Let's Talk About Writing an Original Story

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Are you struggling to come up with an original story idea? In this video, we'll discuss the process of writing a truly unique and engaging story
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📚Some of My Fiction (check out my Linktree for more!)
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-Static Love: tinyurl.com/474kaesf
-Catatonic Cargo: tinyurl.com/bpa8jpbe
-The One Who Did Not Go: tinyurl.com/sxkt285u
-To Hold Something Like You: voicesdelaluna.org/ (Winter 2022 issue)
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Chapters:
00:00 Nothing New Has Been Created Under The Sun
04:49 2 Categories to Make Something Original
06:09 Writing the Normal and the Strange
11:05 Writing the Familiar and the Unfamiliar
15:23 Writing the Normal and the Familiar
16:40 A Key Detail About Normal/Strange/Familiar/Unfamiliar
18:43 How to Come Up With an Original Idea and Questions to Ask Yourself
22:35 Intentionality (IMPORTANT!)
25:20 Closing
#writing #writingadvice #Wrestlingwithwordspodcast
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#authortube #writers #writingtips #motivation

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Character Motivation Will Make Your Story Better: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHKQeWilbJ6HrpI 9 Worldbuilding Mistakes ALL Writers Make: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5fIhniBr7Ceb7M

[@projectredmenace4742]

Originality isn't really my main concern when it comes to my writing. I could spend my whole life coming up with original ideas, but in the end, someone will have already seen it before. If I like an idea, I'll keep it, original or not, because substance over originality is my preference. Even if I've seen it a thousand times.

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Right. And, as you develop your own voice and your stories voice, even if you have something that isn't as 'original' but is intentional, that originality won't matter. I hope that came across in the video! Thank you for watching and your thoughts!

[@WriterNumber3950]

I really like the idea of writing something super cliche and then rewriting it trying to use totally different themes, tropes, and in a whole new setting. Thanks for the video!

[@wrestlingwithwords]

It can be a useful exercise! Thanks for watching!

[@ComicPower]

I remember a interview with Suzanne Collins creator of the Hunger games. She said she fell asleep on her couch with the TV on and in her subconscious she could still hear the TV moving from reality TV to news reporting about war and back again. It inspired her to mash up these two subjects and make something original and thats how we got the incredible story of Katniss Everdeen. Incredible

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Really great example. I had no idea what was the case!

[@igoldenknight2169]

Why do I resonate with your lessons so much? Even though coming with something truly original may be impossible I like the approach you gave to it and also even giving a reason… intentionality. I do appreciate the ending as well, because making something original or at least “orginal enough” has indeed kept me up at night… I'd read something or see a new movie trailer that sounded similar and it would give me anxiety and actually some depression. It took me a while to accept the things you say here in this video. Btw so glad I found you in my feed again I'm keep that notification bell turned on lol. I haven't stopped working on my story… I'm going to do this.

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Thanks for watching and I'm glad to have you back! (also, I'm glad you're still working on your story) One of the things to keep in mind too, is that you can have 2 nearly identical "concepts" or see something that feels similar to the thing you're working on and that can be discouraging. BUT at the end of the day, the way YOU write YOUR work will make it original in your personal voice. The way you implement your characters and that similar concept will make it original, so long as you are intentional with your writing. Thank you again for watching and inspiring comment!

[@igoldenknight2169]

@@wrestlingwithwords Thank you! Your words remind me of my brother-in-law telling me to write anyway and to “own it”. There's something unique about our perspective even on the same topic/concept for many reasons… I appreciate your response.

[@wrestlingwithwords]

That's good advice. And thank you for your kind words!

[@Old52Guy]

This was excellent! I took a look at your catalog and I am impressed. I appreciate that you get right to the point, flesh it out fully, and then move on to the next point. I'm definitely subscribing!

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Thank you for saying so, I'm so glad that you enjoyed the video! Welcome to the community!

[@Exayevie]

My current WIP is a sci fi-western that emerged almost of its own accord after I read two extremely different books back to back: Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer-winning _All the Pretty Horses_ and Jeanne DuPrau's middle grade dystopia _City of Ember_ . Moreover, the plot has no strong resemblance to either one; they provided the vibes and a seemingly-unrelated plot sprang up from there. I wouldn't be so bold as to call it original, but I am satisfied with the consolation prize that it is a very odd combination 😉

[@wrestlingwithwords]

That sounds so interesting! I wish I would have said more about it, but the saying "Standing on the shoulders of giants" is an excellent way to come up with something original, or at least in its camp. The idea of taking ideas and concepts from one story/medium and then mixing them with another is EXACTLY what you should be doing. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@source3nergy203]

Nice

[@BruceWayne15325]

Very well thought out video. Thanks for sharing, you've helped inspire me.

[@wrestlingwithwords]

This means so much! I’m glad it was useful for you. Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@trikebeatstrexnodiff]

You have no idea how scared I got when I heard the "Nothing new has been created under the sun" quote is biblical (...over 2000 years old 😭) But I'm relieved it turned out to be not what we generally interpret it as and I really loved your encouragement-speech in the Intention Part. Very informative video! Now, there is an idea and there is presenting an idea from an angle (which is a concept?) never been done before... I actually worry about this with my new story. Let's say you are writing a novel about dinosaurs. It has been done. You know that oh right. Then you want to write dinosaurs riding a train since you think that would be original (But you had never seen/heard of "Dinosaur Train" before, which is a cartoon that has this concept of dinosaurs riding trains) So my question that I really wonder about is, how do we know that a very SPECIFIC concept (like dinosaurs riding trains) has never been done before? Because if you want to write about dinosaurs, even though writing about dinosaurs has already been done, nobody will bat an eye; but say you write about dinosaurs riding trains, and because that VERY SPECIFIC concept has already been done, it will be seen as unoriginal and even a copy-cat.

[@wrestlingwithwords]

I would say that the more specific we get with a concept, the more intentional we become. The other thing we start to venture into, when we become more specific is that your voice and writing style (and the style of the story) will separate it from anything that might be familiar. One quick Google search about the similarities between DUNE and Star Wars will have them sounding like the same story, but when you get to the specifics, they are VERY different. As long as you're intentional and authentic with your story, you won't have to worry too much about overlap with other works.

[@fulldivemedia]

I think it is kinda like telling a joke, some people tell a normal joke in a way that gets lots of laugh, and you think I can't tell it better, But you can tell it in a different way that is more familiar to you, and that makes it a different joke, one that only you can tell

[@wrestlingwithwords]

@@fulldivemedia exactly!

[@holbvgbbbbkfz]

I love your shit bro

[@wrestlingwithwords]

I really appreciate it!

[@upg5147]

You gave a very practical video to how to avoid being too uninspired or trite but I want to talk on the idea of if anything can be original. I wholeheartedly think so. I know you explained how the quote is taken out of context but even if you look at it as saying "nothing new can be made because it's already been done", then let me ask, do you think they thought of AI back then? Better yet, telephones. That quote being hundreds of years old only helps show that people say that every hundred years and then are proven wrong. Of course you yourself would think nothing can be original anymore because if you had a truly original idea you be an outlier and a genius. You don't have to be original to be a great author or write a grest story but I truly hate this defeatist attitude towards unique and original ideas that came from a quote that someone who didn't know the earth was round made.

[@wrestlingwithwords]

That last line is too perfect. I agree though, anyone can come up with an original idea and write an original story!

[@BadNessie]

I think, with all the new things we as humanity keep learning about the world and ourselves, there must be so many stories left to explore, or at least new perspectives, which can be a complete game changer. I find it very encouraging that there is is more under the sun, because exploring that is just too much fun to skip it just because someone once said, 'that's it, that's all, folks!' Don't give up, folks! Live life, explore new things and write good stories! 🩵

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Exactly the right mindset. I always say that it should feel liberating and even inspiring that "every story" has been told. Thank you for sharing your perspective and for watching :).

[@aSnailCyclopsNamedSteve]

And back to the original thought. A character arc story is about the character and the special effects play a minor role. An entertainment story focuses on the special effects. Take the first Harry Potter book. What is the lesson learned? That we can achieve only that which we have not set out to do. Voldemort could not kill Harry because he went after it directly and could not get the stone for the same reason. Harry succeeded because he was always trying to do something else. He stared many hours at the mirror but failed in his task to meet his parents because he went at it directly. How many people have expressed that as the character arc? Why? Because the writing is not pointing to such a conclusion in an obvious manner. Dumbledore draws that conclusion only about the mirror, not life in general. Instead the focus is on the special effects. Take the letter. Harry is focused on getting a copy judging from a text analysis but it comes via Hagrid and deus ex machina. The glass does not disappear at the zoo because Harry wants it to, but because of magic. Harry does not want to become seeker; it is thrust upon him. Harry could buy his own broom, but it is given to him. But is this growth for Harry? Not really. It says passive people succeed in life, ambitious ones fail. Harry has succeeded his whole life by not rocking the boat at the Dursleys. Thus, his childhood has prepared him for success at Hogwarts by teaching him to be passive, i.e., to avoid a conflict by pursuing that which another wants. I know, passive is not the right word because the Dursleys want the letter, Malfoy wants the remindall (or whatever that was), and Voldemort wants to kill, but it is not the real goal. The writing, however, focusses us on the false goal so that the real goal becomes a plot twist, not a character revelation. At the end of the story, Harry does not resolve to always seek that which he does not want. Dumbledore's speech is an explanation of Harry's world, not how Harry has grown. And that means the story is for entertainment, not high literature. The only thing Harry can do under those circumstances is be happy being who he is because he cannot change anything for himself, or more precisely, he can only change his life by not trying to change it.

[@lyndonkessler4766]

Think of an "Elevator Pitch"... Start from there. What if there was no diagnosis for PTSD and everyone was diagnosed as... What if Nano-Plastics changed Our DNA. Every old Thing can become new again.

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Exactly! Also, your prose and personal touch is what makes it feel unique and "new".

[@alananimus9145]

"nothing new under the sun" predates the bible and actually dates back to at least 1200 bc "Instructions of Amenemope" "Is there anything in which it is said: 'Look, this is new'? It has been already for ages that were before us." (Translation by William Kelly Simpson)

[@wrestlingwithwords]

That is actually pretty interesting.

[@alananimus9145]

@@wrestlingwithwords sorry for being pedantic about it but my area of specialization is the formation of the Bible. Most people don't realize very little is original to the library of biblical texts. The bulk of the various libraries (there are 4 major libraries) of the Bible is composed of Greek and Canaanite texts.

[@wrestlingwithwords]

@@alananimus9145 not at all. I understand that (broadly) and expect that there are plenty saying or things that we might think came from the Bible actually came from older texts. Actually it is kinda funny because I originally had a little bit where I talked about all the revisions there have been to the Bible and this passage but ended up cutting it because it didn’t quite fit.

[@NYKIKE]

The mix 2 different things that are are boring af to me. I like finding a concept, a feeling and then exploring how that could be explored in different and interesting ways. I think, finding flaws on how trauma is whats supposed to define spiderman is SO fucking smart and doesn't smash 2 silly concepts that bore me really fast Jamming tropes and changing them is a very quick way to run out of new ideas that actually feel refreshing imo

[@wrestlingwithwords]

You might be misunderstanding my meaning, or I didn’t explain it well. Meshing two boring things together isn’t what I was saying. Normal/Familiar are just there to determine what the audience might recognize or what might be common in a genre. Of course you don’t want to use something that is boring, but these aren’t boring. The recent Spider-Man is actually a good example of meshing two familiar thing 1: Spider-Man and 2: a multi-verse. It was this intersection that made an interesting film (Into the Spiderverse) I agree that jamming tropes together can sometimes diminish creativity, but a story doesn’t start and stop with the trope. The trope is just a general framework. Redemption arcs are a kind of trope, but how many variations are there in that? Thank you for your perspectives d for watching!

[@NYKIKE]

@@wrestlingwithwordsWow, you are so incredibly understanding, open minded and polite. I like your videos, but this response made me really like what you have to say even if we don't agree. Like, godamn. Thank you xD

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Of course! There is no 10000% accurate way to approach writing or how to tell a story. We all understand it a little bit differently, even if we are trying to come to the same goal. Just trying to provide one way to think about things. Thanks again for your perspective!

[@fulldivemedia]

Mashing two things together is just the tool, like when someone invent something 99% 9F the time they mix two or more things together to create a new thing, but we can't expect by mixing any two things artlessly and without thinking we get a new and useful stuff, Good invention is the useful one no matter if it is a egg timer or a engine,

[@aSnailCyclopsNamedSteve]

1. No pinned links to the works cited. 2. There are two types of literature: high and low. High focusses on character arc, low on entertainment. They require different types of creativity. 3. Originality does and does not exist. Try to communicate with a goose. Our voice is background noise for them and except when we sneeze or otherwise forcibly expel air, they do not hear us. We can only imagine their world from our perspective. An alien from another planet is likely to communicate like a goose, i.e., in a way that we do not hear and vice versa. No story there. Thus, creativity is always filtered through our lens. 4. How to be creative? We are all creative, but most dismiss/ignore such thoughts. The method cited in the posting does not produce highly original ideas. It is true that creativity is linking two dissimilar ideas; the trick is in finding the two ideas. Partially, one has to pay attention. Laptops have ventilation underneath. Where do we put them? On solid surfaces. Obviously, they need to be on porous surfaces, which is why my laptop sits on a repurposed louvre cabinet door. I found the answer by walking around the local DIY store with that quest in mind. I just came up with an idea for an original ghost story 2 days ago. According to the posting, I asked myself what can I do to make this situation unique. That is really hard to do and a person is likely to feel stupid in short order. In reality, I was listening to the evening news and a report triggered the link. I immediately made a note of it. Ignore the unique and the brain stops sending such conscious thoughts to a person. The story itself is not terribly unique and whether it is worth reading will depend not on the originality of the core idea, the plot twist, but on how well I tell the story. Next comment so that this does not get deleted.

[@ekurisona663]

are you ai or real?

[@wrestlingwithwords]

What kind of question is this 😅?

[@ekurisona663]

@@wrestlingwithwords a classic scifi trope

[@wrestlingwithwords]

I thought you were asking if "I" was an AI channel lol. My bad. You are right though, that is a classic trope.

[@ekurisona663]

@@wrestlingwithwords i was asking if you are a human or if you are ai generated...assuming things are 'real' online is over...now we can begin again...plato's cave needs a new forensic deconstruction and rendering...

[@wrestlingwithwords]

@Ekurisona663 Gotchya, I see what you mean. There is a ton of AI-produced content out there, but this channel is not one of them haha. The good thing is that the stuff on KZbin that is made with AI or is entirely AI are pretty recognizable (currently). It will be frightening when that changes.