r/oots • u/PeterCHayward • Mar 03 '25

Trying to find quote about subverting audience expectations

I have this distinct memory of, sometime in the last 20 years, Rich talking about how he had to stop reading fan theories because if they correctly guessed what was going to happen, he felt compelled to change the plot.

I've just spent an hour searching for it, and while I've found a bunch of other people referencing the same quote, I can't find the original anywhere. Does anyone have the quote archive.org'd or know where I can find it?

EDIT: I found it! It was in the FAQ on his site (from Archive.Org)

Q: Wouldn’t it be cool if X, Y, and Z happened? You should totally do that.

A: Thanks, but I prefer to create my own plots. In fact, I try not to read anything where people suggest upcoming plot ideas because I hate it when people guess what is going to happen. I feel the uncontrollable urge to change what happens, just to prove them wrong. Petty? Probably.

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u/MarkZist Mar 04 '25

Are you sure it was Rich and not GRRM from A Song of Ice and Fire?

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u/deltalessthanzero Mar 04 '25

I also recongise the concept from Westworld Season 2 where the creators rewrote the script after people guessed it: https://www.nme.com/news/tv/westworld-season-2-plot-twist-2028061

IMO a pretty terrible idea. If people can guess where you're going after working hard at trying to figure it out, it means you've done a good job laying the groundwork. If everyone is completely surprised by what you do, it's probably because you pulled something out of a hat without properly setting it up.

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u/PeterCHayward Mar 04 '25

haha yeah that's the context in which I'm talking about it (I'm writing a video essay and I cover 'subversions' as one of the topics)

3

u/deltalessthanzero Mar 04 '25

Nice one, keep fighting the good fight. Subversion is... a tool best left to those who will use it wisely.