The WGA strike started at midnight Sunday. I’ve never been on strike before. This will be new.

In case you’re curious and the news reports don’t make the issues clear, the deal is extremely simple. Advancing technology is constantly changing the means through which the stuff we write is sold and delivered. Our deal doesn’t cover those changes properly, and until it does, we’ll get paid less and less fairly as time goes on.

As you know from your own experience, an ever-increasing percentage of the audience is seeing our work through DVDs, downloads, streaming media, and so on. Our last agreement dates to before YouTube and its ilk even existed.

Heck, nobody even knows how the audience will see stuff five or ten or fifty years from now. It might all be delivered wirelessly through the Internet, or to our phones, or to giant glowing mandatory probes inserted in the backs of our necks and jacked directly into our brain stems. (I only pray these will be designed by Apple. I mean, who wants a giant glowing mandatory neck probe made by Microsoft? Not me.)

One thing we do know, though: new media will be a large, growing, and possibly dominant part of the future. So WGA has to demand fair payment, or face literally signing away the writers’ share of that future.

And while the studios will make money no matter how the work is distributed, our current deal simply doesn’t extend properly into new media yet. So we’re asking to get paid our fair share (and really nothing more than that, honest) for our work, no matter where it’s shown.

That’s it. That’s the heart of the issue.

Basically, when they get paid for our work, we should get paid for our work — whether it’s in DVDs, downloads, or giant glowing mandatory neck probes.

Until then, sadly — nobody wanted this — pickets.

And hopefully some fairly creative slogans. Because, well, writers. Damn well better be.

PS: If you’d like more specifics, an excellent and clear issue-by-issue breakdown, along with the basic outlines of a possible agreement, are here.

The WGA strike started at midnight Sunday. I’ve never been on strike before. This will be new.

In case you’re curious and the news reports don’t make the issues clear, the deal is extremely simple. Advancing technology is constantly changing the means through which the stuff we write is sold and delivered. Our deal doesn’t cover those changes properly, and until it does, we’ll get paid less and less fairly as time goes on.

As you know from your own experience, an ever-increasing percentage of the audience is seeing our work through DVDs, downloads, streaming media, and so on. Our last agreement dates to before YouTube and its ilk even existed.

Heck, nobody even knows how the audience will see stuff five or ten or fifty years from now. It might all be delivered wirelessly through the Internet, or to our phones, or to giant glowing mandatory probes inserted in the backs of our necks and jacked directly into our brain stems. (I only pray these will be designed by Apple. I mean, who wants a giant glowing mandatory neck probe made by Microsoft? Not me.)

One thing we do know, though: new media will be a large, growing, and possibly dominant part of the future. So WGA has to demand fair payment, or face literally signing away the writers’ share of that future.

And while the studios will make money no matter how the work is distributed, our current deal simply doesn’t extend properly into new media yet. So we’re asking to get paid our fair share (and really nothing more than that, honest) for our work, no matter where it’s shown.

That’s it. That’s the heart of the issue.

Basically, when they get paid for our work, we should get paid for our work — whether it’s in DVDs, downloads, or giant glowing mandatory neck probes.

Until then, sadly — nobody wanted this — pickets.

And hopefully some fairly creative slogans. Because, well, writers. Damn well better be.

PS: If you’d like more specifics, an excellent and clear issue-by-issue breakdown, along with the basic outlines of a possible agreement, are here.