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Forked Thread: On the Value of Uncertainty
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<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 4444914" data-attributes="member: 177"><p>True. And for good reason - that's what people like. Fiction of all sorts is subject to a sort of darwinian selection. Things that people like tend to sell better than things that people don't like so much. Thus, a formula is born.</p><p></p><p>If you're a writer or publisher that wants to sell, there's a strong incentive to use the formula. Some will, on occasion, step outside formula in order to perhaps find something new that folks like, but like mutations in genetics, these are usually selected against.</p><p></p><p>Or, another way of looking at it - every art form (poetry, genre fiction, what have you) has rules and tropes, required for most full understanding and appreciation of the work. A workmanlike artist can perform within those rules. True masters know when to <em>selectively</em> break those rules for added effect - because defying expectations is part of art.</p><p></p><p>If you break the rules willy-nilly, your work <em>loses</em> impact, because it becomes difficult for the audience to understand what all the deviations from the rules are supposed to mean. So even the masters will tend to follow the rules, except when they don't <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 4444914, member: 177"] True. And for good reason - that's what people like. Fiction of all sorts is subject to a sort of darwinian selection. Things that people like tend to sell better than things that people don't like so much. Thus, a formula is born. If you're a writer or publisher that wants to sell, there's a strong incentive to use the formula. Some will, on occasion, step outside formula in order to perhaps find something new that folks like, but like mutations in genetics, these are usually selected against. Or, another way of looking at it - every art form (poetry, genre fiction, what have you) has rules and tropes, required for most full understanding and appreciation of the work. A workmanlike artist can perform within those rules. True masters know when to [i]selectively[/i] break those rules for added effect - because defying expectations is part of art. If you break the rules willy-nilly, your work [i]loses[/i] impact, because it becomes difficult for the audience to understand what all the deviations from the rules are supposed to mean. So even the masters will tend to follow the rules, except when they don't :) [/QUOTE]
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