(Spoilers are thematic in nature)
Sometimes we get attached to our heroes. We can’t imagine the story existing without them. These characters are central to our understanding of the world that they (and oftentimes we) operate in. They usually are the anchors of our ideals. The objects of our affections.
And that’s why we should slay them.
When some central characters in George RR Martin’s popular books, and on HBO’s Game of Thrones were killed off, the masses were shocked. How could the story continue? Should it continue? A whole series without the central characters seemed improbable, if not foolish.
Sometimes we get attached to our heroes. We can’t imagine the story existing without them. These characters are central to our understanding of the world that they (and oftentimes we) operate in. They usually are the anchors of our ideals. The objects of our affections.
And that’s why we should slay them.
When some central characters in George RR Martin’s popular books, and on HBO’s Game of Thrones were killed off, the masses were shocked. How could the story continue? Should it continue? A whole series without the central characters seemed improbable, if not foolish.
The dangers of such dramatic decisions were as follows:
So, what actually happened?
- Readership/viewership would drop as the fans’ favorite characters were lopped off (sometimes, literally), leaving little else to come back to, and
- Most of the major plot points would also die along with the characters, thus, affecting the series’ overall narrative strength.
So, what actually happened?
- The ratings have climbed. And more importantly, they have climbed immediately after any episode in which a major character was either killed or gravely threatened, at an average of 14% increase in viewership. The final episode to be aired brought in the show’s second highest ratings ever, just around 100,000 viewers shy of its overall high.
Graph plotted with aid of data from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Game_of_Thrones_episodes
2. A number of supporting characters have risen in prominence and depth, providing multiple subplots which are engaging viewers.
Have George RR Martin’s and the series’ creators’ risks been worth it? The numbers and the swaths of praise from critics and general viewers alike resoundingly say so. Until now, anyway.
When asked why he chooses to cut short the lifespan of some of his stronger characters, series creator, Martin, says:
Have George RR Martin’s and the series’ creators’ risks been worth it? The numbers and the swaths of praise from critics and general viewers alike resoundingly say so. Until now, anyway.
When asked why he chooses to cut short the lifespan of some of his stronger characters, series creator, Martin, says:
I’ve said in many interviews that I like my fiction to be unpredictable. I like there to be considerable suspense. ... I want my readers, and I want viewers to be afraid when my characters are in danger
When asked if he ever regrets the now infamous Red Wedding scene, Martin says:
No. Not as a writer. .. It cost me some readers, but gained me many more. It’s going to be hard for me to watch it [on the show]. It’s going to be a tough night. Because I love these characters too.
What’s the lessons for innovators here?
You need resolve to shake up a story, jettison your attachments, and explore uncomfortable and often unpredictable territory. But if done properly, you can reap great rewards.
In much the same way, we as innovators, thought-leaders, entrepreneurs, influencers and builders, should keep our customers’ anticipation levels on edge. The excitement that we present should be palpable. Otherwise you stagnate. People get accustomed to rote, and become passive. Your offering becomes just like the rest, and you are threatened to mediocrity.
Our ideas should constantly evolve and present new possibilities, rather than playing it safe in the warm embrace of the familiar and the tried-and-true. How could we progress otherwise? How could we unlock the wonderful potentials that lie within the rocks around us which are overshadowed by the mountains of our giants?
By delving further into your secondary ideas, promoting them higher up the priority and removing your attachments to your darlings, can you free yourself to the possibilities around you. To all the fly-by ideas that you never had a chance to consider too deeply because you were too enraptured by the luster of your kings and your queens.
Kill them off.
Let the players who stand behind your grandest ideas take the stage.
Let them breathe. Make them flourish.
And maybe then you’ll also win more fans than you would have ever expected.
You need resolve to shake up a story, jettison your attachments, and explore uncomfortable and often unpredictable territory. But if done properly, you can reap great rewards.
In much the same way, we as innovators, thought-leaders, entrepreneurs, influencers and builders, should keep our customers’ anticipation levels on edge. The excitement that we present should be palpable. Otherwise you stagnate. People get accustomed to rote, and become passive. Your offering becomes just like the rest, and you are threatened to mediocrity.
Our ideas should constantly evolve and present new possibilities, rather than playing it safe in the warm embrace of the familiar and the tried-and-true. How could we progress otherwise? How could we unlock the wonderful potentials that lie within the rocks around us which are overshadowed by the mountains of our giants?
By delving further into your secondary ideas, promoting them higher up the priority and removing your attachments to your darlings, can you free yourself to the possibilities around you. To all the fly-by ideas that you never had a chance to consider too deeply because you were too enraptured by the luster of your kings and your queens.
Kill them off.
Let the players who stand behind your grandest ideas take the stage.
Let them breathe. Make them flourish.
And maybe then you’ll also win more fans than you would have ever expected.
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