Post by Dallas on Dec 13, 2018 19:49:53 GMT -5
Every December, it is always fun to look back on the years' worth of material and honestly say what was a HIGH point for me and what was a LOW point. I'm certainly not the type of person to say that everything I write is amazing … I may think that at the time (!) but in retrospect, I think it's natural to say somethings didn't work or weren't as good as others.
Before I get into the specifics with each series, I will say that a true high for me was the relaunch of the Absolute Productions website; I love the colours and the flow and the various features it has to offer. One of the lows, on the flip side, was the lack of new content I put on the website, so I'm going to try to do more of that in 2019.
Personally, it was a pretty good year. Relationships and marriages are a constant work and while Colton and I did have some bumps in the road, I can say that we are still going strong after 12 years together and 7 years married … just saying that makes me feel old! One of the great things about writing, however, is that it is an escape into another world that I really do look forward too.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of the highs & lows from the APN, Chasing Diamonds & ODaaT!
Chasing Diamonds
LOWS:
Lex's (lack of) story in the Christmas Special: First, I really did love the Christmas special. It was so fun to write a seasonal episode for Diamonds because in the first 5 seasons there was never any reference to the seasons or a seasonal change; so it was refreshing in that aspect. However, Lex really didn't have that much to do in the special. He was in a relationship with Grant, which Mac & Cole were opposed to and he quit working for Rockwell and went back to Blackmore Ltd and had a mini clash with Houston, but it was still pretty minor compared to the other characters. Because he had gone through so much relationship drama during the first 5 seasons, I thought having him "stable" with Grant would be nice but it just sort of isolated him. I haven't really thought too much of the next special for Diamonds yet, but I do hope that this drama of switching companies and feud with Houston would be more of a front burner story for him as he is one of my favorite characters.
Odette: Supervillain (season five): One of the stories that drove the majority of the final season of the series was Odette working to take down all of the Rockwell children as a way to get back at Mac, and in some ways, Lydia. She framed Cole for murder, had Stacey drinking too much (which every character on the series already does!) and gaslighted Lex … while I loved parts of the story, as a whole it was a bit much. It was part of the reason that the series came to an unofficial close … it's just difficult thinking of plots on-going for two series!
HIGHS:
The surprise 11th episode (season 5): I had teased at the start of the final season that there was a surprise waiting for fans … most thought it would be a cliffhanger ending, but it was actually the reveal that there was an 11th episode! All previous seasons only had 10 episodes, so the 11th really did come out of nowhere, especially since stories, for the most part, were wrapped up after the 10th episode. Of course, the 11th episode really gave a preview as to what was coming up in the series and in the Christmas episode.
Toby isn't real (season 5): I think the biggest twist/reveal in the final season was that Lex's new lover was actually a figment of his imagination because Odette had been drugging him. I really loved this twist because it was out of the blue. Looking back, there were clear signs, however, as Toby only ever shared scenes with Lex and Celeste saw Lex talking to himself a few times. Still, I thought the idea was really good and one of the best twists of the entire series.
One Day at a Time
LOWS
Andrew & Max: Okay, let me clarify as to why I have these two characters as Low points. I want to start by saying that I really do like both of these characters and they are really needed on the series as they are characters that should be driving the younger generation of the series, which they are. The problem is, and I only realized it until I had finished writing the 2018 year, that I really wrote them into corners. These two young men are expected to be the next leading men of the series for years and years, potentially. However, by having Max cause Adam's injuries and Andrew drugging Chris and Helen, the stories are left with them needing to pay for their crimes. Max, in particular, could go to jail for what he has done. While the outcome of the stories (Chris getting dumped by Trenyce and Helen, a rift created between Christ/Trenyce & Adam's impotence & the breakup of Robin/Adam) was important to move the stories forward, in retrospect, I wish I had thought of ways without pushing these two into corners. I hope I dig them out of these holes well enough in 2019…
Leah's Choice: In 2017, one of my favorite arches was my Santa Barbara storyline where Leah was revealed to be alive. The twist changed the game for Robbie, Victoria, Meggan and Jeff and the storyline carried in to 2018. There were moments of this plot that I really enjoyed, like Leah getting her memory back during the ice storm and the Judge forcing Leah and Jeff to stay together for 6 months. However, a lot of the rest of the story really seemed to fall flat as there weren't many soapy moments that made us pull for either Leah/Robbie or a Leah/Jeff pairing. She just sort of went back and forth in her angst without any real insight as to why she was torn, and thus really changed the outlook of her character. I will say that she does make up her mind by the end of the year and that moves all parties into a different path storyline wise.
Andy: I love this character and he has been on the series for a long, long time, however Andy really had little of his own to do this past year. I understand that some characters move to the back burner naturally; this is expected as storylines cycle, but this was the second full year he was left to be a supporting character. Andy did do a lot of supporting with Kim, Dawn and the other gays on the series, but he should be driving story of his own. I can attest that he does get his own story, and love life, in 2019, so I'm excited by this already.
HIGHS
The Ice Storm: I think anyone who read any part of the 2018 knew that this arch was going to be a high for me. I won't get into great details, as I already have a detailed blog post about this arch (http://odaatwebseries.proboards.com/thread/359/scenes-ice-storm) but I will say that it is the longest arch in ODaaT history, the most (maybe) emotional, and the biggest umbrella story in history … and the aftermath is still playing out today! That's a good story.
Kim: Years ago when the APN had 5 or 6 series under it, we hosted the APA's, which were like the soap opera digest awards. If this was still happening today, I am sure that Kim would win the Leading category because she drove storyline all year around. She started the year getting blackmailed by Tyler into having more sex, when she refused she confessed her affair & the facial cream leak to Bob (which are still some of my favorite all time scenes) which resulted in her car accident during the icestorm, which resulted in Blake's death. From there she was devastated and slowly reunited with Bob while plotting revenge on Dominick, which ended up being her setting the boutique on fire! That's a big year for anyone!
Dawn's Coming of Age Storyline: Like the ice storm, I've already touched on the rape storyline in a forum post (http://odaatwebseries.proboards.com/thread/393/summer-monument-lake) but I did think this storyline was an overall highlight for me as it carried the throughout most of the year. Think back, at the start of the year Dawn was still exploring her feelings/sexuality with Shelley which helped her realize she is gay; that set into motion telling Adam/Helen/Barbara, which triggered Barbara's reaction (which I still think was spot-on!) and then she went to the camp, which saw her get raped by Jonah. It also introduced Cheresa, who will become a much bigger character in the future. Following this, we saw Dawn's devastating reaction and Barbara shooting & killing Jonah. It wasn't always an easy read or storyline to follow, but I am really proud of the overall plot and think it was a highlight for me!
Before I get into the specifics with each series, I will say that a true high for me was the relaunch of the Absolute Productions website; I love the colours and the flow and the various features it has to offer. One of the lows, on the flip side, was the lack of new content I put on the website, so I'm going to try to do more of that in 2019.
Personally, it was a pretty good year. Relationships and marriages are a constant work and while Colton and I did have some bumps in the road, I can say that we are still going strong after 12 years together and 7 years married … just saying that makes me feel old! One of the great things about writing, however, is that it is an escape into another world that I really do look forward too.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of the highs & lows from the APN, Chasing Diamonds & ODaaT!
Chasing Diamonds
LOWS:
Lex's (lack of) story in the Christmas Special: First, I really did love the Christmas special. It was so fun to write a seasonal episode for Diamonds because in the first 5 seasons there was never any reference to the seasons or a seasonal change; so it was refreshing in that aspect. However, Lex really didn't have that much to do in the special. He was in a relationship with Grant, which Mac & Cole were opposed to and he quit working for Rockwell and went back to Blackmore Ltd and had a mini clash with Houston, but it was still pretty minor compared to the other characters. Because he had gone through so much relationship drama during the first 5 seasons, I thought having him "stable" with Grant would be nice but it just sort of isolated him. I haven't really thought too much of the next special for Diamonds yet, but I do hope that this drama of switching companies and feud with Houston would be more of a front burner story for him as he is one of my favorite characters.
Odette: Supervillain (season five): One of the stories that drove the majority of the final season of the series was Odette working to take down all of the Rockwell children as a way to get back at Mac, and in some ways, Lydia. She framed Cole for murder, had Stacey drinking too much (which every character on the series already does!) and gaslighted Lex … while I loved parts of the story, as a whole it was a bit much. It was part of the reason that the series came to an unofficial close … it's just difficult thinking of plots on-going for two series!
HIGHS:
The surprise 11th episode (season 5): I had teased at the start of the final season that there was a surprise waiting for fans … most thought it would be a cliffhanger ending, but it was actually the reveal that there was an 11th episode! All previous seasons only had 10 episodes, so the 11th really did come out of nowhere, especially since stories, for the most part, were wrapped up after the 10th episode. Of course, the 11th episode really gave a preview as to what was coming up in the series and in the Christmas episode.
Toby isn't real (season 5): I think the biggest twist/reveal in the final season was that Lex's new lover was actually a figment of his imagination because Odette had been drugging him. I really loved this twist because it was out of the blue. Looking back, there were clear signs, however, as Toby only ever shared scenes with Lex and Celeste saw Lex talking to himself a few times. Still, I thought the idea was really good and one of the best twists of the entire series.
One Day at a Time
LOWS
Andrew & Max: Okay, let me clarify as to why I have these two characters as Low points. I want to start by saying that I really do like both of these characters and they are really needed on the series as they are characters that should be driving the younger generation of the series, which they are. The problem is, and I only realized it until I had finished writing the 2018 year, that I really wrote them into corners. These two young men are expected to be the next leading men of the series for years and years, potentially. However, by having Max cause Adam's injuries and Andrew drugging Chris and Helen, the stories are left with them needing to pay for their crimes. Max, in particular, could go to jail for what he has done. While the outcome of the stories (Chris getting dumped by Trenyce and Helen, a rift created between Christ/Trenyce & Adam's impotence & the breakup of Robin/Adam) was important to move the stories forward, in retrospect, I wish I had thought of ways without pushing these two into corners. I hope I dig them out of these holes well enough in 2019…
Leah's Choice: In 2017, one of my favorite arches was my Santa Barbara storyline where Leah was revealed to be alive. The twist changed the game for Robbie, Victoria, Meggan and Jeff and the storyline carried in to 2018. There were moments of this plot that I really enjoyed, like Leah getting her memory back during the ice storm and the Judge forcing Leah and Jeff to stay together for 6 months. However, a lot of the rest of the story really seemed to fall flat as there weren't many soapy moments that made us pull for either Leah/Robbie or a Leah/Jeff pairing. She just sort of went back and forth in her angst without any real insight as to why she was torn, and thus really changed the outlook of her character. I will say that she does make up her mind by the end of the year and that moves all parties into a different path storyline wise.
Andy: I love this character and he has been on the series for a long, long time, however Andy really had little of his own to do this past year. I understand that some characters move to the back burner naturally; this is expected as storylines cycle, but this was the second full year he was left to be a supporting character. Andy did do a lot of supporting with Kim, Dawn and the other gays on the series, but he should be driving story of his own. I can attest that he does get his own story, and love life, in 2019, so I'm excited by this already.
HIGHS
The Ice Storm: I think anyone who read any part of the 2018 knew that this arch was going to be a high for me. I won't get into great details, as I already have a detailed blog post about this arch (http://odaatwebseries.proboards.com/thread/359/scenes-ice-storm) but I will say that it is the longest arch in ODaaT history, the most (maybe) emotional, and the biggest umbrella story in history … and the aftermath is still playing out today! That's a good story.
Kim: Years ago when the APN had 5 or 6 series under it, we hosted the APA's, which were like the soap opera digest awards. If this was still happening today, I am sure that Kim would win the Leading category because she drove storyline all year around. She started the year getting blackmailed by Tyler into having more sex, when she refused she confessed her affair & the facial cream leak to Bob (which are still some of my favorite all time scenes) which resulted in her car accident during the icestorm, which resulted in Blake's death. From there she was devastated and slowly reunited with Bob while plotting revenge on Dominick, which ended up being her setting the boutique on fire! That's a big year for anyone!
Dawn's Coming of Age Storyline: Like the ice storm, I've already touched on the rape storyline in a forum post (http://odaatwebseries.proboards.com/thread/393/summer-monument-lake) but I did think this storyline was an overall highlight for me as it carried the throughout most of the year. Think back, at the start of the year Dawn was still exploring her feelings/sexuality with Shelley which helped her realize she is gay; that set into motion telling Adam/Helen/Barbara, which triggered Barbara's reaction (which I still think was spot-on!) and then she went to the camp, which saw her get raped by Jonah. It also introduced Cheresa, who will become a much bigger character in the future. Following this, we saw Dawn's devastating reaction and Barbara shooting & killing Jonah. It wasn't always an easy read or storyline to follow, but I am really proud of the overall plot and think it was a highlight for me!