Lament for the Marred Reputation of Good Stories

I lament the denigration of modern storytelling. Be it novels, tv shows, or movies, the legitimate good story is an endangered species. And soon all such media will carry the same expectations.

There are many reasons I find it hard to be satisfied by a story.

• The saturation of stories in the industry- I don't even know how many movie companies there are these days. And anyone can get published, it seems. It's not just that so many sub-standard stories squeeze through the cracks. It seems more and more that such books and movies and shows are pushed through, as long as they can make some dough. And it doesn't help that no one's coming up with new ideas either. Many good ones would still be left if not ruined by some cheap B-movie.
  
• The trade of action for story- I can understand the pull of a good action sequence as much as anyone, I would imagine, but there's got to be a limit. It's not a new demand from viewers/readers that action actually have something to add to the plot, but its just getting ridiculous. Let me reiterate- good action does not make up for a bad plot. It's too bad that the blockbusters thrive on the dime of 14yr olds who willingly settle for cheap thrills.
  
• The senseless plot complexity- I don't know if this is a new phenomenon, but its getting to be worse than the action deal. Storytellers are beginning to think they can wow us with the complexity of a plot to the degree that we can't see how illogical it is. Ocean's Elven came close but actually passed brilliantly. Then Pirates 2 and 3 failed miserably and now every CSI (and the like) episode has to grip the viewers with such a deep, twisting plot that can't help but to be resolved poorly. The plots that start out well collapse under their own weight because very few storytellers can conclude well. A 60 minute show now typically contains enough plot to write 3 novels, if handled correctly.
  
• The casual handling of potentially major plot features- Not only are plots scrunched and crammed together, they are incredibly devalued. Just one crime or one potential crime could be a good story, if told correctly. Instead, more than 100 people die just in one story of 24, or a cop show runs through 3 possible motives/killers/mysteries before ending on the most unlikely. Each of those could be magnified and enjoyed, standing alone.

At the risk of injuring my own aspirations for writing and/or filmmaking, I am intent on clarifying and raising my standards of acceptable entertainment. It is not good if it doesn't end well (I'm not talking happily-ever-after). Perhaps some of my grades have been to generous. It may not be so in the future. And if, given the opportunity, I write or film, I pray I will not disappoint a viewer or reader like you or myself.

On Location: Iowa State Fair

Ah, the Iowa State Fair. Considered the best in the country. I'd hate to see what the others are like. It's not that the fair is a bad place, its just that there's only so much to do the first time, and less and less each returning time. And there is some shame (albeit not tons) when visitors come and see the main attraction- a lifesize cow made of butter. Good art, but telling af the entertainment threshold of our general populace.

I find myself in an awkward median of the spectrum of visitors. Of the millionish of them, about half walk as if visiting a foreign culture. They admire the cute little animals, enjoy the quaint farm feel, and muse at the obvious commercialism monopolized by farm machinery. The other half, fell right at home and, in fact, as if this were the ultimate culmination of Iowa life. They stay in the same barns as their little and big animals, eagerly anticipate the wieghing of each massive swine and bovine, and actually shop for the latest wagon.

Pet Peeves

• Pronouncing "jewelry" as "jewlery."
• "Text" language.
• "Repeat" on Cd players.
• Country Music.
• Upbeat versions/"remixes" of songs.
• Drivers driving under the speed limit in adjacent lanes.
• Awkardness while being sung "Happy Birthday."

To list my pet peeves is not to complain, but merely to muse about the things that my mind finds peeving.