On the Edge of a Dream
Yeah, yeah, yeah, this is a couples board so that's why I have this music video by Joe Cocker. The lyrics are great ones for 52607.gif , who are on the verge of saying ILY. forum.1111.gif hearts1.gif
BUT believe it or not I'm more interested in the individual characters on my soaps. Further still, I want certain characters with pow1.gif chemistry together because I am above all else interested in STORY. As I've said before, I do not believe characters who are of like mind generate much story. There must be some commonalies, ie love of family, but the approach to life must reveal differences. For characters who are paired and too much alike, the fighting together against whatever foe or artificial obstacle gets stale after a few months with the been there, done that feel to it. And then we have the damsel in distress/savior thing, too but how long before that makes the female in the situation look like a whimpering weakling? Nope, give me internal conflict generated through the pairing of certain characters whom by their being together causes problems for those around them as well as within the relationship due to the differences of the two characters. So how is it they would be together? Why that would be because of love. Love knows no boundaries. Let me go further to state that some viewers will not be comfortable with the pairing ("They are too different") but the couple being together is good for the canvas because it keeps stories flourishing as it catapults natural conflict.

_{A root is to a trunk like a trunk is to a branch like a branch is to a leaf.
If the roots to OLTL are Dorian Cramer Lord and Victoria Lord Davidson then the trunk is Clint and Bo Buchanan (with a deceased Asa) and the second generation of the Cramers, Lords, and Buchanans are the branches from which spring the tree of life.}

No mystery that I'm talking about Dorian and Clint as an example of a couple that will bring focus to core family while igniting ongoing tension. From a writing perspective, I think the pairing is enticing because it easily unites the core families of the Cramers/Buchanans/Lords and provides internal and external conflict. I don't need paper thin plot devices like Dorian setting up Viki to lose her job as university president in some check writing scheme. I can have Dorian and Viki at odds over shared family members and have conflicting views that honor the integrity of the characters. I keep reading of rumors rumors.gif of Dan Gauthier maybe coming back as Kevin Buchanan. By all means, bring him back! He's a terrific actor but you know something? Dorian and Viki will never agree when it comes to Kevin and neither in all likelihood will Dorian and Clint. It becomes a tangled web of interest that allows the writer to use the history of the characters to drive story.

I'm going to go even further. I have stated before that I don't like black and white characters. The perceived villains should not just be baddies while the heroes are white knights. A little bit of light reveals the colorful layers of the characters and gives them a breadth of humanity. That's what I like about occasional glimpses of a Dorian, who does the opposite of what one would expect of a character perceived as a meanie. She can be generous of heart in situations involving loved ones. She has been particularly supportive of Clint through his recent ordeal with his daughter. But without doubt, that is just one facet of her character and I expect to see more aspects of the character now that we have a new writer, who is familiar with what Robin Strasser can deliver as Dorian. Same goes for Jerry verDorn. As least one of the writers on staff, Carolyn Culliton, was a head scribe on Guiding Light while Jerry played Ross Marler. I am becoming more acquainted with Jerry as a performer. When he came to town as attorney Ross Marler on Guiding Light, he was a shark defending villain Roger Thorpe, who had been accused of raping his wife. Over the years, Ross became more of a good guy. I enjoyed what I saw of Ross in the early years when I watched "Certain Rights" @ youtube.com. And I like Clint when he has an edge and isn't about to put up with crap from the likes of David Vickers, an unapologetic con man.

Looking at the overall picture, great stories start with fleshed out characters who are able to generate believable and natural conflict. The positioning on the OLTL canvas of dncla.jpg places big 3.gif at square center, where the Cramers/Buchanans/Lords belong.

Excellent article Cheryl. I hope the writers are paying attention.

Cheryl, you should write for a soap magazine!

Hey guys thanks for even bothering to read it. I just write what's on my mind and I'm lucky if anyone gives it a second thought. I really feel like the writers are on to something with the positioning of characters in such a way that it brings the focus back to where it belongs. Today's episode, shows how Dorian, Viki and Clint are linked to just about anything that can happen in Llanview. big 3.gif

I ALWAYS read what you write. I just can never seem to find the right words to reply with, because, well, you seem to have put them all in whatever you've written.