Being Original is hard these days - A Writing Truth

Being Original is hard these days - A Writing Truth

Ok, I just had to write this. I'm not bashing anyone, or making other writers and authors seem unoriginal, but let's just face it. Nothing is very original anymore. Just think about it, how long have vampires been written about? From Dracula to Twilight and so forth. The story is done differently every single time of course, new characters, new plot, new setting, new age, new year. And it's never original. Someone a long time ago created vampires, and now they're still being used. Which is an honor of course! But just as the Bible says 'There is nothing new under the sun'. Just think about the Hunger Games, people say 'Oh my gosh, it's so original!" when it's really not. In Greek history, and even the Bible, people are put into arenas to please people, to watch the poor people fight to the death. Just for enjoyment of the audience.

Now let's jump out of the creature area, and think plot ideas. How many times have you read a book like this: "Girl is young, girl turns a certain age, girl has new found powers, girl finds guy, girl and guy fall in love'. I can't even count how many times I've read something like that, and it drives me up the wall. Don't get me wrong, I love all the stories like this! Their predictable, and they make me feel like I know what I'm going to read it, and it makes the read more enjoyable. All authors and writer's do it. Even if it's not so obvious from the beginning, if you're a big reader, you'll start to notice how it's not that much different from 'said other story'. I even see it in video games. It's like people can't make up new plot ideas, which is hard I know, not everything sells, and something totally out there is so not going to get published.

For me, when I write, I try my very hardest to make up new plot ideas and creatures. My OverShadowers for intense, they're mine. All my mine. Copyrighted. I created them, they're a new creature. I don't feel comfortable writing about vampires, or faeries or werewolves, because it feels like I'm taking someone elses work. Now, if someone wrote about OverShadowers now, I would be very ticked. But when I die, and someone writes a book about the Undimmed and the OverShadowers, in a different setting, and plot, that would be pretty cool. I'll be like the new vampire creator. Even with the Storm Saga, I made them as different as I possibly could, controlling all those elements isn't new, but the way I made it made it some what new to a point that people might think it's new. But it's not not. I wanted them to be seen as somewhat new, something new and refreshing.

Nothing is ever original anymore, and it's not bad, it's not good. But I'm just saying that we should try just a little bit harder to make things more original, surprise readers and watchers and players. Make them on the edge of their seat for what's going to happen, make them skip to the last page, or fast forward or dive behind a couch. Don't write like the authors in the past have, or even now.  Make you're own writing style, mix it up! Make them feel like they're reading something new. Something that's never been done before, or dared to be done.

-Madison xoxo