Being Original

Have you ever been afraid to start writing because you couldn't come up with an original thought?

What if I told you that being original isn't the problem?

Is Anything Really New?

In our quest to be creative we sometimes miss the fact that everything we think is based on some old memory or lesson learned.

How many books have been written that were inspired by past novels? Too many to count.

When we get past the fact that words and ideas are essentially recycled goods it opens us up to new possibilities.

Let Yourself Be Inspired

It's okay to take the basic themes from your favorite novels and tie them into your writing.

I'm not telling you to copy and paste. That's illegal.

What I am saying is that you should feel free to be inspired by the movies you watch, the books you read and the music you listen to.

Don't Be Afraid

I remember being worried about readers calling me out as a fraud, connecting some vague dots to a book I'd read as a kid.

You know what? 99.99% of readers aren't looking that hard. They don't know that you got the idea of the love interest in your new dystopian novella from a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon.

Don't listen to your fear. Tackle it by writing a great story.

How would your writing improve if you stopped worrying about being original?

PRACTICE

Your mission: for the next fifteen minutes write a short story based on the theme of a popular novel or movie.
If you're a reader, see if you can guess what work inspired the writer's story.