Why Rushing Your Story Is Killing It
There’s one thing the film and publishing industries fear more than anything right now.
It’s not bad reviews.
It’s not competition.
It’s boredom.
More specifically—the fear that the audience will get bored… reach for their phone… and never come back.
And that fear is quietly damaging storytelling in a fundamental way.
Because in trying to prevent boredom, we’ve started cutting the very thing that makes stories matter in the first place:
The first act.
The Mistake: Speed Over Connection
Producers and publishers have begun to believe that the opening of a story is the problem.
Too slow.
Too quiet.
Too much talking.
So they rush it.
They push the inciting incident forward.
They add action earlier.
They try to “hook” the audience immediately.
On paper, it makes sense.
In practice, it does the opposite.
Because when you rush the beginning, you remove the one thing the audience actually needs:
A reason to care.
Why the First Act Matters More Than Ever
The first act isn’t filler.
It’s where we learn:
- who these people are
- what they want
- what’s missing in their lives
Without that, the story has no emotional foundation.
You can have the biggest action scene in the world—but if we don’t know who it’s happening to, it’s just noise.
A Simple Comparison
Look at Superman.
We spend time in Krypton.
We spend time in Smallville.
We watch Clark grow up.
By the time he becomes Superman, we know him.
So when everything is at risk—we feel it.
Now compare that to Man of Steel.
Action arrives immediately.
But without context, it feels distant.
We’re watching—but we’re not invested.
The Rule Most Writers Miss
Here’s something simple, but critical:
If the audience is asking questions during an action scene, the scene was built too early.
Not curiosity—confusion.
Who is this?
Why does this matter?
What’s happening?
That’s not engagement.
That’s disconnection.
Why Older Stories Still Work
Think about E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
We don’t rush to the alien.
We sit with Elliott first.
So when E.T. arrives—it means something.
Or take The French Connection.
The famous chase scene works not because of speed…
…but because we understand what’s at stake.
We know the people involved.
We care who wins.
The Real Cause of “Boredom”
Here’s the irony:
It’s not slow storytelling that makes people bored.
It’s empty storytelling.
When a story rushes past connection, the audience disconnects—and that’s when they reach for their phone.
One Practical Step for Writers
When writing your first act, ask yourself:
“If I removed the action, would this still be interesting?”
If the answer is no—slow down.
Add:
- character detail
- everyday moments
- emotional context
Because those are the things that make later scenes work.
Final Example
In Cujo, Stephen King doesn’t rush to the horror.
He spends time letting us live with the characters.
So when the danger arrives, it’s not just suspenseful—
it’s personal.
Without that setup, it would just be a woman in a car with a dog outside.
With it, it becomes something we feel.
Final Thought
If you want a powerful ending, you can’t rush the beginning.
The first act isn’t something to get through.
It’s something to build on.
Because the more time you give the audience to care…
the harder it becomes for them to look away.
You might be interested in these blogs…
https://markdouglasdoran.com/subtext-what-your-characters-wont-say/
https://markdouglasdoran.com/why-character-arcs-make-or-break-stories/
https://markdouglasdoran.com/too-late-to-write-a-novel-absolutely-not/
