As someone who pushes relentlessly for better storytelling in the world, this is a question I get asked quite often. Sometimes, people ask it as a trick question—if I say yes, then they ask why good storytelling is so important. If I were to say no, they would inevitably find out that there are “bad” stories I enjoy and call me a hypocrite.

Keep in mind, when I say “bad,” I don’t mean morally wrong. I mean stories that—when measured to the standard of good, solid storytelling—fall quite short.

But as we’re about to see, that standard is pretty arbitrary, and yet this still doesn’t make good storytelling any less important. Let’s find out why!

What is a “bad” story?

We generally think of “bad” stories as the movies that flop in theaters or the books that don’t sell, but overall, this isn’t really a good way to tell. Several of our famous “classics” today were despised or ignored when they were first published. Many great movies with really solid stories—I think of Hook and Treasure Planet off the top of my head—didn’t do well at all at the box office or got overwhelmingly negative reviews.

This just goes to show that storytelling is subjective—something I hope we all realise by now! Someone’s least favourite movie is undoubtedly someone else’s favourite. Yes, I talk about “bad” stories, but even I realise that some people enjoy the stories I criticise, and I also say that their reasons are completely valid. It may seem contradictory but…

Storytelling is personal.

It’s one of the best things about storytelling. A story can mean one thing to one person and something completely different to someone else. But that’s the key: it has to mean something. The only time a story truly fails is when it doesn’t have heart, when its readers can’t connect to it. While there are stories with heart that I personally don’t like for various reasons, I would really only say a story is “bad” when it fails in its main mission: to reach people. To teach people. To touch their hearts and truly mean something to them. It’s one thing to simply tell a story; we also want to know why it matters.

There are people who enjoy stories without “heart,” but again, storytelling is personal. If you’re just looking for entertainment rather than heart, that’s your prerogative. Do I think you can do better? Yes—I will always champion meaningful stories over brainless ones. But I also won’t argue about how you want to spend your time.

Do you like bad stories, E.J.?

There are plenty of stories I love but also recognise are not the most shining examples of storytelling. I still watch the High School Musical movies. Detective Pikachu makes me tear up every time. I even indulge in Twilight occasionally, as well as other movies usually considered “bad” (though I don’t have a very high tolerance for cringey books, in comparison). I’d never point to these as well-rounded examples of good storytelling, but they do shine in certain areas, even if it’s just the fact that they have heart.

Brainless storytelling, on the other hand, I can’t really do. I’ve tried, but I simply can’t get into stories that don’t have a theme, a moral, a meaning. There’s nothing for me to connect with.

So, is it okay?

If you’re like me and enjoy yourself some old-school Disney Channel (or any equivalent), it doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer. It doesn’t mean that those stories will poison your writing and make your stories bad, either. It’s all about balance; if you’re only consuming brainless or subpar stories, then after a while, your writing will likely start to reflect that. But as long as you keep some good, well-rounded stories in your diet, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with indulging in some cringey classics.

Remember—storytelling is personal! Even if a story has plot holes galore and terrible dialogue, if it means something to you, that’s what makes the difference.

Why does good storytelling matter?

If this is the case, why does it matter if stories are good? Always, always, stories that are well-rounded and thought out have the greatest impact. Consider the Lord of the Rings trilogy or a classic like A Christmas Carol. These stories have changed the world, and it’s not because the authors just slapped something together. They used good storytelling to convey messages that truly matter, and so their stories taught people and changed them for the better.

As writers, we should all strive to make a positive impact on the world through our stories, and the best way to do that is to invest in learning about good storytelling—like you’re doing right now!

Thanks for stopping by, and if you ever have a question about writing, feel free to contact me—your question just might get answered on the blog!

Happy writing!
-E.J.

---

If you enjoyed this post, I hope you’ll consider donating to the blog, reading my stories on Vocal, and/or taking a look at my RedBubble shop so I can continue to produce free content!

Photo by Mollie Sivaram on Unsplash