The world is a lot right now. So why are certain stories absolutely exploding—and what does that mean for what you’re writing?
First, a disclaimer. You don’t have to follow trends. Ever. Write what matters to you. Write the story only you can tell. That’s not just good advice—it’s the foundation of everything.
That said? Knowing what’s resonating with audiences is one of the most powerful tools in your writer’s toolkit. Think of it as being an armchair sociologist. You’re already watching the world. You might as well take notes.
So. What’s the world craving right now?
Competency Porn Is Having a Moment
Yes, that’s the actual term. Screenwriter John Rogers coined it back in 2009 to describe the very specific satisfaction of watching skilled people do their jobs brilliantly under pressure. Think The Pitt. Think the entire Chicago franchise. Think The Diplomat, Leverage, Apollo 13. That moment when someone who really knows what they’re doing steps up—and delivers.
Here’s why it matters right now: we are living in a time when competence in leadership feels like an endangered species. Is it any wonder audiences are flocking to stories about people who actually know what they’re doing?
Your ensemble doesn’t need to be perfect. But give them mastery. Give them a problem that requires their specific, hard-won expertise to solve. Then let them solve it—brilliantly, against the odds, together. Readers and audiences will eat it up.
Cracked Armor. Gloriously Imperfect Protagonists.
Flip side of the coin. When your story centers on a single protagonist rather than an ensemble, the trend runs the other direction—toward beautiful, relatable mess.
Will Trent. Elsbeth. These characters stumble. They carry wounds. They make mistakes and occasionally say the wrong thing at the worst possible moment. And yet they solve the case, save the day, find their footing—not because they’re perfect, but because they refuse to quit. Some of them are quietly (or not so quietly) searching for redemption. Still working out what that even means.
We connect with imperfect protagonists because we are imperfect protagonists. Every single one of us.
The End of the World (Again, But Different)
Post-apocalyptic and pre-apocalyptic fiction is surging. Paul Tremblay’s Oscar-nominated One Battle After Another (a Cormac McCarthy’s The Road sequel, if that sentence doesn’t make your jaw drop, check your pulse) is generating serious buzz. YA dystopias are back with a vengeance. Stories about societies on the edge—or past it—are finding enormous audiences.
Again: not hard to figure out why.
What’s interesting is the shift in tone. The best of these stories right now aren’t wallowing in hopelessness. They’re asking: what do you hold onto when everything falls apart? What makes us human when the systems we built to protect us are gone? That’s rich, rich territory for any writer in any medium.
What Does This Mean For Your Writing?
You don’t have to write trend-chasing stories. But consider this: trends don’t emerge from nowhere. They rise because they’re speaking to something real that people are feeling right now—a hunger, a fear, a hope they can’t quite articulate. Your job as a writer is to speak to your reader’s inner life.
Understanding what’s resonating is really just understanding what your audience needs. And that’s worth knowing, whether you’re writing a medical drama, a fantasy novel, a stage play, or a cozy mystery set in a Vermont bookshop.
Be the armchair sociologist. Watch. Listen. Take notes. Then go write something only you could write.
Resources Worth Your Time
- TV Tropes: Competence Porn — rabbit hole alert, but genuinely useful (tvtropes.org)
- The Pitt (Max) — current gold standard for ensemble competency storytelling. Follow link to read the TV PILOT on ScriptSlug.com
- Will Trent (ABC – pilot script), High Potential (ABC – pilot script), and Elsbeth (CBS – no script currently available) — study these for flawed protagonist done right
- One Battle After Another by Paul Tremblay — pre-apocalyptic literary fiction making waves right now. Script not available… yet.
- The War of Art by Steven Pressfield — because understanding what stops you from writing is just as important as understanding what compels your audience to read