Plenty of artists wrestle with originality. In fact all of us wish to be original, but is it potential? Is there something new below the solar?

Some say there are not any new tales, just remixed and rehashed variations of stories we’re all acquainted with. Typically, when somebody calls a chunk of labor original, a close examination will reveal that it has roots in inventive works that preceded it.

Most of us writers have had concepts that we shunned as a result of we thought they have been too just like different stories. But just because your story concept is just like one other story, maybe a well-known one, must you give up on it?

Writing ideas come and go. If it’s true that originality is nothing greater than putting collectively outdated writing ideas in new ways, then instead of giving up on a mission that you suppose has been performed before, you may simply make it your own.

A Little Guessing Recreation

Look at this way: all the things already exists. The ideas, plots, characters - they’re already on the market in another person’s story. Originality isn’t a matter of arising with one thing new, it’s a matter of utilizing your creativeness to take previous concepts and put them collectively in new ways.

To test this principle, see should you can guess the following famous story:

    A young orphan who is being raised by his aunt and uncle receives a mysterious message from a stranger, which leads him on a sequence of great adventures. Early on, he must receive training to study skills which might be seemingly superhuman. Along the way he befriends loyal helpers, specifically a man and a gal who end up falling for each other. Our younger hero can also be helped by plenty of non-human creatures. His adventures lead him to a dark and evil villain who is terrorizing everyone and every little thing that our hero knows and loves - the same villain who killed his parents.

If you guessed that this synopsis outlines Harry Potter, then you definitely guessed right. But in the event you guessed that it was Star Wars, you’re additionally right.

This shows how two tales which might be extraordinarily completely different from each other can share many similarities, together with the fundamental plot structure and character relationships, and it proves that writing concepts will manifest in several methods when executed by two totally different writers. You would in all probability take the story above and write your individual piece, and it'll transform pretty unique despite the fact that two of the most well-known tales from the previous couple of many years are based mostly on the same ideas.

Recycled Writing Ideas

I’m not advocating for writers to go out and dissect standard stories and then rewrite them with a brand new twist (although that’s not a nasty thought). What I am advocating is seeing writing ideas by means of as a substitute of casting them apart as a result of they've one thing in widespread with a narrative you’ve learn or seen on movie or television.

Artistic writing is about discovery, creativeness, and sharing your ideas, concepts, and experiences with readers. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had several writing concepts that appeared brilliant at first but later simply appeared like a retelling of some old story that everyone already knew.

However these days I’ve been seeing tales in a brand new light. After I learn an important novel or watch a mesmerizing movie, I typically notice upon reflection that these works have common components with numerous different stories. I don’t know if J.K. Rowling ever realized that Harry Potter had so much in common with Luke Skywalker. Whether or not she did or not, the lesson we are able to all take away is that she cast ahead and believed in the story that she wanted to tell.

So I’ve come to appreciate that creativity isn’t always coming up with something new; often, it’s merely finding new connections, perspectives, and combinations of elements. Letting go of your ideals relating to originality and reshaping them with this new understanding will send you soaring into much less inhibited and higher writing experiences.