How many writers work on the average one-hour soap?
Lots. There is usually a head writer who comes up with most of the long-term storylines. He or she uses three or four associate head writers to help with the storylines and then help chop the stories into month-long and weeklong chunks. The associate head writers break the stories into five day-long chunks (a week) under the head writer’s direction. Then there are the dialogue writers (4 or 5 of them) who turn the breakdowns into the scripts which the actors and directors will use to tape the individual episodes. The head writer is usually responsible for overseeing the entire process, insuring that the work is consistent, good and in character for the individuals on the canvas. Another key player in the game is the script editor who insures that the scripts flow together, the dialogue is appropriate for the characters and that the history of the show is respected. There is also a writer’s assistant who tracks the smallest details of action and history to make sure that the writers hav
