How do you make sure your writing is original?
With so many books out there already, how do you make sure what you write is original? When there are already so many different versions of the same or similar stories, how do you make sure you give yours a unique twist that sets it apart from the rest?
This is one of those issues that I think many writers spend a lot of time thinking about. After all, most writers want to be original and to write new things that no one else has thought of, or to look at things in ways no one has done before. We all want to be original, and yet to be truly original is a genuinely difficult thing to do.
I think one of the important things with regards to originality is to give your writing time to develop. It’s natural to emulate – consciously or not – other writers when you’re first finding your voice and developing your own style. Finding that vein of writing that is distinctively you can take time. Not always, of course, but often.
Something else that can contribute to originality is reading as much as possible. It might sound a little counter-productive, to fill your head with the ideas of other people before settling down to write your own stories, but reading as much as you can gives you an insight into what works and what doesn’t, what’s already been done and how, and how ideas are put together. Other people’s creativity can be food for our own originality.
And probably one of the most important factors is to focus on your own writing voice, style, or whatever you want to call it. Often, that’s where your originality will come in. It isn’t always possible to be unique or radical in terms of what you’re saying – it’s how you say it that makes an impact. That’s not to say that there isn’t still plenty of new stuff to be said – there is – but the way you write is where much of your originality is found.
It’s a tricky issue, and one that can lead to writers spending a lot of time being quirky or deliberately kooky when really, all they need to be unique is to be themselves.
What do you think? How do you ensure your work is as original and interesting as possible?
