Head Writer Tropes

[cassadine1991]

Don't forget the "monkey virus"

[Rileywasall]

I was gonna add that in there but I couldn't remember if it was the monkeys or the bio balls.

GH had three bio hazard stories plus the hospital blowing up over a very peculiar surgery. LOL. And then the water pathogen! That's what, all within 6 years, yeah? Laaaaaame

[P.J.]

It wasn't Carly that had anything to do with hiding David's body, I think you mean Emily carting around Diego's body. (and the women didn't hide David's body, Holden and Julia buried him in the woods. After David/Reid died, Julia shot his corpse, after a reading of David/Reid's "will" at which Lily, Emily, Julia and Denise attended) Carly helped Lily clean up after Julia Larrabee's murder, but otherwise, she stayed away from dead bodies.

Marland sure did have a thing for damaged heiresses. Didn't he create Vanessa Chamberlain too? And runaways.

[Limenade]

Doug Marland has also written murder mysteries as a way to explore and deepen the relationship between a mother and a daughter--not necessarily biological. The person murdered was generally obsessed about the mother-character, and the daughter was misled to believe that he cared for her instead.

GH: David Hamilton - Lesley and Laura

ATWT: Doug Cummings - Kim and Frannie

[juniorz1]

The Dobsons did do a lot of rape stories on SB, but weren't responsible for Eden or Julia's. Eden was JFP and Anne Howard Bailey and Julia was under Convoy and Pratt. Also, I'm pretty sure the Carnation Killer, Peter Flint, was just a serial killer, not a rapist.

However, the Dobsons did have Christie, Mary, and Hayley raped all within a 3 year period.

*Conboy

[vote4llama]

He raped his victims, including Kelly.

[Paul Raven]

Bill Bell also did the 'raped by a stranger in a park who is actually known to the victim' for Laura and Susan on Days.

[Paul Raven]

Irna Phillips liked her children who discovered their real parent on ATWT.

Dan and Ellen

Neil and Doug

Amanda and Sara

Peter and Wally

[Aback]

Brad Bell

- every major character has to fall of a height. Every single one.

- siblings are made to share romantic partners.

- there's constantly an outsider looking in a wealthier family.

- there's seldom a first pregnancy going well for the first time. Heroines miscarry their child.

- If you're in a relationship, you should propose 3 months in tops.

[Skin]

EJ started out as a romantic hero for Sami when he first came on Days in mid 2006. His characterization was very similar to that of Austin, Brandon, Lucas and Rafe.

Sheffer eventually rewrote and retconned that as a DiMera cover, which launched his most popular characterization as a villian from 2007 onward. Honestly that was better for his character anyway. Otherwise he would have just been another Austin clone not unlike all of those others before him, vying for Sami's attention in the form of another white knight.

[Soaplovers]

Donna Swajeski: The one thing I noticed of her when she was headwriter of two soaps was her introduction of family members never before mentioned.

AW: Frame Family..with the introduction of Dean, Frankie, and Jason.

AMC: Cortlandt Family.. with the introduction of Caleb and his son Asher.

[ghfan89]

During both her 80's and 90's stints of AMC, Lorraine Broderick did substance abuse storylines. In the 80's it was Mark's cocaine addiction and in the 90's, it was Erica's pill addiction.

[MissLlanviewPA]

Pat Falken Smith had two rape victims--both named Laura, weirdly enough--ultimately fall in love and marry their rapists (okay, technically Thom Racina wrote L&L's wedding, but still).

The fact that Laura on GH became Laura Spencer (Laura Horton's maiden name) after she married Luke makes the connection even weirder.

To be fair, though, L&L were not originally meant to fall in love.

[tune_in_tomorrow]

Isn't Margaret DePriest the serial killer queen? Someone correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't she the writer responsible for the Salem Strangler and Salem Slasher on DAYS, and the Sin Stalker and Bay City Stalker on AW? That's a high body count for one writer on 2 shows.

[AllMyDaysatGH]

In 2010/2011 she also started one with Frankie Hubbard turning to pain killers when he re injured his hand, then it was suddenly dropped & resolved off screen and she later started the same story with Asher (and oddly connected it with Frankie's).