Must. Be. Original
Let’s take a look at Helen, who has a huge problem with her writing.
Helen has a story that’s dear to her heart, and she really wants to tell it. But then she realizes her hero is the typical young person being called on a quest.
She hates that thought.
So Helen starts twisting around her story, turning her hero into an older woman, and avoids giving her a mission. Then, to her horror, she realizes this is similar to a book she read a year ago. She twists her hero into a man.
Then she finds out she’s telling a journey of finding oneself. Her stomach churns. Her story must be original! And she can’t find any plot that’s not been done. She even stops reading because it makes her feel bad about her story. And she hasn’t written in months…
Helen believes in a myth, something she has learned somewhere.
My story has to be original.
That is simply impossible. Just imagine… humanoids have been sitting around the fire and telling stories for hundreds of thousands of years. Humans have been writing down stories for over 3,000 years. (Linear B was developed in Crete ~1,500 BC.)
There is no original plot anywhere.
In fact, it has been postulated that there are only about seven different plots for every story ever told. (“The Seven Basic Plots: Why we tell stories” by Christopher Booker)
So why do people still create new stories?
Because they have their own personal way of telling them. Their own characters. Sometimes, their own worlds.
And that’s where originality comes in.
By pouring one’s one self into a story, being deeply connected to the main characters and what happens to them – that’s what breathes life into a tale. That’s what makes a story special and original.
So don’t despair over the general plot, or even the fact that “it’s been told before”. Just don’t try to write the next Harry Potter or Hunger Games. Write your own story, even if it has parallels to what you’ve read before.
That’s the key. Trust your own voice, take the time to develop it, and write your own stories from your heart. Love your characters and bring them to life from that love.
And “original” no longer matters.
Here’s some tapping to help you release this particular block:
Even though I’ve been taught that I must write stories that have never been written before, and that is completely blocking me, I’m a good writer, and I now choose to know that no story is fully original.
Even though the rule that my story must be like no other and completely original, I’m totally okay the way I am, and I now give myself permission to tell my own story, even if there are similarities to others.
Even though I always believed my stories have to be completely original, and that has led to despair and avoiding books, I’m totally okay the way I am, and I now give myself permission to be inspired and tell my own stories in my own way.
Your Turn:
How do you feel about originality?
Who said your stories have to be original and unique?
What happened while you were tapping?
And finally – what are you creating right now?
Would love to hear from you!
Image Source: F. Moebius
PS: You’ll find my personal experiences with these beliefs in the comment section. Because I am tapping with these very sentences, I’m inviting you to join me on this journey, and share your experiences.
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