Comments on: Expectation Pt. II http://www.theseanachai.com/2006/08/29/expectation-pt-ii/ For current updates go to http://www.patrickemclean.com Sat, 12 Mar 2011 05:01:14 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Joe Bothari http://www.theseanachai.com/2006/08/29/expectation-pt-ii/comment-page-1/#comment-1100 Joe Bothari Wed, 30 Aug 2006 21:17:26 +0000 http://www.theseanachai.com/?p=141#comment-1100 That's a great way to look at storytelling. Les Mis - The guilty cheat, but find Grace and do good things. The ritchous never falter, but have no forgiveness, even for themselves. The Hero doesn't go out with a bang. The Big Battle is a slaughter, and the bad guys win. The Hero does end up with the Heroine living happlily ever after, but in another country under an assumed name (if memory serves). The only storytelling practice I get is with my kids, but it's great for getting the creative juices flowing. At bedtime they always want a story (after reading all the books, of course) but THEY want to pick the characters, setting, and sometimes main conflict. They are always the main characters, of course, but the rest changes at random. At first it was hard to come up with anything better than the three little pigs, but with practice I can sometimes build one expectation, then suprise them with another. It's very much like putting spin on a ball. I always know when I do well because they go right to bed. If they ask "Then what happened" I know there wasn't enough excitement. If it's "Tell another one" I know it probably wasn't long enough. If I hear "YOU'RE NOT DONE YET!?!" my wife is tired of waiting for me. :-) -Joe That’s a great way to look at storytelling.

Les Mis – The guilty cheat, but find Grace and do good things. The ritchous never falter, but have no forgiveness, even for themselves. The Hero doesn’t go out with a bang. The Big Battle is a slaughter, and the bad guys win. The Hero does end up with the Heroine living happlily ever after, but in another country under an assumed name (if memory serves).

The only storytelling practice I get is with my kids, but it’s great for getting the creative juices flowing. At bedtime they always want a story (after reading all the books, of course) but THEY want to pick the characters, setting, and sometimes main conflict. They are always the main characters, of course, but the rest changes at random.

At first it was hard to come up with anything better than the three little pigs, but with practice I can sometimes build one expectation, then suprise them with another. It’s very much like putting spin on a ball. I always know when I do well because they go right to bed. If they ask “Then what happened” I know there wasn’t enough excitement. If it’s “Tell another one” I know it probably wasn’t long enough.

If I hear “YOU’RE NOT DONE YET!?!” my wife is tired of waiting for me. :-)
-Joe

]]> By: Patrick McLean http://www.theseanachai.com/2006/08/29/expectation-pt-ii/comment-page-1/#comment-1097 Patrick McLean Wed, 30 Aug 2006 13:55:22 +0000 http://www.theseanachai.com/?p=141#comment-1097 Absolutely. And then you've got what the character expects is going to happen. The viewer or readers expectations. Which are also mixed in with the expectations that a given genre creates. I don't understands how all of this fits together, but I expect I will. Absolutely. And then you’ve got what the character expects is going to happen. The viewer or readers expectations. Which are also mixed in with the expectations that a given genre creates.

I don’t understands how all of this fits together,

but I expect I will.

]]> By: Sarah from Charleston http://www.theseanachai.com/2006/08/29/expectation-pt-ii/comment-page-1/#comment-1096 Sarah from Charleston Wed, 30 Aug 2006 13:42:58 +0000 http://www.theseanachai.com/?p=141#comment-1096 An interesting point is contextual expectations vs outside expectations. Like your example with Rocky -- becuase of the nature of the story, we expect that he'll come out on top, but we know we're SUPPOSED to expect that he'll fail, and to an extent we let ourselves believe that. When he does come out on top in the end, its almost like we forgot that we expected it. A well-written/told story then, i guess, can make us Unexpect the Expected. An interesting point is contextual expectations vs outside expectations. Like your example with Rocky — becuase of the nature of the story, we expect that he’ll come out on top, but we know we’re SUPPOSED to expect that he’ll fail, and to an extent we let ourselves believe that. When he does come out on top in the end, its almost like we forgot that we expected it.

A well-written/told story then, i guess, can make us Unexpect the Expected.

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