If you have a natural gift when it comes to writing stories and scenes, then a career in TV scriptwriting may certainly be for you. There are some sensational talents who have made their writing careers off the back of their ability to write a script, people like Roger Wolfson who have showcased their incredible talent to this industry in particular. Those like Roger however have had to depend on far more than just their natural ability to write, in order to find success within this industry.
There is a wealth of skills and characteristics which you’ll need to succeed in this field. There is much that people are unaware of about what TV writers face, and here are some things which you may not know.
Long Hours
The large majority of TV writers have to work incredibly long hours each and every day. TV shows are a constant, and that means that so too is the writing. This is not as simple as having a nice idea and then handing it over, this is very much shift work which has to be treated as such. It is for this reason why so many talk about the level of dedication required for success within this field.
Thankless
Despite the fact that he is one of this generation’s leading writers, there are many people who do not know who Roger Wolfson is. Even those who do know how great Roger is, may not be aware of the fact that he has written on some of the biggest TV shows which have graced the screen. The reason for this is that much of the work which scriptwriters create, are delivered by the actors and actresses on the screen. More often than not it is these actors and actresses who get the credit for the work of the scriptwriter. For this reason, those who do write scripts have to have thick skin, and accept that they will not get the adulation they may feel that they deserve.
Team Working Difficulties
Scriptwriting is something which simply has to be conducted by a team, and that is because you cannot expect individuals to consistently deliver high quality results on a daily basis. Whilst it is a great idea to have teams in place, there are some issues which occur as a result of this. For example ego can play a big part in these discussions, because everyone thinks that their idea or their line is the better one. Those TV shows which have won awards and cemented their place in history, they are the shows which have great teams working in sync with one another, and which leave ego at the door. Sadly however there are man shows which couldn’t reach the levels that they should have, because of these kinds of conflicts.
This can be a very rewarding position and if you thin that you have what it takes then you will fall in love with this career choice. It is important however to recognize that writing ability alone is not enough.