Writing for the Soaps

by Jean Rouverol

Writing for the Soaps This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898791464
• ISBN13: 9780898791464
• Release Date: January 1984
• Publisher: Writer's Digest Books
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.

Customer Reviews

"EXCELLENT"

Anyone interested in the art of television serial writing, or for those wanting info on how soap operas are created and written, "Writing For The Soaps" is one of two books that best describe how these daily sudsers are made. The other book on serial writing that is informative and well-written is Harding LeMay's book "Eight Years in Another World". In "Writing For The Soaps" author Jean Rouveral takes readers behind-the-scenes on how these shows are written on a daily basis. With actual soap scripts she discusses how the writer comes up with these ideas of storytelling, how the shows have what is termed as the bible (which is the long term story), how these shows have breakdowns in which the story is divided into five daily scripts per week, and how the dialogue is formed for the actors. Rouveral, a former serial script writer having worked on "Guiding Light" when it was at its peak in the '70's, as well as a writer for the Joan Crawford film "Autumn Leaves", writes this book in a very easy-to-read manner. She writes about the pitfalls in writing for daytime television meeting deadlines while trying to get scripts on the air five times a week, 52 weeks a year without any hiatus period. She is not shy in stating that writing soap operas is a very time consuming and difficult process and how not everyone can do it, but she states that the love for the profession is what makes serial writers stay in their jobs. Although written in 1986 and long out-of-print, "Writing For The Soaps" is a must-own for those interested in becoming a writer for daytime dramas.