I was talking with a friend about the TV show Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! My friend hated it; he despised every minute of watching it. I, on the other had, found it pretty funny.
I had said that part of why I like it is that I understood that the show was a parody of public access television. It was cheap looking and poor in quality, with awkward cuts and creepy sketches/acting. In fact, I find it more interesting as a creepy/horror series with some psychedelic aspects to add to the surreal atmosphere.
My friend told me that, although it is an interesting approach to the show, he still didn't like it.
At this point, I understood an important distinction in storytelling. There is a major difference between appreciating something and enjoying it.
Appreciation is like respect. You acknowledge the effort that goes into making something out of nothing. You recognize different ways in which a story can probe the mind or inspire thought within.
Enjoying something, though, is a little different. Enjoyment is more like happiness. A story you enjoy makes you happy (or at least gives you a reaction you desire).
The thing with appreciation is that it is mental/intellectual, but enjoyment is guttural. No matter how much you can appreciate something, it is still possible to not enjoy it. However, enjoying something usually requires some amount of appreciation.
These two concepts are deeply related and quite similar, but they are still very different things. Find which things you appreciate and which ones you enjoy. You might be able to find the patterns and understand how they are for you. Self-discovery almost invariably leads to better writing.
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