Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

What Makes A Good Story

Blog City – Day 939

Prompt: “In so complex a thing as human nature, we must consider, it is hard to find rules without exception.” George Eliot
What do you think makes the human nature more interesting: its compliance with the rules or its deviations into exceptions?

Both are equally strong. Stories have been written from both points of view. There is something creepy and scary from a strong adherence and compliance to the rules... even in the bible - the Sadducees and Pharisees had an issue with Jesus doing his good works because he was not adhering to the rules laid out in the religious dogma. He was healing the sick on the Sabbath. There is a level of villainy in so strong a compliance. Jesus deviated from the expectations for the good of the people and this angered the men in charge. Their anger got Jesus brought up on charges and hung on the cross. Even if you are not religious - the bible is filled with stories that follow what makes a good story.

How many stories do you know where people break from what is expected to help others or the greater good... crazy as it sounds, The A Team comes to mind. "The members, after being court-martialed "for a crime they didn't commit", escaped from military prison and, while still on the run, worked as soldiers of fortune."(from Wikipedia) They helped others who couldn't go through the usual channels.

Villains and heros can be on either side of the equation - the best stories pit them against each other. We as writers must revel in these aspects.
Timeless... that is one TV right now as I write this is about the opposite - good winning out over evil - "Timeless is an American science fiction drama series ordered by NBC for its 2016–17 television season debuted on October 3, 2016. It stars Goran Visnjic as a time-traveling criminal who steals a time machine in order to change the course of American history and destroy the country. Charged with the job of traveling back in time to catch him is a team made up of a history professor (Abigail Spencer), a soldier (Matt Lanter), and a scientist (Malcolm Barrett)." The villain goes against the rules, and the good guys have to capture him and bring him back... saving history in the process.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_A-Team
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeless_(TV_series)