Doing something that has already been done?

[Jtn46]

After months of brainstorming, numerous idea changes, and eventual plot outlining and the construction of all the characters, I became happy with what I had and was ready to write the book. Basically, the story is from multiple character's POV. Each character has their own elemental ability. Fire, water, etc. For whatever reason, I was unaware that this has been done as many times as it has and finding that out kind of crushed the excitement I had for writing this book. I was wondering if it would be unwise to write it at this point. I haven't even read any of the books that used the elemental abilities, so I don't know how similar the actual plot would be, but it definitely feels like I'd be doing something that people would be rolling their eyes at.

 

[Jabrosky]

I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. As long as you tell the story itself in your own way instead of plagiarizing someone else's prose or plot, the only people who would complain are the ones hyper-sensitive about cliches and originality. Execution is what matters in the end.

 

[icerose05]

That's the biggest problem with being an author, isn't it?

I agree with Jabrosky, but if you're really concerned about it, I would research a little about books with elementals in them. If none of them are the same as yours, great! If you find that it is, and a piece of advice I was told once is to take the idea you have and give it a twist. For example, the book Turn of the Screw by Henry James. I haven't read it in a while, but I believe in the introduction the author heard a story about a ghost story with a child. Henry James then took that idea and gave it a twist, giving the ghost story two children. Hence the name Turn of the Screw.

 

[Penpilot]

I can guarantee you that no matter what ideas/elements you come up with there will be a book already written that's used them. Don't worry about it. Just write. It's not about the uniqueness of your ideas. It's uniqueness of execution, how you used them to tell your story.

My first novel, I wanted to write something not done before, and because of that no plot, no idea was ever good enough, because I'd eventually link it to something that's been done before. So I never wrote a word for years. I eventually said screw it and just wrote the dam thing. The end result wasn't as successful as I'd like because I bit off more than I could chew and I was still clinging on a bit too much to being original.

My second novel, I said screw originality and started down a well travelled path. I didn't care that I was using tropes. But a funny thing happened along the way. I learned to play with expectations. I learned to put my own spin on story elements. I found that even though everyone knows you're going from point A to B, how you get there is what matters. I ended up with a story that felt familiar, but when people read it, they were surprised at directions it went even though the end points weren't necessarily surprising. And I'm really happy with the finished story. By the way, the magic system I used for this book was based on the five classical Chinese elements, wood, fire, metal, water and earth. Not original, but how I used them was for the most part.

So just write the darn thing, and along the way, you'll find interesting ways to spin your story elements. And even if you don't, as long as your story is interesting, nobody will care.

 

[Feo Takahari]

What made you want to write about elemental abilities? What about those abilities did you find interesting? Was there something special you wanted to say or do that you could use them as a tool towards?

To some extent, how to phrase this advice depends on what kind of writer you are. For me, the advice would be "find something thought-provoking about elemental powers." (What kind of an element is ice, really? It's often seen as an impersonal element, but can it be protective and nurturing?) For someone else, the advice might be "find something unique about characters with elemental powers" (how would wielding the power of ice change a person?), or "find something to do with elemental powers that other writers haven't done" (how could power over ice be creatively applied?) You might not know yet what kind of writer you are, but you can feel free to mess around and try different things.

And if worst comes to worst, you can always not publish it. Just completing the story will give you valuable practice for writing better stories that will eventually be publishable.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

Nearly everything's been done before, and my advice - and I speak here from personal experience - is that originality is overrated. People like the established tropes. That's why they became established. My worst selling book by absolute miles is my most original.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Tercel]

After months of brainstorming, numerous idea changes, and eventual plot outlining and the construction of all the characters, I became happy with what I had and was ready to write the book. Basically, the story is from multiple character's POV. Each character has their own elemental ability. Fire, water, etc. For whatever reason, I was unaware that this has been done as many times as it has and finding that out kind of crushed the excitement I had for writing this book. I was wondering if it would be unwise to write it at this point. I haven't even read any of the books that used the elemental abilities, so I don't know how similar the actual plot would be, but it definitely feels like I'd be doing something that people would be rolling their eyes at.

Meh, I think with the millions of things that have been written by now, it's going to be never impossible to write something tha doesn't borrow from something else, whether you mean to or not.
Many times I'll be watching something and my jaw will drop because they did something similar to what I have written. Just top wit it and make sure you write something that you're happy with.

 

[Helen]

After months of brainstorming, numerous idea changes, and eventual plot outlining and the construction of all the characters, I became happy with what I had and was ready to write the book. Basically, the story is from multiple character's POV. Each character has their own elemental ability. Fire, water, etc. For whatever reason, I was unaware that this has been done as many times as it has and finding that out kind of crushed the excitement I had for writing this book. I was wondering if it would be unwise to write it at this point. I haven't even read any of the books that used the elemental abilities, so I don't know how similar the actual plot would be, but it definitely feels like I'd be doing something that people would be rolling their eyes at.

It'll depend on how it's executed. If executed well, nobody will care.

It's like TRUE DETECTIVE. We've seen it all before, but it's done so well, everybody loves it.

If you're really worried, you could try experimenting with different themes within the same plot.

 

[Jtn46]

Thanks, everyone. These are some very helpful replies. I appreciate it a lot!

 

[Ruby]

Hi Jtn46, isn't there a saying that there's nothing original under the sun? Even Shakespeare copied other people's stories. There are only supposed to be seven different plots. Alarmingly, I'm using all of them in my WIP!

On a serious note, it's what you do with your idea that makes it original as everything seems to be derivative, anyway. My advice would be to just sit down and write your book, stop worrying and see what happens.

 

[Wormtongue]

I learned to play with expectations. I learned to put my own spin on story elements. I found that even though everyone knows you're going from point A to B,

To expand on that a bit, the plot twist is built on expectations. You put the reader in a familiar place, with familiar people, and put them on a familiar path. And then you have them do something completely unexpected.

My wip has a pretty standard swordsman who hates magic. Enchanted items give him the creeps, and he most especially hates wizards, with their secrets and their schemes. And yet he works for a wizard.

 

[Xitra_Blud]

Unwise? No. I'm going to tell you what I always say for questions about common tropes. Everything has been done before. everything. The key is to put it in your own words. Let's look at detective stories for example. Each one of them pretty much has the same plot. There's a killer, detective is on the search for him, the killer is revealed in the end. We know this is how the story is going to go before we start reading it, yet we read it anyway. It isn't so much the story itself that we're looking for but how the story is told.

If you can take this common trope and put it in your own words, tell this story the way no one has done it before, then it is yours. There's is nothing new under the sun. Everything has been done before, but it's how you do it that really counts.

 

[Feo Takahari]

There is a flipside to what Xitra Blud is saying. I once watched the first episode of a show called The Conditions of Great Detectives, a postmodern piece where the protagonists know they're on a detective show. They're incapable of breaking detective show tropes, so even when they know who the killer is, only the detective is allowed to unmask him, and only after the requisite plot twists. Thing is, the detective is the least interesting of the protagonists, and because he's forced into the spotlight, he robs the others of the opportunity to make use of the wit and cleverness they show. The reason I didn't bother with another episode was that the "conditions" felt more villainous than the killer.

Use tropes, but don't let them use you, and don't let them use your characters, either. If you have someone special and interesting, make use of her*, and don't let the tropes stifle her.

* It does tend to be a her who's interesting but doesn't get to do much, doesn't it? That's not immutable, of course--the most interesting useless character in that detective show was male--but it's pretty common.

 

[Myth Stalker]

There is an episode of South Park where Butters is acting like a evil comic book character and every evil plan he comes up with his assistant says "The Simpsons did it!" I like to keep that in mind while brainstorming. Close to everything has been done before, to make it yours all you gotta do is tweak it a little.

 

[Julian S Bartz]

Hi Jtn46, isn't there a saying that there's nothing original under the sun?

Original thought is dead! I was sitting in a DnD session a year ago and a swiss friend of ours made a fondue. I turned to my friends and said, "We have to be the first people to play Dungeons and Dragons and eat swiss cheese fondue at the same time"

Another friend googled it and found a blog where people were talking about doing the same thing. I realised at that point in my life that there are no truly original ideas left.

Just make sure that what you write is enjoyable and you will find success.

I can't tell you how often people tell me they read a book, which I myself have never read and tell me that it reminded them of parts in my books. I take it as a compliment.

 

[jasperjheart]

If you change the names of the the character's powers, but keep them the same base elemental power, it could be different enough for your liking.

But like most people on this thread have already said, it's nearly impossible to find a story which does not borrow, unintentionally and/or on purpose, from other works of fiction.

Either way, you wouldn't be the last person to write about character's with elemental powers, so why not write what you enjoy?

 

[Daccari Buchelli]

I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. As long as you tell the story itself in your own way instead of plagiarizing someone else's prose or plot, the only people who would complain are the ones hyper-sensitive about cliches and originality. Execution is what matters in the end.

Agreed.