What just happened? Explain yourself!

I've often told my kids that it's the story's job to explain itself. When something happens that doesn't make sense--or has no context yet--then it's the story's job to give some sort of explanation. If the story neglects it's job, then the audience gets lost and the story suffers. Even mysteries explain themselves at the end (despite us pleading with the authors for just some more hints, that we subsequently completely miss). I suppose it's an unspoken contract between the audience and the author, a kind of fair play that makes the magic of stories happen.

There is a kind of story where this concept is completely ignored, where all you get are clues within clues within clues. It's a puzzle concept that provides a game for the audience to enjoy figuring out. But, I think those are pretty rare. For the most part, stories do a great job of explaining themselves. I think it's because that unspoken contract between author and audience is very strong indeed, so strong that the wait for an explanation usually is counted in the minutes, rather than hours.

But, that expectation can also create some really fun circumstances, such as when used by parodies or comedians. When we expect one thing, but get another, it's jarring. Back in Hollywood's early days, one of the expectations was that nobody would ever really be killed on screen. When a movie dared do it, the audience freaked out, some women going as far as fainting. Now, I'm not suggesting that leaving things unexplained will have the same effect, but it certainly is important to the audience. Perhaps the lesson would be: "Explain yourself, or lose your audience."

- M