1. IMAGE: Slouching on the chair, messy hair, mismatched PJs, and a dreamy look on Aanchal's face. She is staring at her laptop and attempting to communicate to the world beyond the screen.

2. AANCHAL: Hello! This is toohottobetrue2 aka Aanchal Budhiraja and welcome to my post. Today, I'll share my experience on how I began writing scripts!

3. CAPTION: Here we go again...hehe~

         A bit confusing? Well, that's the format of a script. Or more precisely...a comic script! You might be wondering just how I went from writing books to writing scripts for comic books. It all began last autumn when I got the offer to turn The Demon Babysitter into a comic book from Tapas (comics and novel website).

Now, it wasn't short of a dream come true. I grew up reading manga and manwha (Japanese and Korean comics) and to think that one day my book would become a comic book was a fantasy! (I wasn't even writing back then.) When things fell into place, and I agreed to the offer, I got commissioned to be the scriptwriter of the comic book. It made sense for me to work on it because I knew my story the best. However, as I observed and learned, not many did it, and it was challenging and fun to do it myself.

Q. Is it hard to write a script of the comic book?

A. The situation was very different for me. I didn't have to start from scratch and write a new story. But that meant I had to stick to the book and turn it into something visual. Now, how do you convert ten lengthy paragraphs with no dialogues or descriptions into an image? That was the toughest part of the job. To convey feelings and subtle behaviour and still make it concrete. I had to brainstorm, conjure new dialogues, and summarise multiple scenes into one panel (i.e. one image, conversation or caption). And unlike the book, I had a limit to how much I could show in one episode.

Q. What was the most exciting part about script-writing?

A. It gave me a chance to explore other character's mind when they were not given proper credit in the book. I wasn't focusing on a keyhole and looking at a single character anymore. But rather I had the floor to recreate some of my favorite moments into something better and much more enjoyable for readers. And I definitely added more romance!

Q. How would you compare writing to script-writing?

A. Writing is like water, it flows out of you like a creative stream. You know when and how, but the action and dialogues of the characters are conjured in the process. There's no hard and fast rule.

Script-writing is like directing a movie. I have to envision it first before I can write. From the angle of view, to what the readers can see and observe, and how to switch scenes without breaking the momentum. The words are concise and serve a singular purpose. That means no hefty monologues and description of wild fields and the color of the skies for the readers. You get what you see!

Q. What are your thoughts on the final outcome?

A. I was lucky enough to have an awesome artist (blauerozen) in collaboration with us and she definitely made the excitement triplefold. The script would be sent to her and I'll receive her sketches from time to time. Watching the words turn into images was magical. She would pick on the smallest nuances I would write and fit 3-4 expressions on one character's face! It would literally be"the character looks petrified, stubborn and determined" and that's exactly how the image would be. Awesome, right?

Q. What is The Demon Babysitter about?

A. Think paranormal, humor, and romance all spiraled into one! Yuki accidentally summons a demon in her kitchen. When she is offered three wishes to change her life, she asks the demon to babysit her three year old son! Cue cooking lessons, bathroom training, endless drama, and a budding romance between the single mother and the demon. And in comic form? The results are beautiful <3

Q. Everything sounds so interesting! Can I read the comic book?

A. Yes, you can! It is available on Tapas app and website. The first five episodes are absolutely free and you can read each subsequent episode for few cents! Links are available on my profile if you want to read it asap ;)

SUMMER READING LIST

It has been a while since I read. Now that sounds weird for someone who writes. But that's exactly how my previous year went. It was my first year as a postgraduate student in a different city and only me to do all the work! Between working on the scripts, studying, and chores, reading was a habit of the past. But with the summer break (and a full time internship), I managed to read! Hurray!

Here's my reading list:

1. 1Q84 (trilogy) by Haruki Murakami

2. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell (re-read)

3. Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami (re-read)

4. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

5. Poison Study (series) by Maria V. Snyder

6. Animal Farm by George Orwell

Any of your favorites in my reading list? My favorites are definitely the ones I re-read and Murakami's books has been insightful and interesting reads so far! I'm sharing this reading list so that everyone can pick up a book this month and finish it no matter what. It takes time and dedication to feed food to our mind ;) And I'm pretty proud of our Wattpad community who give in so much time to read and share each spare minute they have! Let's keep this spirit alive and read more books this year!

Also, thank you for reading my post! A huge thank you to Kelly for hosting this season after season with so much passion and interest. The success of the party is all due to her :D

Don't forget to enter my giveaway! I'll be giving away postcards and bookmarks of The Demon Babysitter comic book and any of your favorite works of mine on Wattpad. The giveaway is open internationally, so do take part! Can't wait to send all the goodies to winners. Stay tuned in for most awesome posts from the community. Have a great day!

Aanchal xx

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