The soap opera writers' discussion

[Contessa Donatella]

Ann Marcus said she did very little rewriting, which must mean that she either was not as painstaking as she should have been or had marvelous associate writers  or had foolproof outlines. She is one who prepares a full days' breakdowns before breakdown conference.  - Writing for Daytime Drama, Jean Rouverol © 1992

Going back 6 or 7 years, Wisner Washam was already employing an assistant writer who edited AMC but he did his own editing keeping out cliche & keeping in humor.

Doug Marland did his own editing.  - Writing for Daytime Drama, Jean Rouverol © 1992

Edited October 18, 2019 by Donna B
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[Contessa Donatella]

"Days of our Lives" has been on NBC since 1965. It was created by Irna Phillips, Ted Corday, and Allan Chase, but its real  popularity began the following year when Bill Bell took over as HW. He was succeeded in 1973 by his then-associate Pat Falken-Smith, who oversaw the show's expansion to an hour and the addition of the Brady family (Caroline, Roman, Kimberly, Kayla, Bo, etc.) ... You'll notice that this sample is typed entirely of uppercase letters, not all shows use uppercase letters.

[Contessa Donatella]

"The time when the daypart was literally a 'cash cow' that supported the  nighttime was leaving. And, as it went the nighttime shows were taking with them some elements that the daypart invented & refined!" - Donna L. Bridges

 

"Soap operas are one of a really interesting genre of
American broadcasting because women have always
been so prominent in their creation," Elana Levine

 

"The daily viewing habit was a trademark of soap operas," Levine said. "It allowed viewers to get totally immersed in the characters' lives and want to come back for more."

 

"This is the only aspect of the OJ Simpson pre-trial and then trial that I think had anything to do with soaps. In fact, later on, when networks began to broadcast their day's soap episodes at 1 a.m. fans were right back to watching --just every night instead of every day." - Donna L. Bridges

 

"I mean probably the deepest, most heartfelt connections that you hear when people talk about their memories of you know consuming media are these stories from soap operas...it was really powerful to see a character that you knew their family, you knew so much about what had happened to them and seeing them go through difficult times or die or things like that," she said. (In my household we all grew up with the Hortons!)

 

Another fan described how storytelling on "AMC" insults the audience:
"It's all about shock value They either have to un-abort an aborted fetus or rape the lesbian and get her pregnant. If that isn't insulting enough, then they kidnap her baby and then, if that's not insulting enough, have her forgive the kidnapper and, if all that wasn't insulting enough, then have her fall in love with a woman with a penis."

 

 "We do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand other worlds," which Phillips said represented the difference between "the world of events we live in, and the world of feelings and dreams that we strive for."

 

"I want to thank the fans. I truly believe that they've been incredibly loyal and been with us through all the tough years. I thank them for that, and I hope they'll enjoy the next few months. The outpouring of support for AW has truly been phenomenal." - about AW fans, MADD

[Bright Eyes]

 

Pat Falken Smith became head writer in 1975 and the only Bradys she created were Roman and the first Kayla. Wrong as usual.

[Contessa Donatella]

Okay. Could be. I have her listed elsewhere as

Pat Falken Smith (75) died May 19, 2001 Writer, controversial, rape or seduction? DOOL, GH, GL, RH, created the Bradys & the DiMeras

 

I believe that comes from Wikipedia and from Robert Allen's soap book. Where the Heart Is, too.

 

Edited October 18, 2019 by Donna B
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[beebs]

Not to mention, the Brady family wasn't created as a result of the hour-long expansion in '75, but from her return to the show in 1982.

Also, congratulations on being the first person to say something other than Donna in this thread in the last 42 posts. When we talk about "spam", Donna, THIS is what we mean. Discussion means actually engaging with others.

[Contessa Donatella]

Actors who regularly rewrite their lines are not too popular with the authors of those lines. And actors who change the grammar of a speech are the bane of a writer's existence. The associate writer whose line properly reads, "between you and me" could sink through the floor when an actor, trying to sound elegant, changes it on-screen to "between you and I".

 

On some shows, such changes are not allowed. GH requires permission for revision. Bill Bell always required actors to follow their script word for word.

 

 - Writing for Daytime Drama, Jean Rouverol © 1992

[Vee]

Please, please, please stop posting passages from a book. We have all asked you not to.

[Contessa Donatella]

No, @Vee, I would not say that you have all said so. And, I do not understand why it is something that some of you object to. It simply enriches conversation.

[Contessa Donatella]

"Some people don't like killing any character on a soap, but I believe that the death can be as important as the life if it shakes up the town and spins great story for the characters left behind. This was one of those cases." - Jill Lorie Hurst, GL, Otalia, Gus's death

[katie_9918]

Please stop posting nothing but quotes, Donna. 

[Vee]

 

No it doesn't. We're familiar with these books, and when you do nothing but post large swaths of them constantly you are not only rehashing old information (often with errors aplenty) but you are clogging up the threads for discussion.

[robbwolff]

And there is NO conversation taking place. It’s just post after post after post.

[Mitch]

Except...that death meant nothing and had no effect (well maybe Ron Raines screwed up his face to look slightly more grumpy)  No one really bought Gus as a Spaulding,  and when he died it was like..okay.  Writers blab that stuff all the time...the actor left the show they killed him off, end of story.

[Contessa Donatella]

Ellen Wheeler pondered at some great length what to do about Ricky Paull leaving the show. The death on the motorcycle was what she came up with & it meant a heart for Olivia. The only thing I personally found odd about it was that none of us had ever seen Gus riding a motorcycle before that single solitary day. In real life I think people do or do not ride Harleys, etc. Not just once.