I know there's a saying: "Nothing is original"..or something along those lines.
I don't really believe in that, though. I feel something can be original in its own right, provided it doesn't seem like a cheap carbon copy of what it drew inspiration from. If the same idea is executed very well, it does in a way gain 'originality' status.
I have this problem. I constantly avoid being unoriginal- when it comes to crafting my own story.
That being said, I try my best not to
My conscience..is a douchebag. He always restrains me from drawing on other sources for inspiration. He says it's 'copying' or being unoriginal. And I have a big problem with that; every time I come up with something, it goes through some kind of 'originality screen test' in my head, to ensure that years from now (when I finally publish my book) my book won't be under the scrutiny of trolls and critics who would call it a copy of another source.
Yes, yes, I know I said I don't really believe in the saying "Nothing is original", and I wan't to prove to certain people that I can be original in my own right. But at times it seems like an irrational waste to not draw on other sources.
Of course, archetypes and conventional norms of fantasy are welcome..otherwise it won't be called fantasy at all.
The real question is; does drawing from another source make it unoriginal? Is it wrong to be unoriginal in first place? What is 'unoriginality'?
I don't really believe in that, though. I feel something can be original in its own right, provided it doesn't seem like a cheap carbon copy of what it drew inspiration from. If the same idea is executed very well, it does in a way gain 'originality' status.
I have this problem. I constantly avoid being unoriginal- when it comes to crafting my own story.
That being said, I try my best not to
My conscience..is a douchebag. He always restrains me from drawing on other sources for inspiration. He says it's 'copying' or being unoriginal. And I have a big problem with that; every time I come up with something, it goes through some kind of 'originality screen test' in my head, to ensure that years from now (when I finally publish my book) my book won't be under the scrutiny of trolls and critics who would call it a copy of another source.
Yes, yes, I know I said I don't really believe in the saying "Nothing is original", and I wan't to prove to certain people that I can be original in my own right. But at times it seems like an irrational waste to not draw on other sources.
Of course, archetypes and conventional norms of fantasy are welcome..otherwise it won't be called fantasy at all.
The real question is; does drawing from another source make it unoriginal? Is it wrong to be unoriginal in first place? What is 'unoriginality'?