100 Things: Say What, Story?
Prompted by this excellent discussion over at the Onion A.V. Club, I got to thinking about the pop culture storytelling conventions that really, really drive me crazy:
1) The Hollywood shorthand for "misanthropic genius on the brink of a breakthrough" is the scene where said character writes down everything he (because these characters are 99% male) know regarding the problem on a chalkboard/whiteboard/wall/vertical surface and stares at it until the Moment of Revelation occurs. (Bonus points if sidekick!character tries to help out and receives only snark and mockery.) This scene always bugs me because it's lazy storytelling. On one hand, I understand the issue that writers have: showing someone's thought process is difficult, and if we go with the real world, solving-aloud method, the story slams on its brakes. But I would challenge writers to find another way of showing internal process, one that doesn't involve a cliched, been-there, done-that image. "Sherlock" got beyond this rather nicely in Baskerville Hound episode, where we see a literal animation of Holmes' thoughts and mental connections, and that was a nice change. I'd like to see a Moment of Revelation occur, though, in a silly, everyday life situation as it often does: why can't we see characters eating cornflakes or doing laundry when the revelation comes along? Mundane, repetitive tasks often afford a perfect space for independent thought, and I'm willing to bet these sorts of activities would help make the character more accessible.
2) Killing any characters to motivate the main character to do something he/she doesn't want to. Much has been written on the subject of female characters' deaths in service to this ridiculous plot trope, but I think killing anyone off merely to provide drama is a lazy storytelling motif. It's one thing to have a character motivated by vengeance, but vengeance is a complicated theme, and it's one with long-term implications. Sure, Main Character A will avenge the death of Beloved Character B by murdering Villain C, and then the story's over; but what about years down the line when A realizes that he/she betrayed B's fundamental beliefs and therefore dishonored B's memory and wishes? Character death does happen, but I think it needs to be made clear that the whoever gets killed isn't just being made into a plot device to drive the story forward.
3) The ugliest or most beautiful person in the pool of suspects turns out to be the murderer! Because average-looking people never commit crimes. ;)
1) The Hollywood shorthand for "misanthropic genius on the brink of a breakthrough" is the scene where said character writes down everything he (because these characters are 99% male) know regarding the problem on a chalkboard/whiteboard/wall/vertical surface and stares at it until the Moment of Revelation occurs. (Bonus points if sidekick!character tries to help out and receives only snark and mockery.) This scene always bugs me because it's lazy storytelling. On one hand, I understand the issue that writers have: showing someone's thought process is difficult, and if we go with the real world, solving-aloud method, the story slams on its brakes. But I would challenge writers to find another way of showing internal process, one that doesn't involve a cliched, been-there, done-that image. "Sherlock" got beyond this rather nicely in Baskerville Hound episode, where we see a literal animation of Holmes' thoughts and mental connections, and that was a nice change. I'd like to see a Moment of Revelation occur, though, in a silly, everyday life situation as it often does: why can't we see characters eating cornflakes or doing laundry when the revelation comes along? Mundane, repetitive tasks often afford a perfect space for independent thought, and I'm willing to bet these sorts of activities would help make the character more accessible.
2) Killing any characters to motivate the main character to do something he/she doesn't want to. Much has been written on the subject of female characters' deaths in service to this ridiculous plot trope, but I think killing anyone off merely to provide drama is a lazy storytelling motif. It's one thing to have a character motivated by vengeance, but vengeance is a complicated theme, and it's one with long-term implications. Sure, Main Character A will avenge the death of Beloved Character B by murdering Villain C, and then the story's over; but what about years down the line when A realizes that he/she betrayed B's fundamental beliefs and therefore dishonored B's memory and wishes? Character death does happen, but I think it needs to be made clear that the whoever gets killed isn't just being made into a plot device to drive the story forward.
3) The ugliest or most beautiful person in the pool of suspects turns out to be the murderer! Because average-looking people never commit crimes. ;)