I’m sure the answer this question depends on who the reader is, but I recently wondered whether audiences want more happy stories or more realistic stories.
If you haven’t seen the Epic Rap Battles of History on
YouTube, you’re missing out on funny and sometimes insightful stuff. One of my favorites is the battle between
George RR Martin and JRR Tolkien. During
this awesome battle of literary giants,
the guy playing Tolkien makes the point that “We all know the world is full of
chance and anarchy, so yes it’s true to life for characters to die
randomly. But news flash – the genre’s
called fantasy! It’s meant to be
unrealistic, you myopic manatee!” I’d
say it’s safe to say that there aren’t all that many redeeming characters in
Martin’s writing, while Tolkien has a whole host of them. So should writing in this genre be “happy” or
“realistic.” I also think such a
commentary can be extended to all of our writing in general.
Do readers prefer stories that will turn out well, or do
they want stories more true to life.
Let’s face it – life can be pretty shitty. When I want shitty, I’ll go to the news. However, when I watch for entertainment, I
look to be uplifted. That is probably
just a personal preference, but how many share that preference? Even if the story gets dark, do folks besides
myself want a lighter ending?
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