Great Minds? A writer's dilemma.
The archetypal mind? The Universal subconscious?
I know everyone has been overwhelmed when, after hearing nothing for years, dueling studios throw out their own versions of Robin Hood or {insert idea here-there are a dozen but my mind is blank} at the same exact time-saturating the market with what could have been a very good idea if it hadn't felt like a bit of overkill.
The same thing with novels/story ideas. Everyone's pregnant, everyone marries a prince, or everyone suddenly has to save the world from vampires and demons. I know sometimes it has to do with a study of trends and publisher requests, but just as often I imagine it is something in the air, some creative unconscious saying its time for this story.
But what, as a writer, are you to do when this happens? Especially if you are unpublished, and you've written something you think-if not utterly unique-at least has your own stamp and shows individual creativity. What if you suddenly look at a published author's new release, and it has eerily similiar elements to your own little masterpiece?
I know we can say there are a million stories out there-and that-specifically in romance-you are bound to bump elbows. But should you change your story? Should you chuck it and start anew? Or just say "that's life" and not worry about it?
They say a truly good story can never be told too often. As a reader I can't help but agree. As a writer...I wonder.
I know everyone has been overwhelmed when, after hearing nothing for years, dueling studios throw out their own versions of Robin Hood or {insert idea here-there are a dozen but my mind is blank} at the same exact time-saturating the market with what could have been a very good idea if it hadn't felt like a bit of overkill.
The same thing with novels/story ideas. Everyone's pregnant, everyone marries a prince, or everyone suddenly has to save the world from vampires and demons. I know sometimes it has to do with a study of trends and publisher requests, but just as often I imagine it is something in the air, some creative unconscious saying its time for this story.
But what, as a writer, are you to do when this happens? Especially if you are unpublished, and you've written something you think-if not utterly unique-at least has your own stamp and shows individual creativity. What if you suddenly look at a published author's new release, and it has eerily similiar elements to your own little masterpiece?
I know we can say there are a million stories out there-and that-specifically in romance-you are bound to bump elbows. But should you change your story? Should you chuck it and start anew? Or just say "that's life" and not worry about it?
They say a truly good story can never be told too often. As a reader I can't help but agree. As a writer...I wonder.
posted by R.G. ALEXANDER at
8:35 PM
1 Comments:
That is SO true. It's really a dilemma, because you realize as a writer there aren't THAT many original ideas out there. While other writers and readers say that's ok, you don't want that to count against you when you try to sell your book for not being original enough!
Ugh--it's so frustrating! Aaaah, the life of a writer...
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