Cue--Wait, Don't Cue--The Drama

I had occasion to talk this weekend to one of the earliest readers of my blog. While he'd been quite the loyal reader back then, when each day left the reader wondering if I'd ever work again, he found it not quite as compelling once I'd found steadier work and the tone was not quite so "do or die."

I can't help but compare it to the stories on a soap opera. Crises, of course, always keep the viewer hooked more reliably than just nice conversations. Had Viki had fewer medical and psychological problems, or had Blair been involved in fewer love triangles, would the fans have kept coming back? 

But even on a soap, there were days that just connected the cliffhangers--episodes necessary to get us from Point A to Point B, but not nearly as exciting as the points themselves. If every day had to be a cliffhanger, the writers would soon be exhausted. And if we, as viewers, had to spend every minute of every episode on the edge of our seats, we would be exhausted too.

What I would like to think I do is find the most interesting pieces of those in between days. While it perhaps made for good reading, a frustrating (and often fruitless) job search was not a situation that I, or anyone, would choose to continue living with. Perhaps Viki and Blair could survive the constant ups and downs, but those of us outside that "fourth wall" would wipe out pretty quickly trying to maintain such a high level of drama.

I suppose that is all part of being "not washed up yet"--allowing the drama when necessary, but appreciating the not-so-dramatic days that fall in between. And hoping that dramatic or not, you can continue without preemption or cancellation.