Well, I'd like to know the answer to this:

Sara, thanks for this great blog! It's nice hearing from the inside which is so rare. I must say I'm very disappointed Maria Arena Bell didn't bring you and other former Y&R writers back post-strike. I imagine it's probably due to contracts that she kept nearly all of Lynn Marie Latham's bloated writing staff. You can tell it's holding her stories back since they continue to write in the plot driven manner LML taught them. It's improved due to a stronger leader, but still needs the people who know and love the show to truly be great again.

My question is, how did you end up leaving Y&R? How was it for all-but-four of the pre-LML writers being let go? You guys just won an Emmy for GREAT work and knew that show well. LML has been gone since Christmas Eve and the show still hasn't fuller recovered. Biggest.Mistake.Ever. Even worse, one of the people she replaced you guys with was her 21 year old son. It just seemed odd and she had no plan at all. "How many friends can I hire and how fast?" seemed to be the only thing in her mind. Stories, plot points and what little character development we had was often dropped as more writers were added or she got bored. A great example was the dreadful Phillip Chancellor story which didn't include Nina or his son and barely included Jill and Katherine, instead focusing on newbies Amber and Cane.

Daytime should look at Ron Carlivati at OLTL and realize it's time to take risks. What can you lose at this point? If viewers are invested in the characters they're more likely to stick around long term as opposed to the short term stunts which don't even work anymore.

She did.

http://thebiz.fancast.com/2008/05/deep_soa...pure_soapy.html

Enough complaining. I want to celebrate a show that‚s getting it right ˆ One Life To Live. I'm not the first person to sing the praises of OLTL‚s headwriter Ron Carlivati. (Hey, daytime, great things happen when you promote from within!) But I want to add my voice to the chorus. Carlivati has turned the show into what a soap opera ought to be ˆ with humor, likable characters, rootable couples and umbrella stories that utilize the show‚s history. It‚s both escapist and relatable. It‚s also the only soap which feels like it takes place in the 21st century. Last Friday‚s episode, cleverly titled „Uncle-cest Is Best‰ featured a sequence in which David Vickers broke the 4th wall as he delivered a monologue that explained how he ended up as a bus boy in a Texas diner. Using nothing but limbo sets, the show managed to portray how David‚s nascent television career was hilariously derailed by the writers strike. (I can relate.) The same episode also contained a well-shot location sequence and, oh yeah, a guest appearance by Snoop Dogg. It was the most entertaining, original hour of television ˆ daytime or primetime ˆ I watched last week. This week features a soap wedding ˆ the kind where the whole cast shows up in fabulous dresses and big secrets are revealed. Remember those? The ratings have yet to reflect the show's brilliance, so I'm beseeching all of you to check it out.

[watch this One Life To Live clip] :) :)

I'm excited that some of you took the time to comment and ask questions. This blog is for you. So make your voices heard!

Carrie writes: When's the next column, Sara? How do we find out about these? I'll start with an easy one. This column will appear Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Chris asks: My question is, how did you end up leaving Y&R? How was it for all-but-four of the pre-LML writers being let go? LML decided not to renew my contract. Contrary to internet rumor it had nothing to do with me protesting an actor being let go. It was, obviously, devastating for all of us old-school Y&R writers. The show was more than just a job. It was our whole life. We were like a family. To me, the great tragedy of the situation is that LML‚s arrival could have been the start of a brilliant new era. IMHO, Lynn‚s early tenure, when she was working with Kay Alden and Jack Smith, was wonderful. She looked at Y&R's characters with a fresh eye and pushed the show in some interesting directions. Kay and Jack‚s input transformed her ideas into stories that honored Y&R‚s style and history. The increased ratings showed that the audience approved. Unfortunately, Lynn chose to use the power she gained to make personnel changes which resulted in a decline in the show‚s quality ˆ and its ratings.

AMCHistory writes: I cannot wait to hear more about what was going on behind the scenes at AMC. I do not know how a show with such a rich history, and at that time a pretty stellar cast, sunk to such lows. I love your user name. It reminds me of the good old days of the Glamorama and Aunt Phoebe. Honestly, I wasn't with AMC long enough to give you a full explanation of the situation. But I will say that, in general, head writers who aren't familiar with a show tend to favor plot driven storytelling. In my experience, this rarely makes for satisfying viewing.

wyla: Why is it today's soaps have such a hard time writing for characters of color? Is it a directive from the top that no families of color outside of Y&R are considered core? Great question! It‚s a huge problem not only for soaps, but for television and film in general. It‚s a complicated issue. There are very few writers of color in daytime. None are headwriters. This needs to change, especially given daytime‚s large African American audience. People are often uncomfortable writing for characters whose backgrounds they find unfamiliar. (I think this is crazy, for the record.) Until recently, there was an unspoken taboo against interracial romance which seriously hindered storytelling for non-white characters. There were a lot of „token black male falls in love with the token black female and they live happily ever after on the backburner‰ stories. I will give credit to All My Children for bringing back Jesse and Angie. Hopefully, the Hubbards will become a core family. I'd like RJ to get a story on OLTL. He‚s awesome.

sydney: I have a few questions. Do the writers actually visit message boards and read viewers comments? If they do visit, do they pay attention or is someone else pulling the strings? What is the best way to be heard? A lot of the younger writers check out the boards. Headwriters are too busy. (Headwriting a soap is close to a 24/7 job. It‚s not just the insane volume of writing. It‚s dealing with the network, the actors, etc.) I always enjoyed reading the fans‚ comments. I found it incredibly gratifying when people liked my episodes, and took it as constructive criticism when they didn't. I have a background in television research (Nielsen ratings, focus groups, etc.) so reading feedback appeals to me. Back in college I was an internet soap fan, so I know that all the criticism comes from a loving place. I also find some of the character nicknames and commentary on wardrobe hilarious. However, TPTB don't pay much attention. The majority of soap viewers don't post on-line. Different message boards often have opposing viewpoints. If you want to make your opinions known, write a polite snail mail to the head writer or executive producer. In all likelihood, it will be read by an intern who will compile a report on all the mail received. That report will be passed on to TPTB. If enough fans feel the same way, there‚s a chance that somebody will listen.

Edited May 17, 200817 yr by Dr. Jay S.W.

I really enjoyed the answering of the questions, bravo Sara!

This part makes me both emotional and angry, seeing as Y&R is a shell of its former self at the moment:

Chris asks: My question is, how did you end up leaving Y&R? How was it for all-but-four of the pre-LML writers being let go? LML decided not to renew my contract. Contrary to internet rumor it had nothing to do with me protesting an actor being let go. It was, obviously, devastating for all of us old-school Y&R writers. The show was more than just a job. It was our whole life. We were like a family. To me, the great tragedy of the situation is that LML‚s arrival could have been the start of a brilliant new era. IMHO, Lynn‚s early tenure, when she was working with Kay Alden and Jack Smith, was wonderful. She looked at Y&R's characters with a fresh eye and pushed the show in some interesting directions. Kay and Jack‚s input transformed her ideas into stories that honored Y&R‚s style and history. The increased ratings showed that the audience approved. Unfortunately, Lynn chose to use the power she gained to make personnel changes which resulted in a decline in the show‚s quality ˆ and its ratings.

That's cool that she's answering questions! And Yay, Sara thinks OLTL and Ron are awesome too. LOL

Next thing you know, Dena's going to be praising Ron in her blog.

Next thing you know, Dena's going to be praising Ron in her blog.

LOL yep she will be giving him kudos for cleaning up her mess

I'm so happy she answered my question! I really didn't expect that. I enjoy hearing from her, especially since she comes from such a successful writing team. Looking forward to what she posts in the future.

I'm so happy she answered my question! I really didn't expect that. I enjoy hearing from her, especially since she comes from such a successful writing team. Looking forward to what she posts in the future.

Picking up a thread from here, you should ask her how to fix Y&R. I'd love to see what she says....

She did.

http://thebiz.fancast.com/2008/05/deep_soa...pure_soapy.html

Thank you!

That's cool that she's answering questions! And Yay, Sara thinks OLTL and Ron are awesome too. LOL

Well, she's certainly not going to trash OLTL and say Ron's a hack.

Next thing you know, Dena's going to be praising Ron in her blog.

Never going to happen...

I'm so happy she answered my question! I really didn't expect that. I enjoy hearing from her, especially since she comes from such a successful writing team. Looking forward to what she posts in the future.

Oh, I'm so happy, too. It was so obvious it was you who asked that. BTW, she is The Elite.

Not only did she secure herself a spot on a top-notch daytime serial, she is also a Harvard alumna. More elite than that, you cannot be.

As much as I'd love for her to return to where she belongs, I think she should try to get a primetime gig. Some good, critically praised series or maybe ABC's Brothers & Sisters or CW's Gossip Girl, a show I used to hate until Felicia D. Henderson came in (honestly, I'd love her to replace that godawful J. J. Philbin over at Heroes, but I don't think she's a fan of the supernatural, even though Heroes is a soap par excellence). It is time to leave daytime behind, if she perseveres in improving her craft and just doing what she has been doing so far, there is a incandescent future ahead of her.

Can't wait for the next blog entry!

Edited May 17, 200817 yr by Sylph

AMCHistory writes: I cannot wait to hear more about what was going on behind the scenes at AMC. I do not know how a show with such a rich history, and at that time a pretty stellar cast, sunk to such lows. I love your user name. It reminds me of the good old days of the Glamorama and Aunt Phoebe. Honestly, I wasn't with AMC long enough to give you a full explanation of the situation. But I will say that, in general, head writers who aren't familiar with a show tend to favor plot driven storytelling. In my experience, this rarely makes for satisfying viewing.

Me want to marry this!

"But I will say that, in general, head writers who aren't familiar with a show tend to favor plot driven storytelling. In my experience, this rarely makes for satisfying viewing."

AINT THAT THE TRUTH!!! They find a few characters they like and BOOM!

Bibel wrote a new entry. Read here.

Jay : Sara, how would you go about getting another soap job? Do you apply, Does a head writer approach you? An Executive Producer? I would love to see you working on OLTL. Would you Coast switch or would you stay in CA? Like most television writers, I have an agent who tries to get me work. I would be surprised and delighted if a head writer came to me. I'd certainly jump at the chance to work on OLTL. Heck, I'd jump at the chance to work on Meerkat Manor. If any Estonian soaps are hiring, I'll move there! It‚s a tough time for daytime writers right now. Since the soaps discovered they could put out a show with a smaller number of writers during the WGA strike, writing staffs are getting smaller. The cancellation of Passions made the market even tighter.

Edited May 21, 200817 yr by Dr. Jay S.W.

Another blog post.