I have to admit that I'm not one for self aggrandizement. I don't trust myself well enough for that luxury.
Maybe trust isn't the right word. I believe in the last script I wrote. I believe it's good. Do I believe that it's going to change lives? With the exception of my own, I have to admit no.
That doesn't make it less. I am a realist. I believe in the power of story to change lives. If I didn't, I wouldn't be writing. But I'm not going to be so blind as to try to sell every story as a revolutionary event that is going to change your world and how you function in it. Number one, I don't believe that's going to happen. Number two, that's only setting up your audience for disappointment.
Let's face it. Hyping unrealistic expectations is a bad idea. You might have the greatest story ever told, but that's going to be subjective. There's no way around it.
I mean, look at Sin City the movie. Look at Avatar. They had revolutionary technology, but in the end, everything hinged on story, and you could argue that in that department, they fell flat.
My point, I guess is this. Hype the story first. That is to say, tell me you have a story that you think is good, and you are experimenting with a medium for said story that is unusual or not traditional. I might take a look. But don't try to sell me on the medium first. Now I am wary. And if your story doesn't hold up, then I don't care how you package it. I don't care how new or cool looking it is. Without a great story, I just don't care.
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