Article on Ex-"AMC"/"ANOTHER WORLD"/"GL" Scribe Donna Swajeski

[Khan]

Say, have you been wondering what Donna Swajeski has been up to lately? Yeah, me neither. But here's an article, anyway:

http://townsquaredelaware.com/2013/04/04/tsd-qa-emmy-winning-writer-donna-swajeski-creative-director-of-the-delaware-childrens-theatre/

(News Flash: She was the impetus behind those ridic "Inside the Light" eps on GL. Thanks, Donna. Thanks a lot.)

[DRW50]

Thanks. I don't mind the ITL idea, just the execution.

I wish they'd asked about AW.

[allmc2008]

What were they??

[juppiter]

This:

[jfung79]

Inside the Light was one episode a week Guiding Light did for a couple years around 2006-2007 devoted to a special theme or focused on one character's story It was a great idea and led to many good episodes. Some of the episodes were kind of like the two-handers that EastEnders is known for. As Donna Swajeski explains in the interview, "While working on “Guiding Light ” for CBS, I came up with an idea to write a special Wednesday episode each week which was based on one character and would take us more into their life, off the story line. It was like writing a play a week. But I think it's the reason I won (the Emmy)."

The ITL experiment was part of the vitality, freshness, and positive momentum the show had during the 2005-2007 period before it all fell apart when CBS slashed the budget and Ellen Wheeler lost her mind with the move to Peapack thinking aimless slice of life writing out in some fields in the middle of nowhere would keep the show on the air. (I still liked GL at the end but there's no comparison between even 2007 and 2009 in terms of gripping drama and production values.)

Plucking out the "She's a Marvel" episode is really unfair. The Irna Phillips docudrama 70th anniversary episode was also in the "Inside the Light" slot.

Also during this time, the show had the actors talking about things that inspired them during commercials. This was "Inside the LIght" of the actors, while the special Wednesday episodes were "Inside the Light" of the characters. This was all part of the excitement of the 70th anniversary.

Loved Inside the Light, love Donna Swajeski, and loved her writing partnership with David Kreizman (at GL especially). Thanks for the interview. That's cool that she came up with ITL. In my head I'd always credited Kreizman for ITL but it's cool to know it was actually Swajeski. Maybe it was both of them brainstorming together. They seem to be have been close co-heads with a good working relationship.

Once a week was probably too often though ... After the first few months, it might have been better to just do an ITL episode once a month or every couple months.

[DRW50]

A part of me feels like if not for ITL some things wouldn't have been shown at all - like Ross' death and Blake's grieving process. I didn't really watch the show that often in this period though.

I remember people enjoyed an episode where the family was making a home video for Reva and Josh.

[juppiter]

That is the fundamental problem I have with it though. Soaps have been plagued with insta-couples and 3 month arcs and filler and etc. for as long as they have existed. You have 5 hours a week to fill and there is no excuse for that. Any second that you don't need to fill with storyline, you can be developing your characters. We can hear about how they are constipated or going thru menstrual cramps or whatever, you don't need to "turn storyline off" and "do a play a week", that stuff can be incorporated into episodes.

[All My Shadows]

AMC did ITL-ish episodes when La Swaj was present, mainly for Erica, David, and Angie, and they were among the best episodes of the show's final years.

[Khan]

[Angela]

Agreed. On top of that, they were probably the most harmless writers AMC had in the last 6-8 years. Boring and slow, but harmless otherwise. I didn't get heartburn when thinking the show was on while they were writing but you could really miss 30 episodes and still be at the same spot.

[Pine Charles]

Wasn't she writing Annie & JR? If so, I liked her writing OK. Nothing was epic, but it was decent.

[Soaplovers]

Do you think she, or her writing partner Kreizman were the main decision maker at AMC?

I did like some of her writing on AW, I think the first year or so of her stint was playing Harding Lemay's outlines.. but she did create Lorna and had the great idea of making her Felicia's daughter.

I think her Guiding Light idea was good, but maybe they should have done it once in awhile and not every week. I remember it would break the flow of the story.

[R Sinclair]

:lol: :lol:

[Angela]

I'm lost on time-line for Annie & JR. I'm pretty sure S & K's material started airing around April or May of 2010 though.

ETA:

The first time JR and Annie have sex is April 2010. Just did a quick google search on that.

They did kill off Jesse and Angie's baby and have Jesse bury her in a box in the park. That may have been the worst thing they did. DW and DM did get great material off of that. I'm trying to find Jesse's sad speech on YouTube. The memory of that speech gives me chills.

I won't blame them for rekindling Rylee. I feel that was always a Frons order for writers.

They shouldn't have gone so caricature villain with Ricky especially considering he had better chemistry with Kendall than Griffin. Once you notice these two or those two are sparking better, re-evaluate the story you're writing don't just force your initial agenda.

[AllMyDaysatGH]

I don't recall a David one but I do remember Erica & Angie's (I can't decide which was better!) And remember Greenlee's?

ETA: I'll never forget Erica taking that swig of alcohol in front of Kendall. Damn could you imagine if she really fell off the wagon again after that?