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I officially wrapped my first Writers’ Assistant gig on a drama for @MadeUpStories (which earned me my first co-writing credit) & thought I’d share my experience/consejos. For a lot of (queer ((writers) of color) room access is hard to come by. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:
1. This
IsHard like, maybe the hardest job I’ve ever had. (and I’ve a lot of jobs) As a WA you’re being asked to transcribe (and recall) the ideas of 10+ writers for hours, day in and day out. Don’t panic. Give yourself time. (Type it all.) It will get easier.
IsHard like, maybe the hardest job I’ve ever had. (and I’ve a lot of jobs) As a WA you’re being asked to transcribe (and recall) the ideas of 10+ writers for hours, day in and day out. Don’t panic. Give yourself time. (Type it all.) It will get easier.
2. Room Notes. Every room will be different, but what I can say is— clean them up. Meaning take the 20+ pages of transcription and then make them make sense. Bold important stuff. Organize. This *will* take you hours after wrap. But it is worth it (for you and the other writers)
3. Dialogue. Some SR/EPs might pitch beats via dialogue. Try and capture it as best you can in the notes. Some of the room’s favorite lines might make it all the way to screen. Probably not. But I’ve found this is a great to way track complex scenes through nuanced conversations.
4. Pitching in the room. So, if you’ve come up from a WPA (see my previous thread) now you know how to pitch an idea. But you’ve grown, right? Now, pitch *problem-solving* ideas. Sure blue-sky pitches are fun, but if you feel the room’s stuck & think you can unstuck it— pitch it!
5. Speak up 
Sometimes the room can lose track of where it “landed” on a story point. Don’t be afraid to remind them. SR/EPs have a lot going on. The room will be glad they didn’t spend hours re-breaking a story (aka, bonus points for you)
Sometimes the room can lose track of where it “landed” on a story point. Don’t be afraid to remind them. SR/EPs have a lot going on. The room will be glad they didn’t spend hours re-breaking a story (aka, bonus points for you)
6. Not every room is into JLo, so you have to plant seeds everyday until they’re all as obsessed as you are.
7. Yep, you *still* have to read it all. Let’s do the math: your room meets 8 hours a day + 3 hours cleaning notes, carry the dinner… it’s a lot of time. Still, read the outlines & the scripts. Why? When your shot comes to write, you wanna have studied what will be asked of you.
8. WRITE. This will be harder some days, than others. It might even feel like last thing you want to do, but make space for that passion project. Your time is coming. Don’t give up now. Then when you’re a Showrunner, help a future Writers’ Assistant move up.
