Creative Writer & Scriptwriter
Creative
Create original written works, such as scripts, essays, prose, poetry or song lyrics, for publication or performance.
Picture the job
Where you'd usually workAn office
- Sitting for most of the day
- Dealing with customers or the public
- Regular working hours
- A noisy workplace
An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.
In Malaysia
In Malaysia most TV and film scriptwriters are freelancers paid a one-off fee per script or episode by the production house, not by the broadcaster, and repeat screenings usually earn no royalty. Industry figures say script budgets are often only 2-4% of a production's budget; the Screenwriters Association of Malaysia (SWAM) has pushed for minimum rates. Novelists publish with houses such as DBP and commercial Malay-language publishers.
- How people get into it here
- SPM → Diploma/Degree in creative writing, scriptwriting, film, mass communication or literature (e.g. UiTM's scriptwriting programmes, ASWARA) → freelance or junior writer for production houses, publishers or agencies → build credits. Most writers combine writing with other paid work early on.
Sources:senimalaya.comconference.uis.edu.myzabidiskrip.blogspot.commyupu.my
Pay in Malaysia
We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.
Where to check:
- JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
- DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
- SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
How far is this from you?
Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.
1
Entry straight after SPM
2
SPM + sijil / short TVET course
3
Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)
Typical entry
Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)
5
Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route
How to get here
Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.
Asasi / Foundation
One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.
Diploma
Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.
Check what you may qualify for
Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.
Quick answers
How do you become a Creative Writer & Scriptwriter in Malaysia?
SPM → Diploma/Degree in creative writing, scriptwriting, film, mass communication or literature (e.g. UiTM's scriptwriting programmes, ASWARA) → freelance or junior writer for production houses, publishers or agencies → build credits. Most writers combine writing with other paid work early on.
What should I study to become a Creative Writer & Scriptwriter?
Related fields of study: Creative Arts & Media. SPM subjects that help most: English, Bahasa Melayu, Computer Science / ICT and Electrical & Electronic Eng. Studies.
How much does a Creative Writer & Scriptwriter earn in Malaysia?
We don't yet have a Malaysian source we can cite for Creative Writer & Scriptwriter pay, so we show no figure.
What you'd do all day
The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.
Also known as
What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.
Subjects that matter here
The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.
What you'd need to know
The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.
- English Language94%
English
- Communications and Media81%
EnglishBahasa Melayu
- Computers and Electronics67%
Computer Science / ICTElectrical & Electronic Eng. Studies
- Administrative65%
Business
- Sales and Marketing65%
BusinessEconomics
- Fine Arts62%
Visual Art (PSV)
Tools you'd use
Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.
What the work feels like
Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.
- Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
- Contact with other peopleConstant contact
- Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
- Leading or coordinating othersHigh
- Handling conflict situationsRarely
- Indoors, air-conditionedAlmost never
- Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
- Noisy environmentOften
AI and demand for this job
A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.
Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)
This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.
Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work
Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job, and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.
What beginner adverts asked for
We read 11 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.
10 of 11 were internships
Allowance or pay, when stated
RM700 – RM900
3 of 11 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM700 and RM900 a month. Many print none.
An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.
Related careers
If this interests you, these are worth a look too.
About this information
This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.
O*NET occupation: Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers
Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org