I went to see the final Harry Potter movie yesterday (which I loved, minus seeing Baby Harry crying in his crib. Horrible, isn't it? Come on, people! I almost had to leave the theater and run home to my kiddos).Anyway, there was a scene with the nearly grown-up Harry chasing down a missing diadem, and he has to go ask the Gray Lady where it is. Now, I haven't read the series in years, and before seeing the movie, I couldn't have given you the foggiest idea who said Gray Lady was. But sitting in the movie theater, I recognize her. I had just finished the first draft of my next book and, lo and behold, I have an allusion to a mysterious Gray Lady in there. Coincidence? Possibly. A tricksy subconscious? More likely.
Fortunately, this isn't a big plot point in my story, and the only thing those two gray women have in common are their names. Easily fixable. But I still don't like that feeling of being hijacked by my memory. I want to think my ideas are original, but is that even possible? Even if characters aren't sneaking into our drafts from books we've once read, are there really any original ideas out there?
I remember working on the first draft of Storybound and taking a break
to browse through the middle-grade section of the bookstore. And what did I find? A little book called Inkheart. I nearly cried right there in the aisle, because I hated the thought that someone else had already written about my idea of a girl entering a fantastical book world. And then I discovered the Thursday Next series and heard about Fantasy Baseball and came to the now-obvious revelation that my idea wasn't really all mine to begin with.
It goes without saying that writers are some of the most voracious readers out there. It's silly to imagine we aren't influenced by what we read. In fact, reading a good book can be a wonderful inspiration, although the annoying proclivity for another author's voice to seep into my writing is why I steer clear of any fiction when I'm working on a new project.
Besides that, how can we really distance ourselves from the stories that have shaped us? Or should we want to? What do you think? Can a story ever be truly original?
I don't think a story can ever be truly original since it needs grounding in some form or another in order for it to connect to the audience, so it needs just a little pang of the familiar. It's a good thing, so long as it's well written novels that you let yourself be influenced by :P
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about the Grey Lady either, she's not an original construct of Rowling's either (there are at least 4 ghosts in the UK who bear the moniker 'Grey Lady').
I think the whole inadvertent pinching of stuff is a constant worry, especially now as we zip between blogs. Did I just use someones lovely turn of phrase, did I whip someone's cool title, imaginative theme, perfect photo? -I've been blogging less than 2 weeks and I'm a basket case!
ReplyDeleteI don't think there are any truly original stories, only original ways of telling them. After tens of thousands of years of human history, it's just nearly impossible for something truly original to come about.
ReplyDeleteNo such thing as an original story. I'm with Matthew, you just need to find an original way of telling an old story. Easy, no? :-)
ReplyDeleteI don't worry about it much either. It is important to keep up with what's being published to recognize when something is too close to someone else's work, but in your case, like Jamie said, a grey lady ghost is not a creation of Rowling.
ReplyDeleteI do know of a couple of cases of writers who were not up-to-date on popular works. One wrote something too close to Percy Jackson, the other too close to The Hunger Games. I read both manuscript and both were well-written, but no agent would touch them.
We probably shouldn't worry about it too much because critics nowadays seem to find something unoriginal about every published novel anyway, LoL.
ReplyDeleteThere are millions of people in the world and so thousands of us are bound to have the same idea at the same time. It's just a matter of who is in the right place at the right time to get it published first!
No way can it be truly original, unless you're Italo Calvino (I'm reading If On a Winter's Night a Traveler right now. Wowee).
ReplyDeleteI think "inspiration" is the right way to think about it. It inspired a new and original idea.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was the only one who found other author's voices seeping into my work, lol!
ReplyDeleteYeah, you have to be careful what you read while you're working on a new project for that very reason. (At least I do!)
I think nearly everything we create in life is a result of appropriation from other sources. It's human nature and we just can't worry about it too much. Every idea has to come from somewhere, right? If we didn't tape reminder notes to the fridge or our desks on a regular basis, Post Its might never have been invented! ;)
ReplyDeleteI had a hard time recoiling in horror from a noseless villain in the movie theater. LV was so much scarier in the book for me!
ReplyDeleteI worry about this ALL THE TIME. Or even worse, market trends that suddenly make your book seem trite. My fantastic world takes place on the moon. Has anyone noticed that this summer is all about the moon? And mysterious creatures lurking in its craters. While that isn't exactly what happens in my book, you just everyone to think your ideas are completely original. But all of our favorite authors inadvertently (or advertently) ripped off their favorite authors. I think originally is not in the story idea persay. I'm beginning to believe it is in your characters. Their particular story arc, interactions with them, personalities is what we remember for years to come. Searching for the holy grail is not as memorable as Indiana Jones. He made the movie.
ReplyDeleteI remember the moment when writing my first book that I realized I had ripped off Star Wars - son searches for father figure in an attempt to redeem himself and humanity. I almost died. Then I got over it.
ReplyDeleteA mentor of mine once said there are no original stories, just original ways of telling them. I think he meant what you've touched on here. The same themes, the same character archetypes will continue to appear in story after story. How your story is told through your voice is what distinguishes it.