Head Writer Tropes

[Soaplovers]

With the recent Days of our Lives head-writer switch that was announced, people are wondering how the show will further be eroded, or improved. It has gotten me to think that certain head-writers have certain tropes (elements) that they use on each show they head-write...case in point..

Douglas Marland:

He had a teen romance and introduces a working class family

Doctors: Billy/Gretel teen romance, working class family introduced were the Dancys.

General Hospital: Scotty/Laura teen romance, working class family introduced was Luke/Bobbie/Aunt Ruby

Guiding Light: Kelly/Morgan teen romance, working class family introduced were the Reardons.

As the World Turns: Lily/Holden teen romance, working class family introduced were the Snyders.

Lorraine Broderick:

The most consistent stamp she has introduced on shows she's headwritten, is the evil villian that is 'killed' and three women hide the body, but it vanishes.. and he pops up later. One of the three women are usually fragile.

All My Children: Kinder.. Janet, Erica, and Skye hide the body.. he vanishes, then pops up alive...

As the World Turns: David Steinbeck.. Julia, Lily, and Carly hide the body.. he vanishes and pops up alive.. Julia eventually goes nuts.

Days of Our Lives: Nick Fallon.. Sami, Kate, and Gabi hide the body.. it vanishes and he pops up alive. Gabi goes nuts and kills Nick for real.

Any others?

[DRW50]

Broderick also likes to write stories about men who control and manipulate the town and have everyone on strings.

[DramatistDreamer]

Douglas Marland always had star crossed lovers who had no ends of obstacles and always had to be kept apart for as long as possible- they were usually apart longer than they were actually together.

As much as I loved some of his stories, sometimes the star crossed lovers concept would backfire when actors would leave. Then fans of the actors would rue the fact that some of these people really didn't have all that much time together.

The Bill Bell Sr. era frequently produced stories about girls/women from the "wrong side of the tracks" falling hard and trying to get the affection of some wealthy guy with various results. I know other writers did this type of story too but it seemed to pop up every few years on Y&R. I will give Bell credit for changing it up. Nikki/Victor, Patty Williams/Jack Abbott (before she was made into a nutter) Nina/Phillip II, Dru/Neil, and to a lesser extent Mac/Billy because Mac was actually related to wealth although she didn't know this early on. I guess it was supposed to be about the fantasy of being swept away by a rich suitor (even in times where the suitor was a reluctant one).

(This sort of got replicated on early B&B with the Brooke & Ridge saga in the very beginning of the show's history.)

And in some cases, it also seemed to be about the chase.

[SoapDope]

Bill Bell repeated a lot of his stories.

A few examples:

Days & Y&R : Brothers Bill & Mickey Horton both loved/fought over the same woman Laura. Brothers Snapper & Greg Foster both loved/fought over the same woman Chris Brooks.

Y&R : Ashley & Lorie were products of an affair and the men they called Dad John/Stuart were not their real fathers.

Y&R & B&B: Fathers Bill Foster and Steven Logan left their families to return years later to reconcile.

Y&R & B&B: Chris Brooks/Caroline Spencer saved themselves for marriage and were raped by strangers wanting to see them home.

Y&R & B&B : Jennifer & Lorie, Ashley & Dina had a rocky mother/daughter relationship. Stephanie & Kristen had a rocky mother/daughter relationship

[Soaplovers]

Also, didn't the Dobson's have a fascination with rape?

GL: Holly & Rita were raped by Roger.

ATWT: Dee thought she was raped by John, but realized she had been thinking of someone else while making love with John then freaked when she realized she was with John??

SB: Carnation killer, Eden's brutal rape, then Julia being raped.

[DRW50]

Ron Carlivati: Rape is hot and fun. Men who rape women are the real victims. Women who are raped secretly want it. Rape is also pretty damn hilarious.

Hogan Sheffer is also fond of this trope. If you can even call it that.

[NothinButAttitude]

Hogan Sheffer likes to write stories with maniacal, machiavellian men, who do unspeakable things and walk away scots free at the end of the day. Typically, those characters tend to be that were once heroes [i.e. Craig on ATWT & Victor on Y&R].

Jean Passanante loves to write stories with females, who aspire to be 'Martha Stewart' or domestic goddesses [i.e. Janet on ATWT & Avery on Y&R].

Most typical is that Ron Carlivati loves to write characters with Dissociative Identity Disorder like it is a condition that every one has [i.e. Jessica/Viki on OLTL & Connie/possibly Luke on GH]. Ron loves slapstick, mustache twirling villains too [Margaret/Mitch/Tess on OLTL & the Legion of Doom on GH].

[Paul Raven]

More Bill Bell repeats

The novel written by one sibling that exposes secrets of the other - Days Eric/Greg In My Brothers Shadow Y&R Leslie/Lorie In My Sisters Shadow

The insecure younger sister with a physical problem Y&R Traci - weight issues B&B Katie - acne.

The mother who accidentally shoots her child while plotting to kill a rival Days Phyllis/Mary Y&R Vanessa/Lance

The son who rejects abandoned father by not using his name Y&R Snapper B&B Storm

The brother/sister who are attracted to each other not knowing they are siblings Days Marie/Tommy Y&R Cricket/Scott

The puzzle pieces that reveal an affair Y&R Jill/John later Brad/Lauren

The young heroine who winds up in an asylum Y&R Leslie later Ashley

[marceline]

Agnes Nixon:

Social issue stories usually with a class/race component.

Young love/Romeo and Juliet

[Khan]

Bill Bell seemed to enjoy stories where brothers or half-brothers would be involved in quadrangles with women who were also sisters or half-sisters.

Agnes Nixon often employed broad, almost cartoonish, comic characters in her stories. And, of course, some of her greatest stories tended to have a ripped-from-the-headlines quality where topical issues were woven into the narrative.

[Soaplovers]

She also loved the spoiled girl from the wrong track character who schemed to get what she wanted.

AW: Rachel

Loving: Ava

AMC: Erica

The only show I don't think she employed that element was OLTL.

She also loved the whole good girl/bad girl thing fighting over a guy.

AW: Rachel/Alice (since Alice had been on the show for 2+ years, she wasn't sickly sweet.. from the clips I saw of early Alice.. she was kind of sarcastic pre-Rachel/Steve)

Loving: Ava/Stacey

AMC: Erica/Tara

Again, not sure if there was a good girl/bad girl fighting over a guy story on OLTL.

[titan1978]

Claire Labine-

The Mob (Ryan's Hope, and though she didn't introduce it to GH or GL, she did make it prominent.)

Killing kids

Sheri Anderson- the supercouple formula

GH- Luke & Laura

Days- Bo & Hope, Roman & Marlena, Kayla & Patch, Kim & Shayne...and many others lol.

[vote4llama]

Gary Tomlin likes having laughably country and or trashy characters getting involved in the mix with the rich folk

Days- Clyde, Tammy Sue, and Ollie

OLTL- Roxy

Sunset Beach- Meg, Tim, Meg's family. There were often lines like Remember in Kansas followed by something ridiculously plain about life on the farm

Another Tomlin is generating story off of dead babies

Days- Nicole framing Jennifer to make it look like she caused her miscarriage

OLTL- Ok, so Todd and Blair's baby wasn't actually dead

Sunset Beach- the baby switch with Olivia and Caitlin

[Sindacco]

Sounds like Sheffer's early writing for EJ on DAYS, minus the once a hero part.

[Rileywasall]

I've only been watching soaps since 2000, so I'm limited on writers to discuss.

Chuck Pratt's hardy for disaster stories.

General Hospital:

PC Hotel Fire - 2004

Train Crash - 2005

All My Children:

Tornado - 2008

Y&R:

Plane crash/UG collapse - 2015

Wow every soap he's written for since I started watching.