The idea of being a script writer for some of the hottest TV shows is one that appeals to may young creative talents, but it is important to recognize the difficulty which these men and women have. Whenever you hear the great TV writers talking about their jobs, people like the great Roger Wolfson for example, they will always mention the passion which they have but they will also discuss the difficulty behind the job, and there are a number of factors here which make this a far tougher gig than many expect. If you have any dreams of getting into this industry then you are going to need to be prepared for some mighty hard work, and here is why. 

Digging Deeper 

No matter whether the show calls for humor, suspense, shock or a more emotional feel, it is not easy to consistently create that amount of storylines as a writer. Now if you are working on something like 3 part series then it is very possible that you may find it easier given the shortness of the TV show, but anything which is long running requires its writers to continuously go back to the well of creativity and find something new and unique. This of course will eventually take its toll and it is much of the reason why there are teams of writers, rather than individuals. 

Team Work 

Although working in a team does most certainly help to keep the content fresh and punchy, for the individual writers this is not always a process which they enjoy. There may be conflicts between writers, egos will play an important role here and ultimately not every writer enjoys the idea of having to bounce every idea in their head off another writer. There will be some days and some teams of course where everything runs smoothly but there are no guarantees of that and this in particular can make the job extremely tough going. 

Thankless 

The way that writers think and the way that the audience receives the program are two completely different things and many writers can get the feeling that their work is not appreciated. In a TV show there is far more than just the script to think about of course, and it is after all the actors who play the parts. Even the greatest scene could go down well in public, but they will be raving about the acting or the shooting rather than the great script which they have. There are of course some great shows with wonderful writers who do get the recognition that they deserve, but for every one of those there are 5 more which are beautifully written which haven’t yet been discovered, or which people fail to notice. 

Ultimately being a writer is something which is highly rewarding and a position which many would love to have, despite this however it is worth mentioning that this is by no way a easy going position.