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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/41274
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

The mold you want to break away from has - in my point of view - two distinct but collaborating aspects:

A. _A change in Status Quo_ **_and_**  
B. _Avoiding Uncertainties at start and finish_

Now I like to apply mathematical logic to most things and if that theory states that a story worth telling consists of both (say: A **AND** B), breaking away from this mold means telling a story worth telling that does not apply to this rule.  
This means any story that is not an "A **AND** B"-story that is worth telling would break away from this mold.

"Not(A **AND** B)" is actually a logical expression which resolves to "Not A **OR** Not B", so logic tells us that breaking the mold means having one of two things:

1. No movement from one status quo to another
2. Major uncertainties in the inception and conclusion of the story

**1. Status Quo**

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines _status quo_ as _the existing state of affairs_.

Now that is a definition that can be interpreted in a very broad manner. I think it means the state of things as they are at a certain moment of time.  
If we now consider two moments of time: The start and the end of a given story we see that we cannot escape moving from one status quo to another unless _nothing happens_ **_or_** _the story loops_.

Now I think we can agree on the first of these two options being rather boring but we actually see the second one happening, e.g. in stories about time travel. The stories end where they started and even though it seems that nothing has happened, the stories are worth telling. They stimulate discussion and thought towards the subject.

**2. Uncertainties**

There is some ways to do this. Most popular ways are the "slice of life" story or the "cliffhanger" (there's not always a sequel)

- the "slice of life"-approach tells only some of the story of a given set of protagonists leaving an open beginning and an open end. The reader is abruptly thrown into their world and sometimes sucked out of it as abruptly. Still, since the stories mostly focus around one major plot point, they often are worth telling.
- "cliffhangers" leave the reader with an open ending ... everyone can finish the story for himself and the author has no intention of tying up loose ends

**Conclusion**

In conclusion I think it is possible to break away from this mold but it could prove hard to be successful going this way. Open ends, infinite loops or the feeling of being tossed into a story sometimes give an impression that the author did not know what he/she was doing, even though it might be intended.

Original score: 3