Originality: More Than Meets The Eye
Our struggles with content creation, no matter the type, are vast and can be debilitating based on how nimble you are when encountering obstacles in your creative endeavors. These obstacles can manifest indefinitely if you let them, resulting in missed opportunities and an increased sense of resentment in pursuits you typically find great joy in performing. There was a time when I felt the same way.
In the Writing Forward article linked under the Resources section at the end of this post, Melissa Donovan mentioned the following, which spoke to a realization I came upon several years ago: Look at it this way: Everything already exists. The ideas, plots, characters, language, and subject matter—they’re already out there in someone else’s work. Originality isn’t coming up with something new; it’s using your imagination to put old concepts together in new ways.
Before continuing, I want you to take a moment to ponder the last sentence of the above paragraph. When I first read it, I nearly had conniptions because it came dangerously close to a facet of content creation, I have spoken to on numerous occasions in my blog posts. If you guessed the nervous twitch, often manifesting when I hear the words revisioning or reimagining, you win the booby prize.
As with most previously formed opinions, I reevaluated my own regarding the taking of beloved content by creators who felt their creative spin was the best thing since sliced bread, when they simply bastardized it to make a profit, effectively ruining what inspired many of us to create for many years to come.
What I discovered is my bias had created a one size fits all approach anytime I heard a content creator utter those ill-fated words. I should have known better because I am not one who typically lumps in entire concepts or groups of people under one umbrella. Nuance is the spice of life and should serve to keep our eyes open to all possibilities, not slam them shut when our preconceptions are challenged.
Camilla Allegrucci mentioned this in the Craft Your Content article linked below: It’s not Anna Karenina’s story that makes the book a masterpiece, per se. It’s the way Tolstoy wrote it. As I said before, what he did was less important than how he did it. Those who know me well can attest to my sincerely held belief of the how. It is now, at this point in my post, where I want to convey my own personal story as to my desire to keep the The Sy’Arrian Legacy Series original.
In the beginning paragraph, I mentioned having felt the same way many years ago when I kept revisiting whether, I felt my story was worth telling. I certainly did not think I was the only one who had experienced these feelings but, at the time, I still felt my struggle was unique. When you hear stories of more well known past or present content creators who grapple with mental health issues or were so bizarre, they alienated those around them, the mind has a tendency to wisk away your own issues as trivial. Do not fall for it. A struggle is a struggle, requiring one to put it in the right perspective to build the proper mindset and lay groundwork for the development of self-reflection.
Through the years, I have allowed myself to fully explore where most of my viewpoints and sincerely held beliefs originated. Some come from obvious sources, such as a favorite author or movie/television series. While one in particular came from a source I had not anticipated; music composers with a prolific track records of creating brilliantly crafted threads of immersive sounds, serving to captivate my imagination and allow me to create action scenes or character dialogue in mere minutes.
In a manner typical of my approach to writing, I held these sources and creative figures in very high regard. So high, I did everything I could to respect whatever legacy they had or might leave behind. The pitfalls of this type of thinking leads you to put other people’s successes on such a high pedestal, you end up, in the long run, marginalizing your own. This allows a narrative to form in your mind, which constantly tells you there is no way your content will ever be worthy or original enough to garner the attention of readers.
Do not misconstrue my meaning here. I still believe in honoring those who made it a little easier for content creators such as myself to pave our own way to success; however, never confuse honoring past deeds with unrealistic comparisons. They are not you and you are certainly not them. I know it may seem like an obvious point, but we often compare ourselves to others without even thinking about it. It is inherent human nature to do so, how we conceptualize it and put it in the correct perspective is the most salient.
I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have thrown up my arms whenever I heard of some other content creator, more popular than I, coming up with a story concept similar to mine and exclaiming, “Well there goes that idea! I may have to start from scratch.” This would typically illicit an eyeroll from my husband who saw through my bravado and would call me on my bullshit. Always surround yourselves with people just like my husband because they not only keep you honest but see the best you have to offer during those moments when the perfectionist mind ties up your common sense in knots.
Prior posts have touched on this lightly. I remember mentioning just how prominent certain creative concepts are in the stories we tell. When I developed the concept of The Five, which speaks to the nickname given to my five main characters, it was long before the popular series, Teen Wolf mentioned it in one of their episodes while unraveling another mystery or addressing another threat to the very lives of their characters. Not to mention, the number itself is more than just a little prominent in human culture.
When I grappled with how to articulate the Sy’Arrians use of the five primary elements, I realized just how ignorant I was about how other cultures conceptualize them, when I began performing more thorough research. By reading about various frameworks coming from religious, philosophical, and spiritual precepts, I was able to formulate my own belief system regarding nature’s elemental forces. In turn, I was able to insert a story concept fitting very well with the viewpoints and beliefs of my characters. More importantly, it aided me in developing how the universe interpreted their abilities and how unique cultures would respond to their presence.
You see, when you stop making comparisons, the mind will naturally let go and refocus on what really matters, telling your story in your own voice. When I looked up the definition of original in the Google search engine, it had several connotations based on its use as an adjective or noun. One of the two adjective meanings had this to say, created directly and personally by a particular artist; not a copy or imitation.
The drive to put my writing in the proper perspective has led to many other self-discoveries, ones too numerous to mention in a single post. Improvement of the self, more often than not, is worth the discomfort for it leads to more profound revelations. This will enrich your content and enable you to navigate through any obstacle standing in the way of you creating a story unique to your specific talents.
In my opinion, the sheer act of creating is, inherently, original by design. Balancing admiration for those who inspire us, while putting old concepts together in new ways is a skill developed over time, should one be willing to nurture it properly. If you want to hone your craft to a fine edge this should be a no brainer.
The tried and true mechanics of storytelling; plot, setting, cause and effect, foreshadow, and relatable characters should always be at the forefront. Respect them and respect yourself. Doing so will allow your creative energies to flow and permit inspiration to guide you precisely where you need to go.
As always, I wish for you to be safe, be well, and continuously strive to build your mind on a foundation of compassion and unconditional love. By doing so, you will influence others to do the same and help make the universe a much better place to live by helping change one mind at a time for the better.
Thank you for reading or conversely, thank you for listening.
Resources
Craft Your Content: The Myth of Originality – Why Your Voice Is More Important Than New Ideas – Camilla Allegrucci
https://www.craftyourcontent.com/the-myth-of-originality/
Writing Forward: Are You Concerned About Originality in Your Writing? – Melissa Donovan
https://www.writingforward.com/creative-writing/originality-in-writing
