TV soaps have become an integral part of our daily life. While some people like melodrama, some others are interested in detective serials. Horror soaps are the favorite of some viewers while romantic soaps interest some others. When you watch a TV show you identify yourself with the characters.
You laugh with them, you cry when they cry, you are nervous when they face a problem and you want them to solve it. Have you ever thought who is responsible for making you laugh or cry with the characters? It is the television writers who cast the spell on you. They take situations and dialogues from real life so that people can identify themselves with the situations or dialogues.
We see the actors and actresses on the screen. But their roles are determined by the script. It is the television writer who creates the characters, makes the situations, comes up with the stories and writes the interesting dialogues. A TV show would have been incomplete without these writers. Television writing is one of the most important TV jobs.
We can’t see them anywhere except the award shows or interviews. But they do one of the most important works. Have you ever thought how they manage to do all these things? What is the process involved in the work? Above all how do they become a television writer?
The task of a television writer is not at all easy. There is end number of shows run by different channels. People often think that a single person writes script for the entire show. But this is a wrong conception. There are a group of writers who share the work of writing for the same show. A writer is responsible for writing for one or more episodes.
There is a head writer. He is often called the show runner, who has to divide the responsibilities among other writers. He leads the staff and split the requirements for different episodes among them. This is just one of his numerous duties. The main duty of the show runner is to oversee the story arc of a show. He is the one who decides how different episodes will come together to make a show complete.
The show runner is also held responsible for the quality of writing not only of the complete show but also of individual episodes. He needs to produce the concept of the show as well. One of his greatest duties is to master the voices of the characters. The staff writers are guided by the show runner. He is responsible for the quality of the finished products.
The staff writers are no less important than the show runner. The sricpt writing is one of the most crucial TV production jobs. The staff writers need to write for specific episodes assigned to them. Not only that they need to read other writers’ work as well because they work for the same project. In case if needed they also need to try and improve the writings of others as well.
Many of the stuff writers or even the show runner starts his career as freelance writer who is being hired for episodes that the staff does not have time to write for. You can start your career as a freelance writer. With time and experience you will be able to establish your position in the industry.
