by choosing a Secretary of Labor that understands the job is to protect workers, not the companies that exploit them. Read more >>

Get Started with the Start Button

Help the Guild help you get paid on time with this simple and effective online tool.

Last spring, the Guild launched the Start Button to give screenwriters working on assignment—and TV writers working on pilots—a simple way to record when they begin working on a draft and when it’s delivered.

The Start Button enables you to inform the Guild when you begin work on a step and when the draft is scheduled to be submitted, enable follow-up when payment for your writing is due, and request assistance if you are paid late or asked for free work. Read more >>

WGAW Genre Committee Hosts Creators Damon Lindelof and Ronald D. Moore

The Dec. 8 event was the first in the series “Conversations in Genre.”

Did you miss the recent “Conversations in Genre: An Evening with Damon Lindelof and Ronald D. Moore” virtual panel? Watch the video online.

Presented by the WGAW Genre Committee, this panel brings together two of television’s most popular and prolific writers—Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers, Star Trek Into Darkness, Watchmen) and Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, Outlander, For All Mankind, Star Trek series franchise). The two share their experiences as genre storytellers, the making of some of their most memorable works, and their writing processes, and offer insights on how writers at all levels can effectively navigate the current television landscape. Moderated by Phil Pirrello.