Why do Good stories fail?

1) The Expectation Gap

Psychologically, audiences form expectations based on past experiences, marketing, or genre conventions. When a story deviates too much from expected patterns, even if it's brilliant, it can fail to resonate.

This is breaking the consistency of our brain, making it either boring or too lazy to continue.

This is explained by the Expectation Violation Theory (Burgoon, 1993), which suggests that when something significantly defies expectations, it can trigger confusion or rejection. Even innovative storytelling can fail if audiences are not mentally prepared for it.

2) Too Much Complexity

Stories that require too much mental effort can fail commercially, even if they are brilliant.

This is explained by The Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller, 1988), which states that people can only process a limited amount of information at once. If a story is too complex, filled with intricate themes, or non-linear storytelling, it might overwhelm audiences.

Example: Tenet (2020) by Christopher Nolan many people found it too confusing, leading to mixed reactions. Too much is not too good.

3) Familiarity Wins

a story is too novel or challenging, it might alienate its audience. Many groundbreaking works only become successful after repeated exposure over time

It is explained by The Mere Exposure Effect (Zajonc, 1968), which states that people tend to prefer things they are familiar with. This means audiences may reject stories that are too different from what they know and love, even if they are high-quality.

F***t C**b (1999) flopped in theaters but became a cult favorite later, as repeated exposure increased appreciation.

4) Emotional Investment

If a story focuses too much on intellectual depth but neglects emotional engagement, it risks alienating viewers or readers. Emotional needs must be satisfied by a ny piece of art to make a successful blockbuster.

A story succeeds when it immerses its audience emotionally, a phenomenon known as Narrative Transportation (Green & Brock, 2000). If the emotional connection is weak or inconsistent, even a well-structured story can fail.

example: Goldfinch (2019), based on a Pulitzer-winning book, failed as a film because it lacked emotional engagement despite being a faithful adaptation. So does many remakes and recreations fail at times.

5) The Irony of Success

Many great stories fail not because they are bad but because they are ahead of their time. Unaccaptable bitter truth is success is unpredictable and is never aimed on a particular time.

Great stories often struggle due to external, market-driven factors beyond the writer’s control. The Diffusion of Innovations Theory (Rogers, 1962) explains that early adopters of unique content are a small group, while mass adoption takes time.

Example: Moby-Dick (1851) was a commercial failure but is now considered one of the great novels ever written.

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Success doesn't define a good author nor an artist, so keep yourself tight. Not always shall you be congratulated, but if you are, be grateful for all supernatural or universal forces. But keep in mind, dear Artists, you create works that never die, travelling through time, passing down information and entertainment. I appreciate your efforts, that's all a fellow mate can say to another fellow who's suffering.

Let it all free! As it all ended to be!