I recently started watching Ozark, a crime drama thriller series, on Netflix.
Thirty minutes into the first episode, the main character (played by Jason Bateman), is shown to lead a fairly mundane life. He's cautious, frugal, checks the reports on consumer products, and the like. He's someone many of us could relate to, in a way. Then, in the span of thirty minutes, he's confronted by a major cartel drug dealer, whom his financial partner is stealing from, and also has to deal with the fact that his wife is cheating on him.
He goes from mundane to excitement in moments.
This is how good storytelling works.
Take a recent story I wrote--this will be published shortly, as soon as the cover is completed. We have a young father, working hard as a car salesman, and dealing with a mundane life. Enter a new co-worker. He has some unusual powers.
Many stories are like this. From Breaking Bad and Star Wars: A New Hope to Harry Potter and pretty much most superhero movie or show that goes into their backstory--the (mostly ill-fated) origin stories.
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