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What qualifies me to serve as Chair of a writers’ organization such as this? Most of you have been writing longer than I, know more about writing than I, and are undoubtedly better at it than I. When Waterworld was released, there was trepidation as to whether it would be a bomb and when a reviewer wrote, “It doesn’t suck,” the filmmakers breathed a sigh of relief. I’ll hope that, at the end of this year, you can say, “Steve didn’t suck.” Do I want to tell you about my background? Not really. However, in the words of Richard Nixon, “the people are entitled to know that their leader is not a crook.” I believe that this space should be utilized for information more useful to you than stuff about me. Therefore, I have put information about myself on the Network’s website at http://www.scriptwritersnetwork.org. Better yet, you don’t have to be the Network chair to have your information on the website. Any of you who choose to do so can create your own profile. If enough people do this, the website will become a useful resource. I have not been recently active as a writer. This, however, puts me in the same company as Victoria Riskin, the recently-deposed president of the Writers Guild of America. That Ms. Riskin has not been sufficiently active as a writer to serve as WGA president actually makes her the perfect representative for the WGA. There are three classes of writers: (1) writers who earn a livelihood entirely from writing; (2) writers who don’t have another job and can devote a majority of their day to writing; and (3) writers with a “day job” other than writing who must limit their writing to beyond the workday. Most writers fall in this last category, as do I. That most writers have a “day job” plus their second job of writing explains why the position of Scriptwriters Network chair almost went unfilled this year. Running the Scriptwriters Network is too time consuming for anyone who already has a job and writes. How Bill Lundy accomplished holding the Network together for seven years as the Network’s chair is incomprehensible. Bill recognized that the responsibilities of the chair position may deter potential candidates from seeking the position. Thus, the staff position of Executive Director was created and filled by long-time Network member Charles Meyer. Charles will be handling much of what was formerly the responsibility of the volunteer Network Chair. As volunteer leaders of the Network rotate through the Chair position at greater frequency than once every seven years, we hope that Charles Meyer, as the Executive Director, will become the paragon of stability necessary to keep the Network, its members and its volunteers passionate about the organization. Therefore, Charles Meyer’s column will fill this space in alternate months so that you get to know him.
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