What I Learned About Writing From Soap Operas

As a teacher, summer is a time to recharge, to relax, and to read. It’s a time to lounge on the deck, catch up with friends, and hang out with Henry.

It’s also a time for soap operas.

Without the strain of forty hours in the classroom, I have the time to pursue my guilty pleasure: The Young and the Restless and the Bold and the Beautiful.

I have watched soap operas for as long as I can remember. In high school, my mom and I made soap operas our lunch time tradition. Over the summers when I was off school, we would sit in front of the television with a chicken salad, a cup of coffee, and dessert. We would get lost in the adventures of Genoa City’s finest.

Many criticize soap operas for being cheesy, predictable, and terrible examples of writing.

I disagree.

As a writer of women’s fiction, I’ve learned a lot from these storylines that I watch everyday.

Sometimes predictable can be okay

The obvious foreshadowing in soap operas often allows us to know that Sharon and Dylan will end up together before they even really see each other. We know that a killer will emerge, that someone will be kidnapped, etc. The dramatic irony in the soap operas leads many to complain about how obvious the show is. But ask any viewer, and they will tell you they don’t mind. Soap operas have shown me that sometimes it’s okay if your reader or viewer knows what’s coming. Sometimes it’s about the emotional delivery, the character development, and what happens afterward that matters.

Backstory is important

I’ve always been impressed by how the writers of the soap operas can keep track of decades of complicated relationships, histories, and connections without making a mistake. I’ve learned that if they can do that for years on end for dozens of characters, I can manage to keep the backstory straight for a single novel.

Dialogue is everything

There isn’t description in a soap opera; all of the character development comes from interactions with others and dialogue. Watching soap operas has helped me understand the dynamic of genuine dialogue and how to play with it to reveal characterization.

Everyone deserves to be happy at some point

There aren’t any bad luck Bryans in the soap operas; everyone finds someone or something to hand on to at some point in the story. Even the unlikable characters end up finding Mr. or Mrs. Right, at least for a period of time. Every character deserves at least a sliver of happiness.

That same happiness can’t last forever

If there weren’t any tragedies or losses, the soap operas would truly be cheesy. No one can keep a fake smile painted on forever. Characters need to face hard times so that we can relate to them, sympathize with them, and even value them.