Good question. Other than money (forget fame as few successful screenwriters ever get that), it's really the same as with novel writing. You get to create 'worlds' and 'people' from the ether. Unlike novels though, scriptwriting is the precursor to filmmaking. Few if any films or television shows whether Narrative or Documentary, ever get made without some sort of script having been created beforehand. The scriptwriter is the first to flesh out the idea/concept and turn it into something 'concrete' so to speak. As any scriptwriter knows, you don't have the same 'luxuries' with words that Novelists have. Good scripts are far more visually orientated and have to create 'lush' scenes and convey emotion with far fewer words than would a novel. Also, much more emphasis has to be put into making the ideas and concepts easier to convey through the talents of actors and directors. Remember that the script is the 'skeleton' of a movie, but a skeleton that will morph and change dramatically from the time it is written until the time the final edit is completed by a movie editor. So why write scripts? To see and hear them come to life!
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