Points For Originality
Greetings, minions! Today I thought we'd discuss one of the key things that can get a novel published: ie, creating a unique story.
There are three types of writers:
1) Those who have to work for their originality
This is the category I most certainly fall under and, I'd say, most successful or semi-successful writers fit here as well. Speaking from experience, I can say that I've written a number of unoriginal, uninspiring things. I mean, come on...my favorite subject is the undead...it's quite a challenge to be unique where vampires are concerned. But I've managed, which proves it can be done in even the most overwritten genre. (Don't take my word for it...buy the book.) I worked hard to make Vlad stand out from the blood-drinking crowd and it most certainly wasn't easy.
2) Those who have originality thrust upon them
I (and many others like me, I'm sure) are insanely envious of these writers. They put pen to page (or finger to keyboard, as it were) and manage to produce completely unique, marketable, entertaining works of fiction without much thought on how to be original. Sickening, isn't it? We should all be so lucky...but we're not.
and 3)Those who mimic originality.
Sadly, there are a great many writers who don't have the ambition to produce the kind of originality that it takes to be published. So they take what others have done and copy it in one way or another. What these writers are missing are blood, sweat, and tears--it takes an enormous amount of work to be a novelist. Never, if you're considering this as a career option, never think for a second that it will be easy. It's quite hard. Especially when you factor in how terribly important it is to create a unique story. Don't copy what you've read and loved...recreate it into something entirely different. Do your best to become #1 on the list. Or go on copying others' ideas, accepting that you will never be published. Or stop trying. It's your choice.
So here's your question for today. Focus on it, get a clear, honest answer in your head. Because it can mean the difference between sinking in the unpublished waters and swimming in the pool of publishing.
Are you creating a completely unique tale...or just mimicking those who have?
There are three types of writers:
1) Those who have to work for their originality
This is the category I most certainly fall under and, I'd say, most successful or semi-successful writers fit here as well. Speaking from experience, I can say that I've written a number of unoriginal, uninspiring things. I mean, come on...my favorite subject is the undead...it's quite a challenge to be unique where vampires are concerned. But I've managed, which proves it can be done in even the most overwritten genre. (Don't take my word for it...buy the book.) I worked hard to make Vlad stand out from the blood-drinking crowd and it most certainly wasn't easy.
2) Those who have originality thrust upon them
I (and many others like me, I'm sure) are insanely envious of these writers. They put pen to page (or finger to keyboard, as it were) and manage to produce completely unique, marketable, entertaining works of fiction without much thought on how to be original. Sickening, isn't it? We should all be so lucky...but we're not.
and 3)Those who mimic originality.
Sadly, there are a great many writers who don't have the ambition to produce the kind of originality that it takes to be published. So they take what others have done and copy it in one way or another. What these writers are missing are blood, sweat, and tears--it takes an enormous amount of work to be a novelist. Never, if you're considering this as a career option, never think for a second that it will be easy. It's quite hard. Especially when you factor in how terribly important it is to create a unique story. Don't copy what you've read and loved...recreate it into something entirely different. Do your best to become #1 on the list. Or go on copying others' ideas, accepting that you will never be published. Or stop trying. It's your choice.
So here's your question for today. Focus on it, get a clear, honest answer in your head. Because it can mean the difference between sinking in the unpublished waters and swimming in the pool of publishing.
Are you creating a completely unique tale...or just mimicking those who have?
posted by Heather Brewer at 7:06 AM
9 Comments:
I think that even though there's a big, big difference between No. 1 and No. 3, aspiring authors may have difficulty seeing the difference between the two.
I mean, you could say that Terry Brooks' work is a rip-off of Tolkien's. Some people avidly do. And yet, Brooks successfully launched an epic-fantasy-light series. (Me, I hated the first book in that series and couldn't bring myself to read any others.) Or look at Michelle Rowan's fabulous BITTEN & SMITTEN. She's had critics say that she ripped off MaryJanice Davidson's UNDEAD series -- which anyone who reads both B&S and any of the UNDEAD series would see is a load of poop; Michelle's work is blissfully original and fun...because she worked hard at going against the grain. (BAD vampire hunters? Who'd have thought it? Not to mention a main character who's funny, sweet and adorable.)
So, did Terry and Michelle mimic originality? No.
Did they take a winning (i.e., saleable) formula and use it as a model for their own characters, plots, and universes? Yep. Which brings me to my point: It's very important for authors to read, read, read what else is happening in their chosen genre...and look for formulas.
There's some stuff that simply MUST be in there to make the work marketable. Writing romance? You better introduce the main love interest by chapter 3, and have a sex scene by page 100. There may not be written rules about this, but reading in the genre will show tried-and-true patterns. And there's no easy way to get these patterns. One must read, and look for similarities.
(And no, this doesn't mean having the same characters or the exact same plot/situation as other works already on the market, or first coming to market.)
Of course, it's okay to say "screw formula." But then again, formulas help sell books. The whole screw-formula thing, in my humble opinion, takes you out of genre fiction and puts you firmly in "literary." And that's a whole other can of worms. I ain't touching that.
So, how can a genre author fall into the No. 1 category of working for originality? By reading. Is there something in a published story you read that makes you say, "But NO, it should be THIS way" or, better: "Ooh...but what if THIS happened"? If so, then you may be on your way to creating something original...even in an overdone genre.
(And if not, you can opt for the No. 3 approach -- maybe about a teenage GIRL vampire in the eighth grade, LOL -- and hope that agents and publishers are looking for a cookie-cutter hack.)
;-)
Excellent points, all, Jax. I think the key to good writing is learning how to pick apart what you've read and loved and figure out WHY it works, what makes it good. What really makes a story good is far more than genre or theme--but it can't be taught or copied. It has to be learned on your own.
Yeah. And that, for many of us, means that it won't be the first, or even the second book that is The One. For me, third time was the charm.
((Jackie casts a loving glance at her Great American Novel))
Third time was the charm for me too. But for some, it's the eighth time...or the twelfth. You just never know until you do the work.
Excellent points from both. Originality can also be as simple (?) as changing the POV, as in John Gardener's "Grendel". That however can also be put under the 'What if?' category. I find myself saying just that quite a lot.
Right now I have what I consider to be unique ideas for several books. I keep a pad of paper with me just so I can capture ideas as they strike (assuming I'm not if front of a computer at the time). I have not finished editing my first novel writing attempt yet, started on a second, and am finding that the ideas are flowing faster than the stories are. It takes more than just an idea to create a great story though. That is where the craft comes in. Of course my lack of speed in writing is also due to my incredibly slow typing :(
But back to the topic. There was a blog by Arthur Levine recently that talked about this same subject. He has a really good take on this as well. I don't have the link handy, but you can do a search on his name and I believe 'plastic flowers'... I seem to recall that being a catch phrase from his essay.
Anyway, great ideas, great suggestions and great blog.
"What if?" is an excellent starting point for originality. Fast isn't necessarily better, Ewoh--craft is key--so you just go on typing slow. :) (Heck, I hunt and peck)
I'm going to go look for that Arthur Levine blog now--thanks!
Ask & ye shall receive: There
Great blog entry--thanks for the tip, Ewoh!
Great blog! Thanks for joining kidlit_central!
Kim
(I have double blogs--one here and one at LJ because I'm still having an identity crisis)
Thanks, Kim! I'm happy to be a part of kidlit_central.
Some say "identity crisis", but I prefer "multiple personalities" :) Not a thing wrong with it.
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