Can You Even Write Anything Original Anymore?

Every author wants to write original stories.  

Surely, at some point, there’s been an idea that sparks in your mind and, when you go to jot down what is running through your mind, you realize that it’s really just a low-rent version of Star Wars.  

You throw your pen down on your desk and rub your temples in frustration. Why can’t I just come up with something genuine? Something on my own?  

I hate to break it to you, but that’s impossible.  

While plagiarism is frowned upon, and I will never suggest you take someone else’s words for your own, I recognize the reality around us. It’s been thousands of years—or millions; I’m not hating on anyone’s belief system—so, of course, all of the good stories have been taken by now.  

The tropes that we love reading—found family, hero saves the princess, dystopian futuristic tragedy, enemies to lovers, etc.—have been done. They’ve been dissected down into plot points and archetypes that writers have used for generations.  

When we use those tropes today, that doesn’t mean that we’re plagiarizing early writers. We take the framework of a story, and we build our own perspectives, nuances, characters, and settings around it.  

We make it our own story.  

It doesn’t make it 100% original, but with 500,000-1,000,000 books published each year (and that’s traditionally published. Don’t forget the independently published books that are taking the publishing industry by storm), you’re not going to be able to find a fully original book anywhere.  

We all take inspiration from our favorite books, characters, movies, and even the people around us. There’s no way to avoid taking inspiration from something, and instead coming up with a fully original story.  

It just isn’t going to happen.  

So, what should we all do in a world surrounded by “unoriginal” content?  

Don’t hold back from writing the story you want to write.  

Take your favorite parts of the stories you love and assemble them in your own unique way.  

Put your heart into the story you’re writing—or have wanted to write for years but haven’t found the time—and put yours out there into the 1 million going to be published this year.  

What is your opinion on originality in publishing? We want to know! 

And keep an eye out for another blog post about how to use the stories you love to improve your own writing. Let me know when I should post it! 

Shelby (she/her)

Meet Your Editor

Hi folx! 

I’m really happy and appreciative that you decided to check out my blog and join me on this journey. 

I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself, and I hope you’ll do the same and let me know a bit about you, too. What I want to do here is establish a community.  

My name is Shelby, and I’m an editor of indie fiction.  

My favorite books to read are stories with LGBTQ+ representation, because I am proudly queer! It’s really comforting to read stories about other people in my community, and I’m loving how queer stories are making their way into the indie market.  

Character-driven stories are my favorite. I love action and adventure as much as the next person, but I personally love reading and writing character-driven stories. You get to dig into their emotions and connect with the character on a deeper level. 

In my opinion, every great story needs a great protagonist (not necessarily a “good” protagonist, where they’re the high-morals type, but an impactful and authentic protagonist).  

Romance and magic (paranormal romance, fantasy, magical realism, mythology retellings, etc.)  are my personal favorites genres. I also enjoy a good mystery. I have less experience with genres like historical, horror, and sci-fi, but there are exceptions to every rule.  

I’m 26 when I’m writing this, and I have my BA in English and my MA in Publishing, Editorial. 

I’ve orchestrated, edited, and indie published an LGBTQ+ Alaskan fiction anthology called Finding Your Aurora. That was such a fun process, and I’m hands-down doing more anthologies in the future, so please let me know if you’d be interested in submitting or what themes might be fun (I’m thinking queer, magical, shifters, mythology and fairytales flipped on their head—topics like that).  

I think that’s a good enough start for my introduction. Ask me questions and tell me about you in the comments area (We can learn how this works together).  

Let’s get to know each other, and let’s grow our community!  

Best wishes and happy summer! 

Shelby (she/her)