Writing Excuses Writing Excuses Episode 22: Doing The Unpopular
Jul 7, 2008
Exploring unpopular narrative choices in writing, creative integrity, and moral dilemmas in character development. Discussion on maintaining tone and promises in storytelling for artistic integrity. Includes examples from popular literature and cinema, as well as a writing prompt to craft a scene of a frontline grunt in an undead army without using the word 'brains'.
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Make Unpopular Choices Narratively
- Writers can do things to readers characters that readers would never do to themselves to create strong narrative arcs.
- Such unpopular choices can enhance story impact even if the reader initially hates them.
Serenity's Shocking Character Death
- In Serenity, killing a beloved character was necessary to save the film's tone and stakes.
- This decision shocked viewers but strengthened the narrative.
Saving Millennium Falcon's Survival
- Empire did test audiences with Millennium Falcon blowing up scene but cut it due to negative feedback.
- Keeping the ship alive preserved victory impact and iconic moments.