Does This Ever Happen To You?

JazmynElizabeth · Post by **JazmynElizabeth** » 18 Jun 2018, 11:39

So, I was writing this book two years ago. It was the best thing I'd written, but the story itself I was told was a similar concept to one that already existed in a TV show I had never heard of. So after a few desperate attempts to save the book I lost heart and let it go.
And I've tried lots of different stories since then. But each of them ends up morphing into that original story but sort of a different version.
Does this happen to you? Do you ever try to think of new concepts but just end up back where you started, clinging to an idea you can't seem to let go of?
What do I do? How do I stop all the characters and plotlines merging into the story from all that long ago?

AWANDO OGUTU · Post by **AWANDO OGUTU** » 18 Jun 2018, 12:54

Maybe you can give the book a completely different setting and address different themes therein altogether.

Post by **Sushan Ekanayake** » 19 Jun 2018, 10:24

My advice is to read some more books in different genres. You will be amazed to see how many types of different stories that exist and how many new ideas you will get by just reading them

Letora · Post by **Letora** » 26 Feb 2019, 14:21

Just keep writing. It is very hard to come up with an original concept, but you can have an original take on it. There are so many shows, movies and books out there, don't discredit your own work just because someone has already thought of your idea.

JPalomares · Post by **JPalomares** » 19 Mar 2019, 19:58

There is a theory out there that every story ever written boils down to one of maybe a dozen or so archetypal stories (or, given Campbell's idea of the monomyth in Hero of a Thousand Faces, but one).

My point: don't worry if your story sounds a bit familiar. Write it and enjoy the writing of it.

What's more; no other author has brought your exact talents or point of view to their work. Have fun and continue writing.

JPalomares

lisalynn · Post by **lisalynn** » 26 Apr 2019, 07:57

Check out The Thirty-six Dramatic Situations by Georges Polti. There is truly nothing new under the sun. Chances are, that TV show you're talking about is a derivation of something else, which was a derivation of something else before it. The trick is to add a little twist. Put your own unique spin on the story.

Kyrenora · Post by **Kyrenora** » 27 Apr 2019, 12:01

I agree with what others are saying here. A concept is only one piece of a story. Here's one example: think about how many movies and TV shows can be boiled down to "Zombie Apocalypse." Are they all the same story? No, not really. For one, the characters are different. They have different personalities, and therefore react in different way. While some of the obstacles they face are the same, there are a lot that are unique to each telling, and even those that are similar may be solved in various ways. The setting, the technology available, the pacing - all of these can change the way the narrative plays out. When you bring this into writing, also remember that your voice is yours and no one else can use it. Do not give up on your story, just make it yours.

I will say that I have had the same happen to me. One of the novels I'm working on now apparently shares traits with a TV show that I haven't watched yet. I do plan to give it a look and see how similar the plots really are. I also put a novel on the back burner years ago because it was a vampire story and Twilight became popular just as I was completing the first draft. After that, the whole media market was completely over-saturated with vampires and I knew that my book would just be a drop in the bucket. Therefore, I decided to return to it once the fad was over.