Ask Yourself: What is the Difference?
By now I’ve read tons of books about writing and storytelling . And I’ve listened to a huge number of podcasts about it.
ALL experts agree on one thing:
There has to be a change.
The same applies to watching or listening, of course.
Therefore, an iron rule of thumb for (good) films, series, novels, or plays is: No scene without the protagonists or their world-changing in some way.
The question, then, is: What do you want your readers or listeners to have learned? What change do you want them or their world to be about? Or, in the famous words of Gregory Bateson:
What is the difference that makes the difference?
Those who ignore this are writing sloppily, carelessly, randomly. To readers, viewers, and listeners, it not only seems unimportant. It is. Boring to annoying. A waste of time.
Unprofessional and simply: BAD.
I don’t want that. Therefore:
My Take Away
Try very hard to only write, say or email what has real (!) information value for your readers and listeners. Think about what makes a real difference.
Trivial? Maybe. But given today’s information overload, sometimes it’s the simple differences that make the difference. 🙂