Sometimes, I go see a movie by myself. John Carter of Mars was one of them. I had read the book and was looking forward to watching the film. After sitting down in the theatre by myself, popcorn and soda in hand, I watched the previews. Then the featured movie lit up the screen. Even though I liked the book, I like science fiction, and I like movies, I did not like John Carter of Mars, the movie. Almost immediately, I felt confused. I was bored. After only a few minutes, I left the theatre. Something I rarely do.
As it turned out, the movie was a flop. A big, money-draining flop.
All these years I wondered why I left the John Carter of Mars movie so quickly. I felt guilty! I wanted to like it, but for some reason I couldn’t quite place, I gave up on it. Then, recently, I came across this video on theories why the movie failed. After watching this video, I felt vindicated.
But something else occurred to me as I watched this video. The reason the movie bored people was a failure in storytelling. The reasons outlined in this video not only apply to film, but also to novel writing.
I challenge you to watch the video and see how you can apply what the narrator says to your work-in-progress.
Andrew M. Friday 