Characters - The Usual or Something New?

[Mark]

^^ Ha that's certainly true.

What I would like to see is big name authors busting out original ideas, rather than hand-feeding their fans the same food every time. Yeah it's a job and when something ain't broke, don't fix it, but a lot of these writers have enough clout that people will flock to whatever they put out, even if it's not their usual fare. Perhaps many of them have gotten lazy and don't feel the need to stretch their legs, and those that do use pen names to avoid alienating their fans who sit like baby birds in the nest with open beaks.

I have found a lot of original ideas in self- and small house-published books, but those authors (myself included) are sometimes too inexperienced to crank out a kick-ass ultra-tight story that totally wows the world. On the rare occasion that this does happen, these authors are quickly scooped up by the big houses and promptly become brands expected to continue churning out similar products. By the time they get enough clout that they could do something different without taking a huge risk, they've gotten so used to trodding the same path, many of them aren't motivated enough to do anything else. I know it happens sometimes and more power to those that do, but it's not often. Minimal risk with maximum return is embedded in our brains.

[[deleted user]]

G.G. wrote: "We talk a lot about unusual characters but let's not forget that the story is as important. In the end, it doesn't matter how different the characters are if you put them in the same rehashed stories." I agree with that thought. I sometimes think my characters are boring to everyone except myself. I read that there are no new plots for stories, but I think some of our authors have proved that to be false.