Who wants to break it to them that not all stories have a solution?
Every story does have a solution (at least the Linear Mindset thinks so), the question is whether or not they make the switch.
2 Likes
Cool. Next time I have a character in a Failure story, I’ll just say, “Hey, make the switch buddy!”
1 Like
Solution ≠ Success, though.
1 Like
I thought it was that solution doesn’t necessarily = good
1 Like
Ack, this thread has gone poorly.
The entire point was really that some people earnestly believe that every story (i.e. everything that an activist/protagonist is after) has a successful solution, whereas we know that there are some designs that don’t have a solution: the story will end in Failure no matter what.
From inside the story, the can’t know what the storyform is. But Jim is right: from outside the story, you can see the storyform and know what the solution is.
Typically, the switch from OS Problem to OS Solution triggers the Outcome = Success part of the story. But that’s not mandatory. And as Greg is getting at, there are stories that end in Failure and the OS Solution is then figured out! But it’s too late. (I can’t name any of these stories offhand, but they exist. To round out the flip side, I think in certain Greek plays the Deus Ex Machina also brings about Success without the OS Solution ever being discovered. While that seems very weird to us today, it might not have to the Greeks if they believed the gods actually intervened in day to day life.)
But, @jassnip, you are correct that OS Solution ≠ Judgment Good
6 Likes
You can’t just make a statement like that. I’m going to need four perspectives to compare against each other in order to prove that judgment.
4 Likes
(plus the mandatory 20 characters)
3 Likes