Editor's Note: In the second of our series of three blogs examining writing for US productions we spoke to 'Nurse Jackie' writer Ellen Fairey.
What inspired you to become a writer? Where did it come from – did you always know you wanted to write?
I think writing stories was a way to understand the world around me, interpret (or reinterpret) it and maybe most importantly a way of controlling it. My first short piece, written in the form of a storyboard was titled 'Husband and Wife'...very Cassavetes. I was seven.
What was your journey to where you are now? How did you get your first break?
My journey has involved many things: romance, adventure, boredom, curiosity, tragedy... a propensity to wonder and reflect and see the world and life as some kind of narrative.
I left high-school when I was 16, went to art school in Chicago at 20, worked as a waitress for years, travelled with musicians, worked in advertising. I wrote my first short play when I was 35... it got attention and to my surprise, praise. So I wrote another and then another and eventually a full-length play that had productions in both Chicago and Los Angeles. I knew that playwrights often transitioned into television writing and while the prospect seemed completely out of touch, I got a little obsessed. I started combing through episodes of 'Six Feet Under' like a detective - timing scenes, tracking arcs, to see if I could decipher a pattern of how a great TV show was written. I talked to friends who knew people in the industry, had coffees and lunches - 'informational interviews'. People were very encouraging.
I left my well paying, secure advertising job in Chicago and moved to California. (Note: moving to Los Angeles as an unemployed woman in her 40's is not for the faint of heart.) Luckily my new play, 'Graceland', had a successful run in Chicago that spring and 'the stars started to align' for lack of a better term. A writer friend sent the play and reviews to his agents at CAA, they took me on as a client and within two weeks had procured a New York production as part of Lincoln Center's LCT3 program. That production coincided with 'staffing season', a time of year when shows are hiring new writers. I met with the executive producers of Showtime's 'Nurse Jackie' who happened to be moving their writer's room from Los Angeles to New York and they offered me a job. I wrote on four seasons of 'Nurse Jackie', living half of the year in New York and the other half in Los Angeles. It was an incredible show to land at for my first TV job. I thank those aligning stars every day.
We hear a lot about the US Writers Room system, can you describe it? What are its strengths and weaknesses?
I don't think there is necessarily a prototypical 'US Writers Room'. They all vary. In size. In vibe. The tone is set by the showrunner - some are inclusive, some are not, some are encouraging, some are threatened. They can be large - up to 10 writers on some shows - or very small, 4 to 6 writers on others. Some shows don't have rooms - the executive producer will simply meet with writers individually and break stories that way. Some rooms are located in New York but most are in Los Angeles. One thing I've noticed is that if you meet a writer from another show you immediately start downloading about what your particular room is like. Compare notes etc.
US shows have notably longer series than in the UK. What is the production process like? What is the work/life balance?
If you are working on a cable series you usually have a 10 to 12 episode order which is completely manageable. Network shows can order up to 23 episodes. I have not worked on a show with that large of an order - at least not one that lasted - but the people I know that have are usually in a state of utter exhaustion. The pay is higher. The creative freedom can be much lower.
Jackie has been a drug-addicted mother who traded sex for prescription drugs – how difficult was it to convince TV executives to run with the character?
As far as Jackie trading sex for drugs I would argue that her relationship with Eddie (the pharmacist) is much more than a transaction. Though I do understand how one might come to that conclusion especially if they had only seen the earlier seasons of the show.
I was not involved in the pitching of the show but the general idea is that networks, especially cable networks WANT controversial, difficult, 'noisy' stories and characters. Yes, they use the word 'noisy'.
Jackie has been described as a breakthrough TV character. We’re used to male anti-heroes such as Frank Underwood and Walter White, but is it more difficult to present a ‘flawed’ female personality?
I think different people watch television for different reasons. Some want to be comforted and soothed, others want to be surprised or amused or freaked out or challenged... Do you want to see people you recognize? Or people you wish you could be? People you admire? Or people you love to hate? In my opinion all characters are 'flawed'. On TV and in life. Which is what makes it all so interesting.
How would British writers wanting to work for US shows approach show runners?
Talk to everyone you know in the business, tell them what you're hoping to do. Get introduced to people. More importantly, have multiple great writing samples - especially original specs (as opposed to specs of existing shows). If you're a playwright you've got one foot in the door... maybe more so for cable shows than big network. It also helps tremendously if you are in Los Angeles.
Also what are the challenges of selling single character-led shows?
I think the challenges of selling any show are quite large - whether they be single character or ensemble pieces. People want to see characters they've never seen before. Find a way to relate your own life experience to the show you're pitching. Open a vein. Write something only you could write. Make it personal. Those are the pitches that sell and get made. See Amazon's 'Transparent' as an example.
What advice did you receive that has stayed with you and do you have any advice you can share?
Some funny advice I got when I was first going out on meetings was to say yes if they offer you water, and to sit on the couch, if there is a couch in the room you are meeting in.
More seriously, my own advice, with regard to Hollywood and life in general, would be to become a tremendous, curious and genuinely interested listener... with others and with yourself. Mine the depths. Wonder. Reflect. Engage.
Find out more about Nurse Jackie
Seasons 1 & 2 of Nurse Jackie were broadcast in the UK on BBC Two
Nurse Jackie is now broadcast in the UK on Sky Atlantic
Read about the House of Cards writers room on a blog by writer Laura Eason
