Head Writer Tropes

[SoapDope]

Bill Bell always had characters on his shows named after his real life children. William (Bill), Bradley (Brad) Lauralee

Y&R: Brad Elliott

Brad Carlton

William (Bill) Foster Sr. and Jr.

William (Billy) Abbott.

Lauralee (Lorie) Brooks

Lauren Fenmore (which I assume Lauren was a play on Lauralee's name)

B&B William Spencer (Bill) Sr. & Jr.

[Paul Raven]

He also used Kay (Katherine ) Chancellor for Kay Alden and Jack Curtis/Abbott for Jack Smith.

Phillip Chancellor for his wife's maiden and professional name?

[titan1978]

Maybe not under Marland, but she wrote the left handed boy and spent a year having them fall in love. She wrote the foundation of their relationship, and only quit when Monty wanted to go SciFi. I think she and her team created the Cassadines, and started the Ice Princess story.

I thought Katherine was already on the show before Alden joined the staff. Do you mean they started calling her Kay after Alden arrived?

[SoapDope]

Brock Broughton was the set decorator for Y&R in the 70's, so I assumed Brock Reynolds (Kay's son) was named after him. Broughton went on to do the sets for Dynasty in the 80's.

[antmunoz]

SB just had too many rapes, past and present, PERIOD, for a 9 year run: Kelly, Gina (backstory), Christy, Eden, Julia, Mary, BJ (molested), Hayley. MOST OF THEM WERE RELATED IN SOME WAY. They could've had a support group in the Capwell mansion alone. It was just too much for me after a point.

[Khan]

AMC also had a "thing" about rape, it seems, particularly when it came to "bad" girls: Erica (retcon), Brooke, Natalie, Julia, Kit Fisher, Gloria....

[Soaplovers]

That is true, not only about the rape.. but that the victims were usually scheming females that were 'redeemed' by the rape.

Though on occasion Gloria was still a fighter and could tell when a con was going on (which confused me about the whole Dimitri thing) and Erica actually became stronger and hardened by the experience..

Margaret Depriest did do serial killer stories, but only on two of the soaps she head-wrote for.

DAYS: I'm not sure if she did the strangler, but she did do the slasher story which involved the murder of a popular anti-heroine.

AW: Sin Stalker (led to the murder of a popular character Quinn, which caused a surprise backlash) and then again in the mid 90s (led to the death of Frankie.. only after original choice Donna was saved by a spoiler leak and fan outrage caused them to shift gears).

However, other then that... I think Depriest was known more for keeping the ball rolling as opposed to getting the ball rolling (her 70s stints on LOL and The Doctors support that).. so having her come in to write for AW both times when the show was struggling never made sense.. nor did her head-writing Sunset Beach make much sense either.

[Paul Raven]

Bill Bell also did the 'man goes missing from family and town(Mickey/Victor) through bizarre circumstances (amnesia/carjacking) and finds refuge with simple farm girl (Maggie/Hope)with disability (paralysis/blindness)].

[SoapDope]

Bill Bell also did stories were a character accidentally fell in love with a sibling.

Days: Marie & Tommy

Y&R: Lorie & Mark Henderson, Victoria Newman & Cole Howard (later turned out to be not true).

Didn't Bell also use the name 'Mark" for Tommy Horton's new identity ?

[DeeeDee]

Cricket & Scott

[KMan101]

DePriest seemed to be the go-to for killing plots. It is sort of interesting how she penned two at each of the soaps she was at.

I notice that rape trend as well. It's not one I like.