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Derivative. It is a word with pretty negative connotations. When people say it, you can just picture the person rolling their eyes and scoffing.
I understand to a degree. I know that as you read more, it becomes harder to find that original thing. I do have a problem though condemning books for being similar to other books.
I have two major points on this subject. The first is this. No matter what idea you have it has to conform to a story and doing so will change it. I mean as long as you are not specifically plagiarizing something your story will be different because it is yours.
You could grab three writers give them the same story idea and get three completely different stories. We are the greatest resource of a story because the information is filtered through our minds and our experiences.
My second point is that everything is new to someone. 350,000 babies are born a day, trust me I Googled it. So just think of how many new readers we get all the time. There are people who read Inheritance Cycle and it made them lifetime readers. Does it matter than that The Dragonriders of Pern series came first? I don't think so. I think what is important is that a writer finds their readers. Maybe a younger writer will bring a new perspective to an old story.
At the end of the day being a great writer is more important than what you are writing. If you love vampires and feel you have a great story to tell then tell it. Zombies? Go for it. Post apocalyptic story with a female lead? Hey you are brave, but go for it.
At the end of the day writing trumps all. There are readers waiting for you. You just have to get good enough to reach them.
Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well, Thanksgiving is coming soon. As always have fun and keep writing.
Well said, Brandon! It is our take on a story idea that makes it different. And at the rate the population is growing, there will always be new readers.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it sure isn't slowing down.
DeleteThanks Brandon. Well said "At the end of the day writing trumps all. There are readers waiting for you. You just have to get good enough to reach them." I needed to hear/read these words.
ReplyDeleteGlad it could help.
DeleteI've always hated that idea that "everything's been done before." Like you said, different writers can take the same basic idea and make it completely different. There are so many little details that go into a story that make each one unique.
ReplyDeleteExactly.
DeleteTotally with you. I also think different voices really appeal to different people. Those three writers writing the same story may all be equally talented, but one will be focused on beautiful language, one on plot twists and one on character arc and each will appeal to different sorts of readers. I'm a plot twist girl myself, but I know people who could read a manual if it were beautifully written, or who enjoy a slice of life with no real complexity provided the character grows.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many things each author can bring. Plus there are people who like certain types of stories and so it is good there is more than just one of each.
DeleteExcellent point. Teachers prove this in the classroom all the time. They give an entire class an idea and get back different stories from all of them. The human brain is unique!
ReplyDeleteThat is very true.
DeleteThat's so true. We each have our unique perspective to add to the bigger world of "Story" even if our stories are similar. I mean, how many versions of Cinderella are there? I'm not sure, because I didn't google it, but I'm sure there has to be over a few dozen in the movies, not to mention different cultures. One of my favorites is the Egyptian Cinderella story. And, I've read many of the versions and seen many of the movies. I'm also a fan of Cinder, and Ella Enchanted, and the new Cinderella movie . . . and I'm okay with all of them having the same source material. So, even if I'm "just" writing another Cinderella story, I think there's a market for it. :) I'm actually not technically writing a Cinderella story since my heroine runs around with a sword and fights off evil, but still, she is a "regular" girl with an extraordinary destiny so it's kind of a Cinderella story.
ReplyDeleteLove this post, Brandon!
Thank you. I agree the love of you story has to be there or writing it is going to be extremely hard. I think that that is the most important thing and then just working to make it great comes next.
DeleteAbsolutely TRUE!
ReplyDeleteEvery story stems from a known idea somewhere, it's US who make it different. And yes, there are new readers every day . . . and too many for us not to put our own spin on things ;)
Great post!
We are the difference, now we should right a song about that....lol
DeleteSometimes it is hard to be different. My writer's group used to start with a prompt; and in 15 minutes of free writing, we usually all came up with something different. Even when two people had roughly the same idea, the presentation was unique.
ReplyDeleteYeah I have had the same experience. It is all told through the filter of us.
DeleteEvery story has been done before...it's all in the way you tell it. If you give two people the same idea, they'll come up with completely different versions--and the version you'd come up with is what sets you apart from everyone else.
ReplyDeleteYep.
DeleteSorry for my late replies guys, yesterday got away from me.
ReplyDeleteI have had the same thing happened it was about a book I enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to play devil's advocate because everyone else here is agreeing with you. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of derivative works out there. And a lot of it isn't very good, and will be forgotten to time. That's just the way of things. There were lots of other playwrights with their own take on Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet and Richard III, I'm sure, but only the best one (presumably) survived.
That being said, if it's good enough, you are absolutely correct in that someone will like it. It may even be someone's favourite book. You are right in that, so I can't completely disagree with you. :-)
IWSG November Post
Always nice to hear the other side, but let me play advocate to you as well. Even those books or plays that fade away may have been someone's introduction into that medium and so they will have served a purpose. Still, I agree with you the important thing is to write a great book.
DeleteVery well said. It is truth that we will all bring our own style and insight to stories, even is they seem similar. It's always interesting how films that are very close in theme can come out at the same time.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good point as well this doesn't just hold with books.
DeleteThat's so, so true! You can even give three writers and idea in the same genre and it turn into three very different stories. We all have something unique to bring to the table.
ReplyDeleteYep, I agree completely.
DeleteTwo points well made, Brandon! We all have our unique experiences and perspectives as writers and readers. How many stories have been written about a couple falling in love or breaking up ~ certainly one of the oldest plots? Not everyone is a Shakespeare or a Rowling, but we all have unique voices and stories worth telling. And we certainly react to stories individually I worked for 25 years with very young writers, and I saw the validity in what you were saying every day ~ quite fascinating to observe. The craft of writing is to make the old fresh again. We need to write the stories that we are compelled to write; it's when we sell out and write what is popular or expedient that we become hacks.
ReplyDeleteWell said.
DeleteVery true. Every story will be different because someone new is writing them. Writing it well is the tricky part!
ReplyDeleteThat it is.
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