Some pretty interesting stuff about the soap writing process:

http://popdose.com/the-popdose-interview-one-life-to-live-head-writer-ron-carlivati/

RC (re: TurboTax product placement): “I hope you aren’t cheating on your taxes the way you cheated on your boyfriend.”

ROFLMAO!

I wish TurboTax and the network had allowed them to use that line. I really do.

Some people may criticize him, but I absolutely love Ron Carlivati. He is one writer who truly does understand his show and the characters.

I liked that interview. It was very to the point about the process, and hopefully at least one person who didn't get it before gets it a little more now. I'll leave it at that.

Some people may criticize him, but I absolutely love Ron Carlivati. He is one writer who truly does understand his show and the characters.

I am not a fan of a lot of his stories, however I think he's a good storyteller. As a spectator, I can see how he's aware of the intricacies involved in weaving ensemble stories.

I'm just tired of the antagonists at the conclusion of almost every story going crazy (if they weren't cartoonishly maniacal the entire time), wielding guns and/or dying.

Edited April 20, 201114 yr by R Sinclair

I think the man has talent, as much as I knock OLTL--but I think his story team has some of the worst dialogue on tv right now (which says something) and yes--too often lately the show has lazily ended each story with someone going psycho and then when they leave a new character is revealed to be psycho.

Anyway fascinating interview regardless--I wish more writers would do this.

That is a nice interview & really brings a lot of insight into the writing process. I wish they'd allow him to use that tax line too. LOL

I agree with Sinclair, that while I think Ron doesn't write villians well at all (most soap writers don't these days), I think he has more positives than negatives. He can tell a story, even if it's a story I'm not interested in. I really hope he lands on another soap & develops some project for cable.

The part about improving lines stuck out to me, cause I know another example, if you remember for the longest time Kyle Lewis was the only character that called Oliver Fish by his first name. Originally, Brett said, the script had him calling Oliver, "Fish" like everyone else, but Brett felt the writers were building some connection (though he hadn't guessed gay couple),so on his own started calling him Oliver instead. Eventually, when Ron did decide to make Kyle & Olvier a gay couple, Ron liked that little change Brett had been making & started writing it into the script, & became sort of a "rule" that Kyle would be the "only" one to call him by his first name. Little touches like that, I think can really add to a story.

Edited April 21, 201114 yr by wingwalker

Telling a story is something I would not credit Ron with - I'm not a professional writer, so obviously I'm talking out of my a$$, but I can't remember any major story in his run that ever actually came to a conclusion or had any followthrough.

I think he is better at small character moments, which, unfortunately, is anathema to today's soap executives.

Telling a story is something I would not credit Ron with - I'm not a professional writer, so obviously I'm talking out of my a$$, but I can't remember any major story in his run that ever actually came to a conclusion or had any followthrough.

His best story from beginning to end was Viki in Paris. Great conclusion.

Interesting interview and look at the writing process.

I think Ron, and the vast majority of his writing team, are incredibly shallow writers that never go below the surface of....well any character and rely much too heavily on campy OTT melodrama rather than anything resembling heart, but yeah interesting interview.