The goal of any author truly, outside of that little artistic nutjuob thought is to make money. The only way to make true money in this industry is to have a book that a LOT of people like, and that has wide appeal. The trouble begins when we're looking to NOT interfere with creativity. Writing for money means being able to on the fly, learn to plot and come up with stories that not only make sense but achieve the goals we set out to accomplish as writers . If we're in Fiction, we want to make our readers feel something, think about something, maybe even do something. Especially if we're romance writers, we want a reaction. A hot one ;)
Though, that idea you just had for a story? It has probably been done.
Now you groan. Then you think of
another story idea that has a twist on what you came up with. Guess what, it's probably been done too.
You see where this is going.
If creativity stumbles, I would refer you back to these two posts on WriteSEX
Jean Marie Stine has been in the publishing industry a VERY long time and has a ton of tricks to help.
But once you develop that personality you're still going to come up with plots that may seem new and original. And for all your readers know, they might be. I have very few references when it comes to storylines because I don't watch a ton of TV. If it weren't for Burn Notice or Case Closed, I wouldn't have a few of the stories I've written. Lucky for me there aren't a HUGE amount of anime fans (yet) that read my work otherwise they would totally pick up on the storyline I ripped and modified from an episode of Case Closed. (That story btw is Sacrifice, from Heavenly Bodies)
I pulled that storyline and took it apart to meet the needs of my genre. I needed romance to happen. In Case Closed, the romance is just between Jimmy Kudo and his girlfriend, until "Conan" appears and Jimmy disappears. Conan is Jimmy in the body of a ten year old boy, due to some drugs a crime syndicate gave him. They go about solving cases through the use of tech, science and Rachel's incompetent father.
What I pulled from that Anime was the detective part, because detective stories sell today still. And I pulled the love interest, but I upped it since my target audience is female readers. Oh and I pulled the actual case from the show too but combined my version with Greek Gods, a 1950's noir-ish theme and a traditional HEA. Viola, the story now has large appeal, gives me some marketability I'd never have thought of and I can take it to not just regular reader conventions but to science fiction cons, mystery cons, and anything that has to do with Greek Mythology.
The story may or may not go over so well at any of those places but you never know.
Readers want intriguing, authors want to write captivating stories. The two shall meet easily once authors figure out the secret formula for crafting well written stories that sell. What makes the difference between your story and mine with the same basic plotline will be the words used. Maybe I'm edgy with a hint of flowers and perhaps you're a writer that uses words that seem light and airy but make for a different but equally good read.
You never know.
Heavenly Bodies available at Amazon
Lifting Spirits, a gay romance available at Amazon
Interesting Sascha. I guess it is all a twist and retwist of what's been done in the past. It makes me quite glad I am not attempting fiction. Creating movie reviews that offer the reader a sense of the movie without revealing anything that should be kept a secret has its own challenges. Next is to connect the movie watchers to a book to help them find better movies while also appealing to readers who might like to check out a few films.
ReplyDeleteI'll certainly have to check out your Wolf Magic. S>
I certainly hope you Do check out my wolf magic :)
ReplyDeleteThe thing most writers try to do is write the great American Romance novel - and that does NOT sell. Nobody (but retarded literary types) want that book. Normal readers want action, adventure, suspense, and in my genre, hot sex with a satisfying relationship and plenty of conflict to keep pages turning.
Susan, I think non-fiction has its own unique challenges. At least with fiction, if all the things are on mark, like Sascha pointed out, you can at least be sure there is an audience....some kind of audience. For non-fiction, I feel like its always a battle of what the market is willing to pick up, staying current and ahead of the trends.
ReplyDeleteSusan, Car Advice book looks very interesting.
Heavenly Bodies; ordered :o)
Nowadays writing is such a competitive field I think its good to have a damn fine hook. I've never forgotten a book I once read where the witch in the cave, was a rather nice man! The fact that it was a man suprised me so much that it made me want to read on. Thats what its all about. Finding that one thing that pulls a reader into a story.
ReplyDeleteEven what is said here is not so new: as the old adage goes, "nothing new under the sun." It's the flavor, the style, the details that give a story its character. All trees are the same: roots, a trunk, branches, leaves, a reproduction system that involves flowers and seeds. The details make one kind of tree different from another, oak from maple from palm from acacia. Some flower with profuse, easily seen flowers. Others have simple flowers that humans hardly notice. Even how one oak differs from another creates interest. The lean of the trunk, the shape of the branches, the particular color of the leaves on a specific day in the fall.
ReplyDeleteSo, while it's true that plots have basic repetition, and even twists and turns my have been done before, what makes one book stand out from another, one writer from another, are the details: the flowers (bright or hidden), the fruit (or nut or twirling maple seed), the way this story grows toward the light or shades a part of the ground or reflects in a lake. That's where the creativity comes into play--how the tree grows, how the plot is pruned, how the characters emerge, and the style of the writing.
I do believe that there are only a handful of unique plots and that each writer makes it his/her own with writing style and technique. However, with all the books in all the world, I don't believe we've even come close to nailing every type of character possible. There are so many different kinds of people in the world, each with their own quirks. These quirks can be amusing, terrifying, surprising, inspiring, uplifting, nauseating, etc... There are people who are sweet as apple pie and other people who call the nice ones "fake" just for being nice, and why? Because they're "keepin' it real". There are as many selfless sages as there are murderous mothers in this world. THAT is how you make your story different, in my opinion: by developing your characters in such a way that the story weaves in and around them, creating something altogether new.
ReplyDelete--Jessica McHugh
I've always been told I write like I speak or when I tell a story. I try to imagine what the reader would like to read. I try to put myself in their shoes. I'm not saying its the most successful, but, most people who read my stuff enjoy it. I'm trying to complete a screen play along with an eBook (what a gluten I am). I've somewhat asked around what people would like to see in the screen play, though, I have the outline pretty much written. But, I think it's the characters and who they are that interest a reader, as well as a well thought out and written story line.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion is that there aren't any "original" story ideas; somewhere, by someone in history, they been done before. It's all in how you spin the plot and characters that make it appealing. Take the popularity of Twilight for example; it is esentially Romeo and Juliet with fangs, but readers related to how the story was told.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Grace. I also think that one must be open as well as remain true to his/her voice and have faith that the story will take on the life that it was meant to have.
ReplyDeleteWow you ladies are on the ball :)
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ReplyDeletePerhaps the problem lies in the definition of "original". The writer is immediately shackled by the necessity of conveying concepts in terms that the prospective reader will relate to and appreciate. One cannot adequately explain a particular color or hue to the blind, or an unusual sound or pitch to the deaf. The concepts lie outside of such individuals' experience. The trick is not to create a story that is entirely outside the realm of human experience, but rather to engage the reader with a fresh account that causes the reader to set aside any predisposition to dismiss the work because "it's been done before".
ReplyDeleteAs soon as the author creates the first character, there is a back story rife with "done before". Let me introduce you to "Jane Doe", created for this post. Insert an age--26. Jane has already grown to maturity. So there is a whole childhood and early adult life already in the can. Her whole life is indirect action.
What do we learn about Jane? Orphan? Siblings? Married? Race? Height and weight? Nationality? Educated? Virgin or sexually active? Whatever we pick for Jane, readers will have preconceptions and expectations.
The trick is to insert enough quirks or devices for Jane that the reader does not expect to make the work "original". In my last novel, I needed some demons. Demons are a dime a dozen. Some have horns, and scabrous skin, and talons or claws, and long pointed fangs. Others shape change into devious and insidious forms. I created "nano-demons", magic's answer to nano-technologies. Octodecillians of nano-demons! Sure, demons have been done before, but I had never seen nano-demons.
Anyone can make a burger, but there is still one place in town that stands out. It ain't original, but it's damn good. Get out your thesaurus and cook up an interesting recounting of human experience (or inhuman experience if such is your wont). Don't worry that "it's been done before". Worry that it hasn't been done this well.
Its so incredibly wonderful to hear all the varied opinions and thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThere are lots of more give-a-ways to come and the winner of this Comment Contest is Michael Deqel.
Thank-you all, for dropping by and sharing :o)
I must second Tina-Sue's opinion of the great feedback on this post.
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