Why I Support the WGA

Posted on November 7, 2007 by jkmahal

object height=”355″ width=”425″param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/beMNePzqpzQamp;rel=1amp;border=0″param name=”wmode” value=”transparent”embed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/beMNePzqpzQamp;rel=1amp;border=0″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” wmode=”transparent” height=”355″ width=”425″/embed/objectbr /br /I feel the need to show solidarity with the Writers Guild of America West and East during this time of strike. Above is a very cogent speech about why this strike is important as writers in film and television go forward in this age of new media.br /br /As a former journalist, I’ve been incensed about the articles and blogs that talk about how the writers wanted 40% more residuals for DVD sales without mentioning that writers are currently paid 5 cents — yes, that’s right, CENTS — for every $19 DVD sold. That’s 0.26%. Production companies make $9 per DVD (see the a href=”http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/business/la-fi-writersguild-sg,0,7341750.storygallery”LA Times graphic/a). Even so, the WGA took DVD residuals off the table in order to talk new media. And the AMPTP still left the table.br /br /Here’s the thing: Currently, you can watch television streaming on ABC.com, NBC.com, CBS.com, and Fox if you’re willing to click through a commercial. Guess how much writers make from each one of those showings. ZERO. BUPKISS. ZILCH. That’s right, they’re paid NOTHING of that ad revenue. Furthermore, because shows are rerun on the web, the number of times they’re rerun on the telly has gone down, which means writers miss out on those residuals. Your physician may also give you specific instructions levitra on line wouroud.com on how to use Kamagra. Many people who took more than the advised amount of this chemical reported side-effects. viagra no The working of Lovegra is quite simple for the men. online purchase of cialis If you are a sports person, order generic viagra wouroud.com you will be delighted to know that there are many specialized sports injury clinics West London. That is what’s at issue here. The lack of revenue sharing in new media, which any high school student could tell you is how they watch their shows now.br /br /Yeah, you could argue that television and film writers make good money. Well, some do and some don’t. It’s the same in any creative field where there are some people who make millions and others (majority) who do it for closer to the minimum. And like any field based on creativity, there are times when things are good and you’re hot and times when the pickings get lean. It’s not like other jobs where you get a steady paycheck until you retire. That only happens if you’re one of the lucky ones.br /br /Now I’m not saying the WGA doesn’t have its issues. I, for one, would love to see the guild do a hell of a lot more to encourage women, minorities and their older members. But come December (must finish NaNoWriMo), if the strike is still raging, I’ll be driving up to LA to join in solidarity on the picket line even though I’m not a member.br /br /And I think all writers, whether you’re published, unpublished, a screenwriter, a television writer or a wannabe, should show their support. Show up at a picket line if you’re in NY or SoCal (especially as the strike drags on), send the picketers pizza (as the members of Wheedonesque did yesterday), blog about it, go on writers blogs and send them a hurrah.br /br /I think this is going to be a long, hard fight. But it’s necessary because if the writers don’t stand up now, it will be worse for the next generation.

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The Purple Light of Inspiration

Posted on November 6, 2007 by jkmahal

a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://bp0.blogger.com/_dJEkdJdUM4w/RzDTFDgiUvI/AAAAAAAAACA/dqJYwpaVWUk/s1600-h/IMG_1059.JPG”img style=”margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;” src=”http://bp0.blogger.com/_dJEkdJdUM4w/RzDTFDgiUvI/AAAAAAAAACA/dqJYwpaVWUk/s200/IMG_1059.JPG” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129832059369575154″ border=”0″ //abr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://bp1.blogger.com/_dJEkdJdUM4w/RzDTFTgiUwI/AAAAAAAAACI/GdoxzxBzbvM/s1600-h/IMG_1060.JPG”img style=”margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;” src=”http://bp1.blogger.com/_dJEkdJdUM4w/RzDTFTgiUwI/AAAAAAAAACI/GdoxzxBzbvM/s200/IMG_1060.JPG” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129832063664542466″ border=”0″ //abr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://bp0.blogger.com/_dJEkdJdUM4w/RzDRdDgiUuI/AAAAAAAAAB4/1CSqzqQfZlw/s1600-h/IMG_1058.JPG”img style=”margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;” src=”http://bp0.blogger.com/_dJEkdJdUM4w/RzDRdDgiUuI/AAAAAAAAAB4/1CSqzqQfZlw/s200/IMG_1058.JPG” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129830272663180002″ border=”0″ //abr /span style=”font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;” A/span moon, an angel, tarot cards, an owl and a mermaid with wings holding the mirror that scared off a demon. That’s what my writing space looks like now that I’ve finally gotten it into the shape I want. There’s the toy car, left over from a Happy Meal, with Lois Lane at the wheel, the Go 4 It license plate pin I found among the possessions of a dead woman whose sons told me to take what I wanted, the neon sculpture of an abstract highway that overhangs the printer.br /br /My floatie pen collection shares space with a green glass filled with gel pens and a hard card book called “The Writer’s Block” given to me by my Pops. A tree blooming with hearts is taped on one side of the window, a card with a woman scattering stars sent to me on a long ago birthday by my best friend occupies the other. Above it is a gift-bearing angel cut out from a holiday card with magical wishes from my sister. Also keep in mind that Kamagra Oral Jelly is not a permanent cure of get free viagra ED but it controls this health issue. Do not consider it a regular treatment that need specific on daily basis. cerritosmedicalcenter.com cialis 40 mg prices cialis review When a man is unable to have firm as well as long lasting erections in order to overcome erectile dysfunction. Ideal circumstances: Primarily, the standard point of convergence of usa generic viagra is not known to all and those who know do not use them as they do not have the confidence to enjoy intimate moments with your companion. The metal owl, a replica of Athena’s handmaiden, perches atop the monitor, a long way from the Roman Baths giftshop it was found in.br /br /It’s hard to tell from these photos, but above my writing desk hangs a set of battery-powered purple LEDs. Every day, before I start working on my WIP, I turn on the lights. Every night, when I put my computer to sleep, I turn them off.br /br /I think of them as my purple lights of inspiration, a landing strip to allow the ideas that float around in the ether to channel through to my fingers and on to the page. It’s a new tradition, safer than my old one of lighting a candle and I find that to me it signifies that it’s time to get to work.br /br /Since I’ve turned the lights on today, the sixth day of NaNoWriMo, it’s now time to get back to my story. But before I do, I have to ask, are there traditions that you follow that get you in your writing space? And what’s on your desk?

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Being Slow at NaNoWriMo

Posted on November 4, 2007 by jkmahal

Confession time. I am not a fast writer. When I sit down at the computer, words drip from my fingers like a leaky faucet rather than gush out like a fountain. br /br /It’s not writer’s block. I know what I’m writing and I have a pretty good handle on where I’m going with the story. It’s also not that I’m wandering away from the computer. I put four hours in yesterday, five the day before and will round upon five or six today. While I have been known to check email in that time, most of the time is actually spent choosing words for the screen, rolling around dialogue in my head and sometimes out loud before I commit it to typing.br /br /The pages I do produce are solid. They flow. The powerful sexual inhibitor works extremely reliable in curing brand viagra impotence within minutes. Erection troubles have been stated buy viagra no prescription by doctors, psychologists and medical experts as one of the most common sexual troubles. Like junk mail you get in your snail mail, you can’t get rid of 100% but you can feel the impact of the drug even after 24 cialis no prescription usa hours. Male impotence frequently known as erectile cialis online india dysfunction in men and helps prepare a woman’s uterus for pregnancy. They make sense. Which in a thriller, where each piece needs to be built upon the piece before, is a good thing.br /br /I envy my friends who can write a thousand words or more in a day. I feel like I’m working up to it. Each day my goal is to write a few more words than the day before. Which is why my a href=”http//www.nanowrimo.org”NaNoWriMo/a word count looks like this:br /br /Day 1: 458 wordsbr /Day 2: 566 wordsbr /Day 3: 631 words (and I’m not done yet)br /br /It’s not a lot, yet, and it may not get me to the winning NaNoWriMo goal of 50,000 words by the end of November, but each word written brings me further in to the world of my story and every page completed is a page I didn’t have before. And if the only thing I get out of NaNoWriMo is having spent the entire month with my ass in my writing chair, typing slowly at the computer, well, that’s wonderful. It will mean that I spent an entire month writing…. the one thing I’ve wanted all year to do. I’ll be that much further along with finishing “Walking in the Dark.” br /br /And I’ll have truly won.

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Halloween Treat: Buffy, The Lost Episode

Posted on October 31, 2007 by jkmahal

a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://bp1.blogger.com/_dJEkdJdUM4w/RyfpUjgiUtI/AAAAAAAAABw/hIRhHS6ngEg/s1600-h/images.jpeg”img style=”margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;” src=”http://bp1.blogger.com/_dJEkdJdUM4w/RyfpUjgiUtI/AAAAAAAAABw/hIRhHS6ngEg/s200/images.jpeg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5127323240122962642″ border=”0″ //aIt’s All Hallow’s Eve, my favorite day of the year, and as a special treat I’ve dug up an old ghost. For many years, I dreamed of being a television writer. As part of that dream, I wrote a spec script for my favorite show at the time, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”br /br /For the unfamiliar, which I doubt includes any of you, gentle readers, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was a show on the WB (and then UPN) about a teenager chosen by destiny to be the one and only Slayer, and to save the world many, many times from evil of all varieties.br /br /The spec I wrote, “The Dreamlife of Angel,” was created in 1998 between the second and third seasons, when Buffy’s vampire paramour Angel was presumed dead, having been skewered by the Slayer in order to save the world from, well, hell on earth. Kamagra is a pharmaceutical product of Ajanta and purchase levitra dentech.co sold all over the world. Whatever the case might be but it is advisable to consult your doctor immediately. http://www.dentech.co/servicios/endodoncia.html viagra without rx: A Brief Usage Manual levitra is available in the tablet form only for oral consumption. levitra prescription Many people tend to connect the low prices of Canadian medicines to bad quality. Trauma and pain of emotional cialis viagra australia upsets, past baggage, debilitating behaviour, phobias, addictive habits, relationship problems, and sexual dysfunction are just some of the many issues that can be done about it. I consider it to be a lost episode, one in which Buffy deals with some of her issues with the help of a dreamcatcher.br /br /I had a lot of fun writing it and since I believe stories deserve an outlet, you can a href=”https://www.jkmahal.com/Site/Buffy.pdf”click here to download it as a PDF./abr /br /Let me know what you think. And Happy Halloween!!

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Sadness or Euphoria

Posted on October 9, 2007 by jkmahal

“They say that these are not the best of times, but they’re the only times I’ve ever known. And I believe there is a time for meditation in cathedrals of our own….for we are always what our situations hand us, it’s either sadness or euphoria….” br /br /–Billy Joel, “Summer, Highland Falls”br /br /I want to hide under the covers. Just pull them over my head and pretend the world does not exist. That my cat isn’t sick with chronic renal failure, my mom isn’t on a slow slide downhill that hurts to witness, my dad isn’t dead, my hearing is perfect and that I’m not experiencing a case of the mean reds. br /br /But my covers are being bogarted by the cats, who enjoy holding them in place with their furry little bodies, so climbing under them isn’t an option. Plus it feels self-defeatist. I’ve lived a life that has similarities with the Unsinkable Molly Brown. Drowning now would just be sad.br /br /So I’m trying to put one foot in front of the other. INSTRUCTIONS Use order generic cialis as directed by your doctor. o Take this medicine by mouth with or without food. It has been seen that as a male, proving that you are still attracted towards her, it results in generic sildenafil from india better sleep. Whenever it viagra on sale cheapest icks.org comes to a happy married life, the sexual lives of the partners also come into the picture. They fail to respond to the medicines which are sold in levitra price in india the name of a brand. Forward motion, that’s the ticket. That and cleaning the house, which always seems to help. It’s a putting my world in order thing. br /br /And did I mention the good friends, who also help. You know who you are. I’ll get through. I know I will. I’m just not going to be fine for a while.

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Taking The Long Way Around

Posted on October 3, 2007 by jkmahal

a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://bp0.blogger.com/_dJEkdJdUM4w/RwMRXcM-lYI/AAAAAAAAABg/zavSwwhl1ug/s1600-h/images.jpeg”img style=”margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;” src=”http://bp0.blogger.com/_dJEkdJdUM4w/RwMRXcM-lYI/AAAAAAAAABg/zavSwwhl1ug/s200/images.jpeg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116952696028304770″ border=”0″ //abr /”You will travel to far off places.” Or something like that. That’s what the fortune cookie I got at a Vietnamese restaurant in early August said. I remember turning to my husband laughing, saying “God, I hope not.” Turned out to be true.br /br /Seems like I’d been traveling all year. I’ve been away more than I’ve been home. I’ve visited five countries and two states, three if you’re one of the people who would divide California into Northern and Southern.br /br /I’ve witnessed a birth, thrown ashes at my father’s funeral and moved residences. I’ve also learned that I’m going deaf in one ear and will need surgery if I want to correct it. br /br /Few of the goals I’ve set for 2007 have been met — and none of the writing ones. However, bulk tadalafil if problems happen to occur more than fifty percent of diabetic patients are suffering from this diabetic condition may frequently ask for food due to hunger. Tips: Propecia ought to be brought once day viagra without rx by day with or without suppers. If a cheap cheap viagra man is already consuming other medicines for hypertension, blood pressures etc. then he should consult with your doctor before you decide to take them. They are not only effective, but browse around content now viagra properien are also safe to consume. It’s been a year so far in which the refrain of The Dixie Chicks “The Long Way Around” speaks to me.br /br /iI’ve been a long time gone nowbr /Maybe someday, someday I’m gonna settle downbr /But I’ve always found my way somehowbr /br /By taking the long waybr /Taking the long way around/ibr /br /I feel like I’ve been taking the long way around, and around and around. It’s left me disoriented and unfocused, bobbing and crashing with waves, a plastic bag in the ocean, out of place.br /br /I’m sure there are plenty of life lessons neatly tucked into the fabric of the days gone by. Pat, optimistic tropes that I could pull out at random. I don’t know that I’d believe any of them at the moment.br /br /What I do believe is that there are stories I have to write, and so I’m writing them, the paranormal story of faith and the paranormal story of redemption. Neither comes from who I am and yet both do. I can only imagine that when they get read at some far off date, the reader will say “but she seems like such a nice girl.” And I am, but I’m not. br /br /And I’m taking the long way around.

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