Subversion and the Sake of Difference
Even though it’s important to write for your own fulfillment and vision in mind, it’s also important to keep your audience in mind as you do so. Fame and fortune might not be at the top of your list of reasons for doing what you do (or it might—I won’t judge), but that doesn’t mean you should neglect the ideas and be aware of the potential impressions you’ll leave behind on those whose eyes grace your work. Even then, it’s impossible to fully predict or control the thoughts of your reader, viewer, etc.—but that doesn’t stop people from giving it a shot anyways.
In some cases, storytellers will attempt to “subvert the expectations” of the audience—leading the audience along and/or taking advantage of preconceived ideas before promptly surprising them with some twist. Some of these subversions—the most popular kind, it seems—is the classic plot twist, which overhauls the narrative with but one, massive piece of information, aka the classic “surprise! It was actually [X] all along!” reveal that can turn an entire story on its head. Others, however, are simply a change in direction via an unpredictable event: betrayals and redemptions, deaths and resurrections, that sort of thing.
It feels like these tropes have been a part of narratives for as long as there have been narratives themselves, but lately, expectation subversions have been receiving increasing amounts of resentment lately, and it’s gotten to such a point it’s become a meme associated with bad writing. The resentment seems to be mostly tied to the trend of big franchises making sharply divisive, disappointing, or otherwise infuriating creative choices and, every so often, citing “subverting expectations” for their reasoning. I’m sure you might be thinking of one or more popular franchises, companies, directors, and/or writers that have done exactly this at this very moment.
It’s not that people don’t want something new or different—they’ll criticize the stale and uninventive all the same— but ingenuity has to be mindful, purposeful, and most importantly, good. People’s most common complaint is that they’re just doing it for the sake of doing it, or believing that the audience’s experience will be improved by a shocking turn by merit of little else other than the shock value. Even if that is far from the intention, that’s the feeling many people might be left with regardless.
In any case, such a mindset underestimates just how important each and every creative choice can be; one errant move can result in the plot being awkwardly bent if it doesn’t break completely. It also leads to the risk of a toxic, unsalvageable aftermath. Like, ok, you added your twist…what’s next? In some cases, a subversive moment/element may be swept under the rug or just simply undone and erased, which will then create its own creative struggles to deal with. Ultimately, these are the results of what a mission to subvert expectations brings if left unchecked: short-term thinking.
Bear in mind that this is all just an opinion, but a good subversion is not some spontaneous thing; it’s done with everything in mind, from the characters to the setting and overall plot. In the grand scheme, such elements and events should fit in just as naturally with the rest of the story and intended themes and, if they’re truly great, will end up being remembered and admired well beyond the initial moment of surprise.
While an effective subversion flows with the story, a poor subversion will break it. Granted, divisiveness can technically be an objective, but the outcome should result in a divisiveness that ultimately keeps the audience immersed—if it flies too greatly in the face of what has already been established—then the audience will be all but ripped away from the story as all sense of immersion damaged, diminished, or potentially destroyed by catching the author’s clumsy, overbearing hand in action. Honestly, I could write all day about how the visibility of the author ties into the storytelling process, but that topic will be for another time.
For now, I want to use this blog post as a word of caution. This is not a call to think exclusively inside the box; rather, I simply want to urge caution and self-discipline. By all means, dare to subvert expectations and try your hand at a wild plot twist or narrative reversal, but all of those subversions should be done with a clearly-intended, long-term vision. Avoid being different for the sake of difference and instead make choices for the sake of what you believe will be best, for you, your audience, and your story.