Shock value at the expense of good, even if sometimes predictable, writing is just bad storytelling.

A lesson all writers should take from #GameOfThrones and #The100

There's this notion that if people are able to guess the events of a prolonged tale, or even the ending, then that makes it a bad story.

That notion is incorrect.

Think about it, most of theses blockbuster franchises are based on books. People literally spent billions to watch

something they already knew the ending to. Same with many of these TV shows. Sure, not knowing if lots of fun, but it's not the only way to enjoy the experience. And hell, sometimes knowing you guessed right makes said experience all the more pleasurable.

I can't remember the last time I guessed the outcome of a sub plot or the story overall and I still didn't enjoy it. I mean, maybe I didn't enjoy the movie, but being able to correctly guess a few things is never the SOLE reason.

And look at romance, from books to TV to movies. You know it's gonna be a HEA. The rules make it so. And yet, biggest part of the publishing industry. Because, and this is gonna be cliche, it's not the destination that matters, it's the journey.

And some of the BEST stories are strong because of their rewatch or reread value, where, again, we all know what's coming. You notice things you didn't before, the tone of the story shifts, you come to it with somehow fresh eyes even though you've already seen everything, so you

think. And, most important, sometimes people being able to guess some of your plot lines means YOU DID YOUR JOB as a writer.

Seriously. It's not a mark of shame if some elements of your story are predictable, and we really need to stop acting like it is.

Anyway, stop throwing away decent and sometimes good or even great storytelling for these flat ass fails of a GOTCHA moment.

And be careful so you don't cut yourself on that edge.