Bossypants

Fey is starstruck and intimidated by Lorne Michaels, whom she meets for the first time in 1997 when she interviews for a writing position at Saturday Night Live. Although she panics at first over how to respond to a simple question about where she lives, ceasing to “remember how normal human speech patterns worked” (110), she gets the job. Over the course of nine years, they develop a relationship of “mutual respect and friendship” (111). This chapter relates lessons she learned from Lorne Michaels.

For example, a writer’s job is not “to churn up enthusiasm” but rather “to police” it (111). She explains how the props department may give you objects they think are funnier but actually are less practical. Similarly, “[a]ctors have what they call ‘ideas’” (112), which often stem from ulterior motives the writer must learn to decipher.

Fey writes that you must not be “too precious about your writing” (112); at 11:30, Saturday Night Live goes on regardless of whether it’s “ready.” She also reiterates that although “bombing” is painful […] it doesn’t kill you.” Every writer has “golden nuggets” and “shit nuggets,” and “unfortunately, sometimes the shit nuggets will make it onto the air” (113).