Originality Doesn’t Make Great Drama

Posted by Tim Gruber | Filed under Uncategorized

Good read with this post that’s geared to script writers, but just as easily applies to anyone trying to tell stories.

People mistakenly equate rule breaking with originality; they believe originality automatically makes something good; and, they also think being different is the key to success… when, in fact, being good is… and, there is no direct link between being excellent and being original.

My guess is, the guys who developed House understand that it’s great characters and great writing that make great drama… and originality isn’t as important as having a great character

High quality story telling will always triumph over originality

This is something I need to keep in my mind as I plan out my 10 day shoot for my magazine class. In the class I’ll be producing a multimedia package instead of the traditional print piece that most people have in the past. One of my goals for the class is to push myself in terms of multimedia storytelling and while I’d love to produce a charming original piece solid storytelling needs to be at the core of everything I attempt to produce.

Further Reading:

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Permalink | January 22nd, 2008

4 Responses to “Originality Doesn’t Make Great Drama”

  1. Aaron Snyder Says:
    January 23rd, 2008 at 7:31 pm

    Hey Tim,

    I just interviewed at the school of VisCom over at OU last Saturday. I actually mentioned you in my essay, I was quite impressed with your audio/photo composition “New Cadet Week.” Just wanted to make contact with you and let you know that you have yet another fan. Hopefully I’ll see you at some OU function in the future! Good luck on your magazine shoot.
    -Aaron Snyder

  2. mike Says:
    January 24th, 2008 at 7:05 pm

    Hey Tim,

    I’ve been a fan for a long time. I always like the way you push the limit and raise the bar in class. Good job. Don’t stop.

  3. Kevin Says:
    January 25th, 2008 at 9:49 am

    Your post echoed a some of what Jon Franklin says in the last chapter of his book “Writing for Story.” While he speaks from a writer’s perspective, many of the concepts apply to all forms of storytelling. I found it especially useful in terms of helping me think about how to turn an interesting situation into a compelling story. At $10, you can’t go wrong.

    Kevin

  4. Tim Gruber Says:
    January 25th, 2008 at 12:42 pm

    Thanks for the comments guys.
    Added that book to my wishlist on Amazon.

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