Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Subtle Is Good

I'm not going to torture you with a Doctor Who reference this week. Instead, let's take a moment to discuss writing.

The current climate of movies is based around a society with the attention span of a fruit fly. I'm guilty of lacking focus. I can't spend five minutes on a project without thinking about books or eating or when I'm next going to see my family or friends. I should join the club.

To accomodate humanity's shrinking attention span, some movies and television shows have resorted to frantic stories, loud voices, and exciting characters. But More Isn't Always Better. Sometimes the subtle details of a character matter more than the overarching story, even if the story is this grand adventure that takes the audience through time and space.

This doesn't mean that Boring Is Better. A boring story means that there is nothing notable at all. The characters are one-dimensional, the setting is bland, and the story might as well have been written by a twelve-year-old. If a story is intriguing with small details and characters with enjoyable (or disagreeable) quirks, you don't have to include any explosions or sweeping CGI scenes to get people to like your film.

Just remember that it's the little things that count. Sometimes, they count more than the big picture. A writing tip to keep in mind.

~Will

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