In the last few years, she has been considered as one of the most important Latin American dramatists. The writer Mariela Romero is Venezuelan, she is presently living in Miami and has written works like La revancha, which has gone all round the world, or Princesa, which reached rating records in Argentina, as well as El manantial in Colombia and La mujer de mi vida, TV Azteca’s second most sold telenovela worldwide. The same thing happened with La hija del jardinero, which has been watched in 55 countries peaking a 49-point share in some of them.

Mariela, which are the key elements for a successful telenovela?
Basically the story, because that is what attracts people. That is the main key, if the audience doesn’t like the story it doesn’t matter who stars or how well it is produced. A charismatic cast is also fundamental, a good production and an agile direction. However, there is no magic formula to make a successful telenovela, otherwise, many writers would be rich.

Do you suggest a story or do you have to write about an idea that has already been formed?
Generally the writer suggests the story to the producer or the board of directors of a TV channel. But there are some cases in which it is them who suggest an idea for the writer to develop. On TV and most of all when it refers to telenovelas, we work in teams and it is always good to have different opinions, although sometimes, as the saying goes, “Too many cooks spoil the broth”, and it is not strange to find a new producer who thinks he knows everything and wants to reformat the telenovela.

How is team work divided when writing?
The original author of the story is the one who organizes it and gives out the scenes among the dialogue writers. Some writers divide the work by characters, but I particularly prefer all the dialogue writers to handle all the characters and to be familiar with all the sub-plots. When the telenovela is on air, it is normal to write one daily episode. In some countries this is unthinkable, but in Latin America we do it with very good results, since we follow the audience’s reactions through rating.

In the Third Telenovela World Summit made in Madrid last year you expressed your dissatisfaction with formats. Which is your position now, when it has been proved that formats have come to stay?
I am not against format sales. What I meant is that I am worried by the fact that we may get to a time when one same telenovela may be sold in the same countries. I am also concerned about the fact that local writers will not have the possibility to develop their creativity. Another point about adaptations is that if they are not made by the same author, the story loses its original idea, as it has happened in many cases.

What do audiences prefer today?
The truth is that audiences seem to still prefer the traditional telenovela scheme and this is proved by the fact that formats are being sold. On the other hand, we should not forget that there are new audiences more connected with state-of-the-art technology, for instance, and in that sense I think we should renew our production schemes and level with that technology.

Mariela Romero’s work includes plays that have granted her several prizes and have been published by prestigious publishing houses, translated into many languages and produced both in Venezuela and overseas by many theatrical companies.