HOLIDAY MIRACLE: Prospect Park Back On Track To Revive AMC and OLTL

[Soaplovers]

Breakdown writers = pacing? If so, then All My Children might have some trouble since the knee jerk story changes and pacing were the major weaknesses of Days circa 2011 thru mid 2012.

I did love Dangerous Women.. and the show was fairly well-paced.. from what I could recall.

[Cheap21]

1998-2000 is such a broad period but it involved General Homicide, Kevin/Lucy and Scott/Eve couple swap, Psychic espionage crap. Im assuming she was gone by the time Karen Harris came in 2000 and worked to revamp the show. Besides she was just the associate HW and not the actual HW so she wasnt responsible for that stuff

[allmc2008]

I am giving these AMC writers a chance because at first Marlene was to blame when it came to the pacing of DOOL under her command and now everyone is blaming her co-head for the poor pacing. Also, we have a long running EP at AMC who served for AMC for 20 years or so while two people who nobody truly knows anything about story-wise VS an EP at OLTL that doesn't have a tenure near as long as Ginger Smith's tenure in the field of Daytime let alone OLTL but they have 2 head writers that have a very dynamic and iconic history in daytime. Basically, either show has a good chance of winning and loosing. I think AMC will be great because Ginger Smith not only has 20 years of experience at AMC but Agnes is helping. Also, PP is hiring people that know there stuff so if these new head writers for AMC do not do well I can see PP hiring someone who can do a good job.

I am more nervous for the success of OLTL because Jennifer Pepperman doesn't have a lot of experience at OLTL, compared to Ginger Smith at AMC and they are EP's so they can hire/fire writers.

[LeClerc]

On a more upbeat note (assuming Cady has good taste.....)

Cady McClain ‏@realcadymcclain

Yep, I read some scripts. All I can say is: "WOW!" I'm excited! They are killin' it.

[Chris B]

Marlene (and her Co-HW) were in charge at DAYS. They replaced a lot of the writing staff with their own people and the quality sank. That is her fault (and Darrel Thomas) as the headwriters of the show. They felt the people they hired could do a better job and that wasn't the case. The pacing and structure of the stories was terrible. That also would fall on Elizabeth Snyder as one of the breakdown writers. She would have had a big part in what didn't work.

[Errol]

Which clears up word that the actors didn't have their scripts.

[SFK]

Does Cady have kids?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

No.

[SFK]

I didn't think so. I just wondered when I saw that little play stove in the pic she posted.

[EnglishTea]

Yes and no re: breakdown writers equal pace. The HW has ultimate say on the scene placement, which creates the pace - Betsy was more limited when she worked under Brad - if Marlene trusts Betsy to re-work scene placement if it is not working, then yes, she could help with pace.

[Errol]

‘AMC’ and ‘OLTL’ Add to Behind the Scenes Personnel

[John]

Anubody know anything about Jared Kaplan?

[SOAPSFOREVER]

Associate writers (breakdown writers) do the head writer's bidding. They take the story thrusts and notes for their assigned episode and turn them into outlines for the scriptwriters. To say that Elizabeth Snyder, or any other breakdown writer hired by Marlene and Darrell had a "big part in what didn't work" would be a severe overstatement. Head writers determine the pace and structure of each episode as well as content. When a breakdown writer turns his or her outline into the head writer for review, the head writer can (and often does) make significant changes. The breakdown writer has input, but it's often limited, depending on the parameters they work within. To damn Elizabeth or any of the other breakdown writers for problems she and/or they had no control over, or very limited control at best, seems to be placing blame where it probably doesn't need to be.

[EnglishTea]

Well said. Betsy had almost no control when AHW or story consultant on B&B. Quite frankly, I think Lorraine Broderick is one of the few AHW, who has any significant role in pacing, and she is the exception.

[Scotty]

Not much outside of what I learned the other day, which Errol included in his report.