I've been conceptualizing a web comic based off a short story I wrote last winter. The problem is, the short story is only seven pages long, and though a miniature plot is resolved, I haven't been able to think of a stronger, underlying plot that's necessary to every story. I've been knocking ideas around in my brain for a few days: should I go for it and just start? Should I scrap the story? Or do I need to hibernate for a few more weeks and think about it? These questions really got me thinking.
What is originality? Is anything original anymore? In my opinion, no. I read Jacob's blog post a few minutes ago (well done, Jacob) which described the hero's journey and how thousands of stories follow the same foundation. After reading this, I understood where my struggle was. I'm seeking something I can't have: an original story. The originality in a story is in the details. The originality of my story is a crazy-quilt of other peoples' stories. Heck, even my characters are borne from my favorites in movies, books, and comics.
I sure hope I'm not alone in discontent, unoriginal mindset. Anyone else who feels this way, please speak up. I'd love to have a chat with you. (Even if you don't, I'd love to have a chat with you. I want to meet all of you.) Maybe if both of us share our thoughts with each other we could pull ourselves out of this rut.
Though I know that true originality is false, I still want to create something new. I know that if a person pours parts of their own experiences into something, not only will it be unique, it will also reveal that person's heart, which is where the creation becomes a part of the creator. When God felt alone, He created man in His own image, and I think we should do likewise with our art.
Thanks for reading. If you think I'm overthinking this, I'd have to agree. Yet I'm still in this state.
Here's the story I wrote. Ignore the other posts on that blog, it was from a class I had in High School.
http://jamesnewtoncomp.weebly.com/
Hello, James. I've been having a similar problem with my own webcomic. I started it, but now I've been wanted to just redo it. But on your topic on originality, I think it's a problem that every one of us story-tellers struggles with. When are thoughts trully our own and when are they borrowed (even without our knowledge)? Like, take for example, my webcomic. I came up with it while watching Mushi-shi (an anime about a man traveling and helping strangers with their problems with the mysterious 'mushi'). I though "how interesting would it be if we watched this show not from the main character's point of view, but from every one else's? So, thus, I started a webcomic about a man NEVER from his point of view. But then, I noticed, unkowingly, my MC started looking more Japanese (his name, a specifically chosen name IS Japanese, and honestly, I am NOT changing it), and my concept art usually shows him smoking, much like Gintoki from Mushi-shi. So, am I copying the anime? I have a reason behind each of my desicions, but in the end, I'm unsure if it is 100% my own.
ReplyDeleteBut, a while ago, I stumbled across an article talking about cliches (since I was trying my very hardest to AVOID them) and it asked why cliches are cliches. Why do we still use them? "Because they work" That's not always a good thing *cough cough* Twilight *cough cough* But, other times, it is. Is Harry Potter unoriginal because Harry gains an old, bearded wizard mentor, sent on a magical quest, and learns power corrupts and love saves, just like Lord of the Rings? Is C.S. Lewis unoriginal because he uses many stories and ideas from the Bible? (I will fight you if you say yes)
So, what I've told myself after starting this class is, maybe it doesn't have to be. If you read Joseph's post, you would understand his theory that stories stem from the Bible. And one of Leeper's points that I love (and may write about in the future) is that we're too afraid to ask questions we don't have an answer to. But, my question is "should we stop asking questions just because they've been asked before?" Should we stop exploring things simply because someone else did it before us? As storytellers I think giving up and not asking these questions goes directly against our own nature.
I'll read your story very soon here, when I find the time. I really enjoy things like this and conversations like this and I would love to help discussing anything. I would even like discussing my own. I look forward to reading your thoughts. :)
Okay, I've read it. Don't know if you want my thoughts on it here or not, but I thought I'd post 'em anyways. First: it was a real enjoyable read, so, without further adieu...
ReplyDeleteWhy it's cliche:
Someone from our world is sent to another one. Yup, seen it. SO MUCH. It's even in a coupe of my scrapped stories. Admittedly, when I started reading, I thought "oh no, not ANOTHER dystopia." There are loads of made up names, loads of fantastical creatures, loads of NPC-like characters. So many factors found in so many other fantasy-genre books and games. To the point it's no longer surprising to us. You say there's an orc? Okay, I know exactly what they look like, what they do, and why they do it. So, since I'm a veteran to the fantasy genre, none of it's surprising. I've seen it before. The main character out of his element? Seen it.
Why it works:
The main character is out of his element. This is so key, and though I've seen it so many times, it's never really utilized well. So many people think that a main character needs some, crazy, powerful adversary, even though the environment itself is adversary enough. I'm involved with this character because he is so out of his element. He doesn't know where he is or how this world works. It keeps me involved.
The surprise. This was my favorite element in the story, actually. Like I said earlier, when I first read this, I really got scared, thinking to myself, "oh no, not another dystopia." It opened like I expected it to with some evil overlord dictator in the future. Surprise, surprise. Let me guess, the evil dictator is some middle-aged white guy who's been possessed with power and wants to dictate world order. No. It's a bored college student who took over the world. That, my friend, got me so invested. I immediately wanted to know everything. Who is this kid? Does he have a family? Friends? How does this world work? And more importantly, how did he take over the world? Young adults are usually the good guys. So seeing someone have the position usually given to a stinky, stupid adult, was so refreshing and intriguing. I like characters who are just bored. It reminds me of Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. In that book, his main character is a young man who believes himself too smart for the world and that he is the Napoleon of his time. He believes that this should free him of all guilt. He is actually the villain, but still the protagonist.
So, anyways, the surprise of his character really worked. Along with what I believed to be a dystopian story suddenly changes to a fantasy world. That's surprising. Ardy's powers CHANGING. That's interesting. It makes the reader ask questions. Why are things this way?
I think something you do very well is take something we think we know and change it. And I really hope this is where you plan to go. Show us something different from what we're used to. Use your cliches to your advantage. So we think we know orcs? Show us that we don't. All fantasy is the same? Show us how it's not.
The last part:
I don't know if this will work for you, but I've been really thinking hard about my web comic, and thanks to what I mentioned in the previous comment, I've started a journal dedicated to it. I thought hard about what I wanted my web comic to do. And so recently, I've scribbled down questions. I don't plan on answering all of them. I just want to ask them. I've been taking notes of particular habits and verbal and nonverbal ticks everyone has. Personality traits. What makes us human. Since, for the most part, I want each chapter to focus on a new character, I need to somehow make the reader grow attached to a character very quickly. I've been getting some good stuff this way and it's really helped the brainstorming process.
Hope this helped! Feel free to keep the conversation going. :)
Hey Lissa,
DeleteThanks so much for all of the feedback! Not only was it encouraging to see that I'm not alone in this struggle, but it was also awesome to hear your opinions on my story. I really appreciated your positive and negative critique. Now that I've shared my story with you, it would be awesome if I could read some of yours.
Of course! I love this kind of stuff. I forgot, though, to add that you have a great sense of humor that makes the read a whole lot of fun. I chuckled to myself a couple times.
ReplyDeleteAs for mine, it's not really "written" yet. I've got an outline I'm working on, some concept art here and there and a couple pages up, but I'm probably going to redo it. Or at least change the style I was using. Honestly, I made the same realization you did and realized I don't know enough about the story so I'm seriously assessing it. Because I don't want it to just be another web comic. But, if you're really interested, I could talk about it a bit. It's a bit difficult since the POV changes each chapter. But I really like the challenge that this brings. It also brings up some questions of if we come off differently with different people. If certain situations can bring out different parts of our character. And I really want to touch on the impact just one person can have on the world around them. So I write each chapter developing a whole new character and show the way they see the same man (okay, not always the same man). He'll act differently with different people. Treating girls differently. Getting annoyed with certain types of people. Offer advice. Refuse to talk to others. The timeline, however, follows that man for a couple years. And through the different characters (mainly the important ones who show up multiple times) we learn more and more of his backstory. How he got his sword. Why he smokes. Why he refuses to tell his name. What happened between him and a man who swears he will kill him. And he'll tell different stories, reveal different parts of himself to different people. The part I'm most excited about, though, is showing all the other characters interacting with each other. A character I had ine one chapter will meet with another. Some people get married. Some families reunite. Some people become friends. And none of these people know. But we will. And that's partially what I love about the whole idea. I don't know if the comment section here is the best place for me to write all of this. I'm thinking of creating a website for it, but I still need that little push to get back into it again. And the time...
Hey James! Read your story. There are some great ideas and concepts spread throughout it. I laughed a lot actually. Right now it seems a bit disconnected in areas. I would love to learn more about what's going on in your story's world. I have a lot of stories and concepts that are in that same stage of writing. I would definitely keep at it. If you don't like the way the story is now, you can always take the main concepts that you like and reboot it. I would love to talk to you in person about this. I have a story that I've been writing for the past year that I would like to make into a graphic novel and publish. However, I've had major writer's block for the past month, and it's bugging me. Maybe together, we can get out of this cursed thing that keeps our creativity from flowing.
ReplyDeleteHey James! Read your story. There are some great ideas and concepts spread throughout it. I laughed a lot actually. Right now it seems a bit disconnected in areas. I would love to learn more about what's going on in your story's world. I have a lot of stories and concepts that are in that same stage of writing. I would definitely keep at it. If you don't like the way the story is now, you can always take the main concepts that you like and reboot it. I would love to talk to you in person about this. I have a story that I've been writing for the past year that I would like to make into a graphic novel and publish. However, I've had major writer's block for the past month, and it's bugging me. Maybe together, we can get out of this cursed thing that keeps our creativity from flowing.
ReplyDelete