Erica Booysen, scriptwriter for beloved South African children\u2019s shows, delves into the essentials of writing great scripts and provides valuable insights for aspiring scriptwriters.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Erica Booysen has been a scriptwriter for more than 25 years and has written well over 4,000 hours of scripts. From dramas to magazine shows, she\u2019s written it all. She spent many years writing and producing children\u2019s shows like Thabang Thabong<\/em> and Jakkals Jol<\/em> for the South African Broadcasting Commission. JENNA KIRKBY<\/strong> uncovers how this popular scriptwriter has achieved such success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A: I\u2019ve loved writing since I was a little girl. My career in the television industry started when I just did admin. I was a runner: I fetched things. It developed over the years and slowly started including things like scriptwriting. So, it took some time to get into the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A: Scriptwriting is quite different from writing a book or an article. You\u2019re told what to write. You\u2019re given a general theme, and you have to write a story related to that theme. Then, you have to think about how you can make the story and interactions between the characters interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A: One of the biggest challenges when writing a script is to envision what you want the actors to be doing. You need to hear the voices in your head and visualise what they\u2019re physically doing. You aren\u2019t only writing the words they\u2019re saying, but the actions they\u2019re doing and the emotions they\u2019re showing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Writer\u2019s block<\/a> is another big one. I take a walk to take my mind off things. When you get to that wall, don\u2019t stop and think, \u2018Okay, I\u2019ll do it tomorrow.\u2019 You must learn how to push emotions aside. You don\u2019t have to feel motivated; you just have to do the job, especially when you\u2019ve got a deadline. But I find scripts like that are just good scripts, not great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A: A good script doesn\u2019t capture viewers\u2019 attention. A great script<\/a> is when people remember it. If you know your characters well, they will feel real and memorable. You can also see on set when a script is great. When the actors have fun, and the crew has fun, love gets poured into the script. That becomes a great script.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A: Characters become alive to you. The more you write about them, the more they become so real that you remember what they did yesterday \u2013 because of that, they might act differently now. It\u2019s so important to keep track of what your characters have done. Your audience remembers those things, and if a character says something out of line, viewers will pick up on that. Get to love your characters, and they will develop themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A: It\u2019s hard getting into the television or movie industry. But if that\u2019s your passion, start working in the industry. Work as a runner or a cleaner or anything if you can\u2019t find work as a writer. Get to know the characters. Watch the show a thousand times and then write a spec script. You can make a living no matter what your passions are, but it takes perseverance and hard work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A: Don\u2019t get too complicated. New writers tend to add too much to their writing. Conversations aren\u2019t like that. They\u2019re quick and snappy. Think about real-life conversations and have someone read the script with you. Does it feel natural when you say the words out loud? You must remember the looks, body language and expressions that add to your words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And don\u2019t be too precious about your work. A lot of times, you\u2019ll find that the director will change the script on set. The actors will definitely<\/em> change your script. And that\u2019s great because they have to make it their own. That\u2019s why scriptwriting is so different from other writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A: The best tip I ever got was from my mom. She said I must have skin like a rhinoceros. Have thick skin; don\u2019t get offended so easily. When you get criticism<\/a> or feedback, be honest with yourself. You need to be objective about yourself and your writing. That will only develop you as a writer. So, be objective, take that criticism and use it to make yourself better.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jenna Kirkby<\/strong> is a freelance writer and English Second Language teacher. She has her own blog, The Weekend Project<\/em>, which covers topics such as travel, hobbies and teaching English. She\u2019s an avid traveller and loves reading fantasy novels in her spare time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Erica Booysen, scriptwriter for beloved South African children\u2019s shows, delves into the essentials of writing great scripts and provides valuable insights for aspiring scriptwriters. Erica Booysen has been a scriptwriter for more than 25 years and has written well over 4,000 hours of scripts. From dramas to magazine shows, she\u2019s written it all. She spent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":105328,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"wds_primary_category":550,"footnotes":""},"categories":[550],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creative"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105325"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105329,"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105325\/revisions\/105329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Q: How did you get started in the field of scriptwriting?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> How do you decide what to write about? Where do you get your ideas?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> What challenges do you face during the writing process? How do you overcome them?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> What do you believe distinguishes a good script from a great one?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Scriptwriting-SA.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nQ:<\/strong> How do you approach character development?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> How easy is it to make a living as a scriptwriter?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> Can you share any tips or advice for aspiring scriptwriters who are just starting out in the industry?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> What\u2019s the most important writing tip you\u2019ve received?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
About the Author<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Jenna-Kirkby.jpg\")
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