Still feels like an awfully broad brush when you say “most genres of fiction.” Remember that super hero franchises end up having lots of different writers with different skill levels, and they’re mostly made for kids. It’s not an inherent problem with fiction - it doesn’t have to be that way - but with super hero franchises it does often happen.
Still feels like an awfully broad brush when you say “most genres of fiction.” Remember that super hero franchises end up having lots of different writers with different skill levels, and they’re mostly made for kids. It’s not an inherent problem with fiction - it doesn’t have to be that way - but with super hero franchises it does often happen.
I say it’s generally a problem of long narratives, but some genres like comedy can get a pass since they don’t have to rely on growth and progression.
To the extent a story needs to develop, running a long time is likely to doom something.
Running a few books or a handful of seasons can work, but if a story has to evolve over decades…