As writers, we need to often strike a balance between doing what the audience expects and being unpredictable. We don't want to be too predictable, for the audience quickly grows bored and moves on, but if we shake things up too radically, audiences will get mad. They'll then not only move on, but they'll curse your name until their last breath.
What made me think of this was the recent ending of Game of Thrones. Some people liked it, but let's be honest - most people didn't. That's because the show built up certain expectations in our mind, only to shatter them in the final episode. Part of this was due to the rushed way the ending felt, as if they were sprinting to the end and skipping over all of the plot and character development they'd spent years creating. However, part of this was due to the way the characters culminated
**SPOILERS AHEAD...IF YOU HAVEN'T YET WATCHED IT, STOP NOW**
(Also, smack yourself for claiming to be a fan while not watching the show for more than a month)
The show was played to be mostly about Daenrys Targeryen and Jon Snow. Both came from modest beginnings to command respect across the world, and surely one of them would rule the Seven Kingdoms from the Iron Throne. However, Daenrys went crazy, barbequed the capital, and then Jon Snow, her erstwhile lover(and nephew!), stabbed her in the heart in order to prevent her madness from consuming Westeros. In the end, Brandon Stark came out of nowhere to become King.
A lot of people were upset by Daenrys turn to the dark side. Given how much we rooted for her when she freed the slaves of Essos and surrounded herself with wise advisors, that's certainly understandable. I will say that there were hints of her madness earlier, though, that made it at least plausible for her to turn out like her father. And I believe that her turn may have been forgivable by most fans had it led to Jon Snow becoming King in her place. But when the show set these two up for so long, only to throw in a character that was tangential at best, a good number of fans screamed WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!?! Bran was that kid in high school who did nothing on the group project but got recognized by the teacher after the presentation, and although people sympathized with him for being crippled, no one thought, "Gee, he'd be a really good King, and I was looking forward to his rule." Even his presentation on screen was boring, little more than a series of blandly delivered one-liners that they tried passing off as wisdom and insight.
This kind of unpredictability is what makes audiences curse you. It's Luke Skywalker joining the dark side, Rudolph being eaten by the Abominable Snowman, or Professor Quirrell being made Headmaster of Hogwarts. It upends expectations so much that it pisses people off. I know that sometimes we writers like to throw people for a loop, if for no other reason than to keep them on their toes, but this comes off as elitist dickery specifically designed to annoy as many people as possible.
It's okay, even encouraged, to be unpredictable, but it still needs to fit somewhat within the story and come off as something audiences would accept, even if it wasn't the way they would've ended the story. Going off on a strange side tangent just for the sake of unpredictability makes readers wonder why they stuck with you, and is that really something we should be going for?
What made me think of this was the recent ending of Game of Thrones. Some people liked it, but let's be honest - most people didn't. That's because the show built up certain expectations in our mind, only to shatter them in the final episode. Part of this was due to the rushed way the ending felt, as if they were sprinting to the end and skipping over all of the plot and character development they'd spent years creating. However, part of this was due to the way the characters culminated
**SPOILERS AHEAD...IF YOU HAVEN'T YET WATCHED IT, STOP NOW**
(Also, smack yourself for claiming to be a fan while not watching the show for more than a month)
The show was played to be mostly about Daenrys Targeryen and Jon Snow. Both came from modest beginnings to command respect across the world, and surely one of them would rule the Seven Kingdoms from the Iron Throne. However, Daenrys went crazy, barbequed the capital, and then Jon Snow, her erstwhile lover(and nephew!), stabbed her in the heart in order to prevent her madness from consuming Westeros. In the end, Brandon Stark came out of nowhere to become King.
A lot of people were upset by Daenrys turn to the dark side. Given how much we rooted for her when she freed the slaves of Essos and surrounded herself with wise advisors, that's certainly understandable. I will say that there were hints of her madness earlier, though, that made it at least plausible for her to turn out like her father. And I believe that her turn may have been forgivable by most fans had it led to Jon Snow becoming King in her place. But when the show set these two up for so long, only to throw in a character that was tangential at best, a good number of fans screamed WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!?! Bran was that kid in high school who did nothing on the group project but got recognized by the teacher after the presentation, and although people sympathized with him for being crippled, no one thought, "Gee, he'd be a really good King, and I was looking forward to his rule." Even his presentation on screen was boring, little more than a series of blandly delivered one-liners that they tried passing off as wisdom and insight.
This kind of unpredictability is what makes audiences curse you. It's Luke Skywalker joining the dark side, Rudolph being eaten by the Abominable Snowman, or Professor Quirrell being made Headmaster of Hogwarts. It upends expectations so much that it pisses people off. I know that sometimes we writers like to throw people for a loop, if for no other reason than to keep them on their toes, but this comes off as elitist dickery specifically designed to annoy as many people as possible.
It's okay, even encouraged, to be unpredictable, but it still needs to fit somewhat within the story and come off as something audiences would accept, even if it wasn't the way they would've ended the story. Going off on a strange side tangent just for the sake of unpredictability makes readers wonder why they stuck with you, and is that really something we should be going for?
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