What Makes a Good Story?
To fulfill my idea of what is "good," a story needs more than just the bare essentials.
There are the straightforward elements on a surface level: A rich setting, a compelling plot, some sort of conflict, and so on and so forth.
In a REALLY good story, however, I look for an element of subversion The inclusion of expectation-defying mechanisms or themes is completely essential to captivating an audience with a good story (in my opinion). These could be really subtle, near-imperceptible choices or loud, melodramatic expressions. It could be an event within the story itself like a "twist," a particular style that has some novelty about it, or it could just be something unique in the way that the story is expressed or presented. Sometimes, all it takes is for something to be of exceptionally high quality to subvert expectations.
Whether its a magic trick, a paperback novel, or a business pitch, surprising or subverting the expectations of the audience provides inherent value. It's entertaining and can make stories and messages especially memorable. I think this idea of subversion drives right to the core purpose of storytelling: to allow the audience to absorb information and experience emotions.
Of course, there's space for the same wrote narratives and rehashed comfort-stories for those that want it, and in reality, there's nothing "new" under the sun. In fact, subverting expectations remains a very difficult task - audiences are exposed to more story-driven content than ever. I think its the difficulty and achievement of subverting expectations that draws me to this idea of subversion.
But... subverting expectations is only possible because those expectations exist in the first place. It's the presence of those classic, essential storytelling elements that creates the "framework of expectations" that a good story can subvert.
