Reality versus expectations of doing a “Reality versus expectations” piece

The inception

Expectation: Hours of creative bootcamping and it finally comes to you. The idea that will put your humour writing on the map: a reality versus expectations piece. It’s familiar, yet leaves enough room for your own touch of flair. While third-party review of the moment would argue otherwise, you swear a literal lightbulb went off over your head when the idea came to you. Hopefully you’re ready for minor celebrityhood, because it’s ready for you.

Reality: During your umpteenth viewing of the indie rom-com 500 Days of Summer, you get to the heart-stomping scene where Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s expectations of an intimate dinner party fail to line up with the reality where his ex-girlfriend is now engaged. In-between mental notes on who you’re more in love with (Gordon-Levitt or Zooey Deschanel) you think to yourself, “Wouldn’t this be a fun scene to riff off of?”

The pitch

Expectation: You’ve been sitting on this idea all week, just waiting for the next collective meeting to really blow people away with a reality versus expectations pitch. This is how Steve Jobs must have felt all those years. The words have barely left your lips before a standing ovation erupts.

Reality: Only three of your co-workers are on their phones — a new best! — as you try to explain the harmonious balance between humour and reality your piece will contain. A few chuckles are heard, and everything in the universe continues to exist, uninfluenced by your suggested retread. They’ll probably laugh more when they read the actual article.

The execution

Expectation: Creativity flows from your fingertips like water from a faucet. The jokes all click and the piece comes together without the slightest hiccup. You have fun thinking of people’s wild expectations for themselves, and have slightly less fun writing the opposite realities — though paired together, the dichotomy has some wicked comedic chemistry.

Reality: What started as a funny idea with a promising premise quickly dissolves into something you’re not even sure will be workable, much less enjoyable. Is there even humour in just comparing what boils down to fiction and nonfiction? Why does Gordon-Levitt make everything look so effortlessly charming and witty?!

The payoff

Expectation: Your piece gets shared more times than a joint at a Snoop Dogg concert. A minor celebrity posts your article and the number of visitors crashes the site. This piece was it. Your Magnum Opus, your Ulysses. What a time to be alive!

Reality: So the website didn’t crash from web traffic as you anticipated, but that’s okay. A hundred views isn’t that bad when you think about it. The “splash” you thought it would make turned out to be more of a ripple, but that’s just the problem with reality versus expectations: reality always wins.