: Re: Basic fails to look out for when writing the drama: What can we learn from soap operas So, we established that we can lose many more valuable things other than our life, and to make stakes

Soap opera scribes are not bad writers, they are writers whose (often considerable) craft is turned against the aims of more substantive writing.

The defining characteristic of soap operatic writing is plot disconnected from character development. Events happen, one after another, chosen for their potential for thrills and interpersonal conflict, but no one ever really learns anything, or changes at a profound level (unless demanded by the day's plot). The stakes feel low, even when they are superficially high, because no bomb, no pregnancy, no fight, no wedding, no reconciliation, no amnesia, no spycraft, or anything else is ever really going to make a memorable difference in these characters' lives.

To put it another way, soap operas can entertain you, but they cannot teach you anything worth learning.

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: Re: Basic fails to look out for when writing the drama: What can we learn from soap operas So, we established that we can lose many more valuable things other than our life, and to make stakes

More posts by @Kristi637

: These two ideas - nihilism and existentialism - seem somewhat at odds with each other, at least from what I've about them philosophically (little). Nihilism (I assume you want to express existential

: What are the limits to description in story writing? How do I know if I have crossed them? Time and time again, I have been told that my unfounded focus on description distracts from the

: Is there such a thing as using too Many "I's" in a first person novel? For example, would you say this section of copy has too many "I's" or even "my's"? I woke in a daze. A drug

: In a book about political activism, can the author recommend illegal acts--or is that a crime, too? We are writing a short book on how activists can fight against destructive governance...something

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