the art of storytelling

my dad always told me that you could watch a baseball game every day for the rest of your life and you'd more than likely see something you've never seen before.

i once worked with someone who said the reason he loved sports was because you never really knew how it was going to end. while most television shows and movies try to include twists and plot devices, more often than not you have a pretty good idea of how the story will turn out.

(after all, kiefer sutherland's getting good money...they're not gonna blow him up just yet)

but i'm railing against the traditional story structure.

i guess that's not a new idea. some of my favorite books and movies have thumbed their nose at conventional storytelling.

but think about it...how much better would a movie like drumline have been if after the big buildup between the two schools, a third random school won the climactic competition at the end?

how many times does the underdog win? i know america loves rooting for the little guy, but more often than not, the cardinals really don't win the super bowl. so you end up having a nice little story that gets kicked in the teeth by reality.

so i vote that we rise up and demand more from our storytellers. real life is full of humor, drama and action, yet always manages to add a touch of unpredictable reality. if truth really is stranger than fiction, why work so hard?