this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2023
93 points (100.0% liked)

Keep Writing

927 readers
28 users here now

A place for writers to encourage and inspire one another.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Something bad happens, and instead of talking about it or taking action, they just brush it under the rug, causing tensions to rise until the person who wasn't supposed to find out eventually does. Seriously, can't anyone have a mature conversation?

top 12 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] TheeBert 24 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The entire plot of most CW shows

[–] orphiebaby 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

What is "CW" in this case? O:

[–] heyitsmikey128 10 points 1 year ago

CW is an American TV network that had OK but pretty B level TV shows

[–] akincisor 13 points 1 year ago

This is the number 1 reason I loved Brave. The mom and daughter had a fight, messed up, and spent the rest of the movie together working it out.

[–] orphiebaby 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hell yeah! Everyone in my novel is smart, and tend to talk things out. Even the ones who imply they are less smart are still above average intelligence. Nobody ever holds the idiot ball, so to speak.

[–] CaspianXI 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Idiots are way too easy to write, but it takes a genius to write a genius. That’s why we have so many idiots in books and TV…

[–] orphiebaby 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I mean, one can definitely write a character who is smarter than them, employing legit intelligence when the writer doesn't technically have or use it. And one can definitely write a character that's wiser than them. I have a few of those in my novel with a premise about a universe where people are encouraged to heal and become kinder, better people. I wish I was as wise as Lu or Tony or Senna.

[–] CaspianXI 2 points 1 year ago

There was a quote from Dan Brown (sorry, couldn't find it after a few minutes of googling) where he explains how to write characters smarter than yourself. Brown would spend days -- sometimes even weeks -- coming up with an explanation for how his characters would realize something in a matter of minutes.

Writing brilliant characters is hard. But that's part of what makes good writing so worth reading.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

My wife has been watching Good Morning Call on Netflix and asked me to watch it with her and this pisses me off so much, makes my blood boil every single time, they can't have a single conversation about their situations.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

But, this is like 90% of all stories!

I hate it. I have to hype myself to overcome this and keep watching shows

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

This compartmentalisation of knowledge is my absolute biggest peeve in TV shows.

Especially when two characters who are both on the 'good side' have crucial information about who the bad guys are, or what the evil plot is, but don't share that information with each other. I'm practically screaming at the TV, and the writers stretch out this torture for a whole season or more.

In my opinion, good drama happens when the audience is taken along with the characters on a journey of intrigue, and the characters and audience experience revelations together. NOT when characters experience revelations the audience found out about five episodes ago.