You Need A Point Of Reference

Stories tend to be about changes. It could be about an area that gets renovated or a time when many people moved away. Very often, stories are about people, and follow them during a time when something changes who they are. The climactic moment of such stories is when the character finally does something different. In order to understand the significance of a character's actions, you need a point of reference to compare it to.

Some people are naturally jocular; they crack jokes and laugh out loud all the time. For such a character to be smiling is a common sight. But if you see a man that has always worn a frown and barely ever talked laughing out loud, it would be incredibly surprising.

Now, being surprising just means that it was unexpected. So far, our only point of reference is that this man is always dour, and now he's not. However, imagine if we knew more about this man. What if he never laughed because his wife had died and he felt guilty about it? If the audience knows that, then to see this man laughing is not only surprising, but now it is poignant because it is a symbol to show that the man has gotten past his grief.

Always be aware of what you are telling to your audience, and what you are showing them. The more they understand about your characters and settings, the more you are able to do incredibly powerful things with very small and subtle scenes. And that is where the most incredible writing can be done.