General Hospital

GH’s Head Scribes Shelly Altman & Chris Van Etten Take You Inside The Writer’s Room Of How A Soap Is Written!

January 10, 2018

Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Nerdist has posted a very special podcast for soap fans and especially those of General Hospital.

Host, Ben Blacker welcomes GH head writers, Shelly Altman and Chris Van Etten for an inside look and discussion on just how the writer’s room works and is constructed on a soap opera, in particular the ABC daytime drama series.

Blacker is joined by writer and GH superfan, Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, as they talk the nuts and bolts of writing for a continuing daytime drama series from: the creation of long story, to how the each week’s episodes are laid out in the hands of the breakdown writers, scripts writers, and more.

Courtesy/CVanEttenTwitter

Altman and Van Etten also talk about their writing team, what they look for in a writer, and if they are a fit for the genre, if there is story that they want to tell, but haven’t had the chance to yet, and how they must map out the lives for the many contract players and characters on the Port Charles canvas.

It’s a compelling listen. Check it out here.

After you have had a chance to listen, let us know if there is something you learned that you didn’t know about how the process of writing a soap, and in particular how GH scripts and stories are planned in the comment section below.

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Guest

su0000

Whoa! that was more than long so I had to skip it… Anyways, I don’t care how they write GH I only care how good the writting is. I gotta admit, I have been in snoooz mode the past 2 weeks, nothing is happening to keep me awake 🙁 overkill of Sam and Jason looking at each other like hurt puppies, to say it kindly, nuff is nuff of them.. They desperately need to write some hard drama, intriguing exciting adventure intense stuff and shelf the stagnate mush. the couple’s woe is me woes are as interesting as a lint… Read more »

Guest

Fanny

@Su000, you never cease to make me laugh…. Thank you
for your unvarnished honesty.

Guest

aria

laugh and unvarnished honesty? all she does is complain about how boring gh is, if she doesn’t like it she should just give up already on the show, she seems happy w/Dool and RC, why is she bothering w/ GH if all she’s gonna do is bitch about it, what she is, is predictable, if you wanna read someone bitch about GH then su0000 is the one to go to to read about it That is all she offers.

Guest

Jovin

Su is a man, by the way.

Guest

Rebecca1

Su…I guess the difference lies in what you define as “drama.” I think you seek action. As for drama, Sam and Jason’s exchanged glances ARE drama…for those of us who were in love with their love story. Add to that Sam’s emotional conflict, her love for and loyalty to Drew coupled with her repressed but returning to the surface feelings for Jason and it’s an emotional tug-of-war for the characters and the veiwers who are invested in these characters. Personally, I get kinda teary when I see the flashbacks of Jason and Sam because I was watching back then. So,… Read more »

Guest

Allen Saint James

amen to Intense action adventure stories. They at the beginning phase of bringing back adventure storytelling to the show. The Jason/Faison Saga is the most intriguing story in ages.

Guest

Jake

They are building stories (i.e Faison and Mayoral/Charles St). What I like is that they are integrating a lot of the cast in both stories.

Guest

nancy dillingham

I, too, like the integration of a lot of the cast members. “Seems like old times.” 🙂

Guest

Reed

It’s worth a listen (interview begins 5 minutes in and is 68 in length). I enjoyed learning more about Shelly and Chris, the process of writing the show, the constraints and challenges. GH should be in good hands with Shelly, Chris, and the current writing team. I’m sure the goings-on behind the scenes can be even more interesting than what’s on the screen, so it was a neat glimpse from that perspective. But what about the bigger picture? Let’s hear about the business side of things from the executives, those that can speak not only on the state of the… Read more »

Guest

rose

I am curious…Do the writers ike Shelly and Van Etten pay any attention to comments made by fans. A big example is that, at least on MF, for years many have expressed being very tired of Sonny and Carly, the mob, and both monopolizing GH. Doesn’t this count for something when writing the GH stories.

Guest

4ever DAYS

@aria

su0000 only watches GH and Y&R.

Guest

rebecca1

It was an interesting listen but I think it was meant primarily for those who are either in or interested in getting into writing. I found it interesting because of my publishing background. not sure if it would be compelling if I wasn’t in that realm.

On that note, it was a good interview and an insight into the writers minds…and of course an insight into the business aspect, as well.

For those of us who might be thinking of writing a soap…as was asked during the interview…it wasn’t too encouraging. But never say never!

Guest

JMER

I’m really disappointed with Chris Van Etten as the choice for co-headwriter. For someone who watched late 80s GH, supposedly, I see nothing that shows respect for that time period onscreen. I also don’t like that he is basically Ron Carlivati’s pupil, who loves the soap cliches like Ron does. Because the genre and especially GH started going toward the bad in the 90s, I see some sense in putting older Head Writers in place at GH becaue they know what good soap is made of. Many of the writers working under Chris and Shelly are older so why not?

General Hospital

B&B’s Heather Tom Throws Lead Actress Nominee Luncheon

June 18, 2021

This year, saw the return of the annual ladies lunch were as is tradition, last year’s winner of the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, throws a luncheon for this year’s nominees.

The reigning women’s champ, now six-time Daytime Emmy winner, Heather Tom (Katie) got this year’s nominees in the category together for a celebration which included: General Hospital’s Genie Francis (Laura), Finola Hughes (Anna), and Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis), along with B&B’s Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy) and Y&R’s Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea).

On Friday, both Francis and Grahn shared pics from the event on their social media accounts. You can check them out below.

Then, take our poll below: Which actress do you hope takes home the gold next Friday night on the 48th annual Daytime Emmy Awards on CBS? Let us know via the comment section, as well.

.@BBheathertom created the most wonderful event for us! So thoughtfully done. Camaraderie was delightful! 🥰 @finolahughes @NancyLeeGrahn @MClaireEgan #JacquelineMacInnesWood pic.twitter.com/W403fXsOQG

— Genie Francis (@GenieFrancis) June 18, 2021

General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Peter’s On Ice, But Is He “Dead” Dead?

June 17, 2021

Wednesday’s episode of General Hospital provided more to the back-story of what Finn (Michael Easton) and Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) did with Peter’s (Wes Ramsey) body after Finn tussled with the guy and Peter fell down the stairwell and hitting his head on the wall, to his supposed death.

In story, Liz became worried when thinking back to how she suggested to Finn – and that they carried out – putting Peter’s body in a freezer in the sub-basement of the hospital.

As she recalls their plot (to keep Peter’s body from being discovered until they have time to move him permanently), Anna (Finola Hughes) is on the move of the hospital and uncovers a hidden service elevator that might just take her to the sub-basement, where she could discover Peter’s lifeless body.

But hold the phone! While we know it was revealed that Wes Ramsey departed GH, could it be that Anna could discover the freezer with no sign of Peter in it? Do you really think his reign of terror is over given that he is Cesar Faison’s bio-son?

Share your thoughts: Do you think Peter is really dead, or will the character come back to haunt everyone and try to get revenge on all who tried to stand in his way of Maxie and his child? Comment below.

General Hospital

General Hospital’s Sofia Mattsson Reveals Pregnancy

June 14, 2021

Well, the cat is out of the bag, sort of speak. GH’s Sofia Mattsson (Sasha) took to her Instagram to finally reveal that she is pregnant in real-life!

That comes on the heels of General Hospital fans watching the story unfold on-screen where Sasha learned she was pregnant with Brando’s (Johnny Wactor) child.

Mattsson shared a photo of herself with her baby bump expressing: “BIG things happening!! 🙈 So happy and excited to finally share this (almost ready to pop) bump with everyone!! 🥰❤️.Kept it a secret for a while to not spoil anything for GH viewers, but now that miss Sasha Gilmore’s pregnancy is in full force I can finally share that I’m so grateful to be sharing this pregnancy journey with her! ❤️”

Sofia is married to actor Thomas Payton. This is the couple’s first child.

So, share your congrats to Sofia and Thomas for their baby on the way via the comment section below.