The Illusion of the Screen
Writing a book is technically easy because you are pulling the raw material directly from your head. But getting it out into the world? That is a mega-project. If you only print fifty copies to share among your immediate community, nobody will ever know you as an author. To truly push a book worldwide, you have to market it with the same aggressive energy that music superstars use to launch an album.
Because most independent writers cannot afford that expensive route, we naturally look for an alternative to bring our creative stories to life. For me, that alternative was scriptwriting. The idea of seeing your characters physically move and talk on screen is incredibly intoxicating. Plus, I needed a stable livelihood, a consistent source of income to clear bills.
So, I threw myself into Nollywood
It took a long time to start landing clients. But the moment the gigs started coming, I discovered a painful truth: I absolutely hated being a scriptwriter.
When you write a script, you do not own the story. Even if the entire concept originated in the deepest corners of your mind, the moment you hand it over, it ceases to be yours. Your name on the screen is nothing more than a title placeholder. Stripping away the creative essence completely, which happens through a brutal, soul-crushing pipeline.
The Sieve of Useless Opinions
When a Nollywood producer hires you, you quickly realise you are not writing alone. You write a first draft, say, the first ten scenes of a sixty-scene script and send it over. The producer will almost always reject it. They will demand tweaks, changes, and structural edits that you know will turn the story into complete trash. But you have no choice; they own your paycheck.
You fix it, write the next ten scenes, and send them back. This agonising back-and-forth continues until you think it is the end of the script. Then, the producer calls you back because an assistant producer read it and had their own arbitrary opinions. So, you rewrite it again. Next, it goes to the director, who decides they don’t like the pacing or the direction. More rewrites.
And just when you think the nightmare is finally over and the crew is physically on set shooting, you hit the final roadblock: The Actors! Not just any actors, The Superstars!
In Nollywood, they treat superstar actors like absolute demigods. If a celebrity actor sits in their trailer, wrinkles their nose, and decides they don’t like a specific plot point, that script will change on the spot. They are the face that sells the movie, so their word is law.
Unrecognisable
Suddenly, you come under the force to swallow the creative opinions of actors who have absolutely no business writing stories. Their only job should be to bring your words to life, yet they are dictating the plot.
I dealt with this exhausting loop for five years. During that time, I didn’t feel like a real writer. My ideas were thwarted at every single junction, forced through the sieves of multiple people until the final product was unrecognisable.
The process made me deeply depressed and physically sick. I was writing like a mechanical robot every single day, taking on endless projects just to afford basic survival like rent, food, and clothing. The pay in Nollywood is ridiculous, and the only moment of joy I ever felt was the exact second the alert hit my bank account.
The Power of Your Original Voice
Scriptwriting in this environment is a flat, one-time payment. You get paid once, you hand over the rights, and you walk away with zero residuals. The producer reaps the long-term benefits while you remain completely nameless and faceless to the audience. Let’s be real, nobody watches a movie to read the name of the scriptwriter rolling past the screen.
But when you write a book? Honey, that is a lifetime of financial freedom and personal branding. Every single sale over your lifetime flows directly back into your bank account. Your name is boldly printed on the cover. You are the brand, the face, and the sole creator.
Writing a book is a beautiful, solitary work. You are locked alone in your room, office, or creative space, and there are zero roadblocks to your creativity. The inspirations hitting your brain flow straight down to your laptop keys without passing through a line of unqualified critics. Your true essence, your originality, and your authentic core voice come alive.
When you write a script, you are writing with the chaotic voices of strangers. When you write a book, you write with your true soul.
Today, when I see some of the old scripts I wrote playing out on screen, I honestly consider them trash. The directors and actors ruined the vision with their lack of writing talent, and I feel zero pride looking at the final product.
If you want to put yourself out there as a true writer, scriptwriting will only leave you frustrated, annoyed, and creatively broke. The only time you should ever write a script is if you have the personal capital to produce it yourself.
When you are footing the bills, you hold absolute control, and nobody can alter a single comma. But if you don’t have the funds to produce, drop the script layout. Protect your sanity, reclaim your voice, and write a book instead.
Readers’ Sanctuary Reflection
- What part of your creative sanity have you sold recently just to pay the bills, and what is it costing your soul?
- Whose voice are you actually speaking with right now; your own, or a chorus of people you are trying to please?
- If you locked yourself alone in a room today, free from the opinions of producers, critics, and superstars, what is the story you would actually want to tell?
- Are you building someone else’s set, or are you writing your own cover?
Share your thoughts, locked-in visions, and clarity breakthroughs below in our sacred space.
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