Why do we always slam the writers?

Don't get me wrong- I'm not saying there's
anything wrong with offering constructive
criticism about the writing for the show.
I do it all the time and more likely than not,
will do it again in the near future! But while
I have many negative things to say about the
writing in general for the series, I also want
to take the time to commend the writing staff
for creating one of the most unique and
entertaining shows on TV!

I think sometimes a lot of us tend to pick on
the writing staff so much because they are
faceless entities to most of us. It's easier
to make them the scapegoat for all the show's
problems, but not as many people are willing
to point out weaknesses in the cast. Like I
don't hear very often that Lucy or Renee just
didn't put on a solid performance for that episode
or was out of character, etc. It's usually the
*writers'* fault for not coming up with a decent
script to allow the actors' to express their talent.
But let's not forget that it was the writers themselves
who created the characters in the first place that
turned some relative unknowns into major stars!

Anyway, there are some things that I've heard
on the forum over and over that I have to say I
strongly disagree with concerning the writers.
It's remarks like "they should hire new people
to write the scripts" or "the fanfiction writers
could do a better job than they are doing".

Although I haven't read any fanfiction since last
summer (just don't have the time unless I give up
the forum!), I have to say that from what I've read,
I was totally blown away by some of the talent
we have here in the xenaverse! I honestly think
that the fanfiction world is one of the main reasons
why Xena is so popular in cyberspace and
continues to entertain xenites while the show may be
lagging at times.

However, I would NOT go as far as to say that the
fanfiction writers are better than the real writers for
the show. Now I don't mean to sound pretentious
as I'm sure a lot of people on the forum know far
more about the writing business than I do. But just
out of common sense and as a casual observation,
I think it's safe to say that writing for a major television
series is a far cry different than writing stories for the
internet. The obvious reasons I can come up with being
that fanfiction writers don't have time restraints or
deadlines to work with on their stories. Also, the FF
writers don't have to bother with technicalities, blocking,
cues, working with actors and directors, etc.

So I guess what I'm saying is that it's unfair to compare
the professional writers to those who just write for the fun
of it. It's a whole different world and the pros didn't make
it to the top without expressing a lot of talent along the way.
It kind of reminds me of when parents of my peers at
school will come up to me and say something like,
"well my kid would get as good grades as you if
he/she studied as hard as you do". The proof is in the
pudding, right?

Now, obviously I'm not picking on the FF writers- I
can't remember many instances in which any of them said
that they thought they were better than the TV writers.
And like I said, from what I've read, I think they're terrific.
But I'm just countering the numerous statements made over
the months on the forum by fans of the fanfiction-that those
writers are far and away superior to the guys on the Xenastaff
and that the show would be better off if they let them
write the scripts.

After all, it was the writers who made the show what it is
today and who are the ones who gave the inspiration for
all the FF stories. And they continue to be the backbone
of one of the best shows on TV!

richi