Here’s the thing about book concepts: originality is (somewhat) overrated.
There have been millions of books written in the course of human history. Before there were books there were plays, and before the were plays there were stories told around the campfire, and before there were stories around the campfire there were aliens who implanted DNA in our cave men ancestors that made us tell the same stories again and again. (It’s true, I read it on Wikipedia).
About once a generation a Mary Shelley or H.G. Wells or Tolkien or S.E. Hinton comes along to invent a new genre basically from scratch. Odds are you’re not that person (although if you are, I want to meet you).
All the rest of the mortals on the planet, even our best writers, are working within fairly established genres and tropes.
There were detective novels before George Pelecanos, there were dragon and boy stories before Christopher Paolini, there were wizard school books before J.K. Rowling, there were mistaken guilt stories before Ian Mcwan’s Atonement. What sets these writers apart is a unique take on an established trope. And ultimately that comes down to execution.
What is a unique take on an established trope? It varies from book to book. Sometimes it’s been done before, but never with such beautiful writing. Or maybe it’s been done before, but never for kids. Or maybe it’s been done before, but never funny. Or maybe it’s been done before, but never in combination with something else.
The shorthand for a unique take is that it’s like this, but also like this. It’s X meets X. It’s different, but not too different.
This isn’t because the publishing industry just wants what’s already popular. (Ok, fine, partly it’s because the publishing industry wants what’s already popular — you can “blame” that on readers who finish a book, love it, and want to read something else like it.)
But it’s also because it’s very nearly impossible to be wholly original. Even when new genres are invented they tend to use classic story arcs that have been around for millennia — the coming of age story, the great man with a fatal flaw, the hubris tragedy, the celebrity memoir. When new genres are invented they just place these stories in a new world.
Unless it is truly out there, pretty much everything is a fresh take on an existing trope. It really does need to feel fresh, but that’s not the same as being completely original. The originality is all about how it’s done, not what it’s about.
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Art: The Dream by Henri Rousseau
Pattie Garner said…
Okay Nathan, so this has nothing to do with your topic–sorry–but that’s why I like you. I want a serious answer. When do you give up? When do you realize you just aren’t going to get an agent and your writing sucks? How do you come to terms with that simple fact?–
—-
Pattie,
You give up when they pry the keyboard (or pen, or other writing instrument) from your cold, dead fingers. Writing is a disease. You can run, but you cannot hide. What most of us must realize is that, while Nathan educates and advocates traditional routes for publication, there are limits to the number of writers that traditional publication can support. Books have life cycles in publishing and attention spans are limited. By way of example, my child applied to Georgetown U. Really wanted to go. Even looked good enough on paper for an interview. Unfortunately, didn’t get accepted. Why? Because there were 19,000 other kids applying for 2,000 spaces. Does that mean my child is not smart? Of course not. She got accepted to a great school. She is still doing what she wants to do. All writers struggle with self-image because we get rejected so much. You may be a bad writer. Then again, maybe you’re a good writer and you just need to find that one publisher or agent. If you give up, you won’t ever know. And, having your book in a bookstore is not the only way to be a writer. You can write a blog. You can write stories in your creativity journal. You can write on the bathroom wall (just don’t get caught). Writing for an audience of one is still writing for an audience. I guess what I’m trying to say is, don’t give up. Not yet. Reevaluate, yes. Refine, yes. Relearn. Rewrite, but don’t give up.
I also just want to add a quick comment about Tolkein, since Nathan mentioned him as having “invented” a whole new genre.
I just want to point out that he did this by breaking all the rules. He wrote a very long, very descriptive work that takes 6 books to contain it. And he took a lot of criticism for it, but basically he was out to please himself. He says his was “the desire of a tale-teller to try his hand at a really long story.”
He wrote LOTR over a period of 13 years, during which he was employed full time in a very demanding position and had to tend to all the needs of family and such that all of us do, as well as getting through WWII along with the rest of Britain.
I felt much better when I found out the “13 years” bit, since I’m on my third year of my little piece.
He drew on his own experiences as a soldier in WWI for the narrative, which causes the obsession with terrain, weather, and food to make sense. As I explained to my ten-year-old nephew, getting from place to place wasn’t easy when you had no cars or McDonald’s! You really did have to worry about these details, or you could die before you got where you were going. Especially a soldier.
The dead bodies in the water were drawn from his memories of the dead in rain-filled trenches.
With all that said, I skimmed a lot of the books on the first couple of readings, but what I skimmed were the battle scenes. I read it for the wonderful descriptions, the characters and the poetry.
The books were published in the fifties, but didn’t actually become popular until the post-Vietnam era, when people were suddenly trying to make sense of the horrible things that had happened. Suddenly, LOTR became culturally relevant. Forty years later, we have these blockbuster movies and the phenomenon is still going strong.
My point: Don’t be afraid to break the rules, but don’t be upset if people don’t respond right away, either. And… establish yourself first!
At the same time, I don’t believe that many publishers give off the impression that experimentation – formally or otherwise – is a fruitful endeavor. Up here in Canada, we seem to have a formula for how to write if you ever want to get published.
Fresh takes on old tropes are great, but the odd run-on sentence or dropping quotation marks seem to be token gestures so that the literary world can still call itself “art” without having to take a risk.
Experimentation has to be encouraged before it can flourish. And then turn into a trope of its own….
“It would be an interesting exercise to give a group of writers the concept of a story, then see the different directions they each choose to run with.”
For those of you who find this idea fascinating, you may wish to check out Thema Magazine. Their concept is simple: they propose a theme (eg: “The box under the bed.” “Not recognized at the airport.”) for each issue, and that issue contains stories written around that theme. The variations are remarkable, and one theme was the springboard for one of my own published short stories.
Responding to Vic:
I am not saying that the traditionalists like bad writing (I won’t direct this at Paolini since I have not read him, but this may apply to him from what I have read). We like authenticity and great writing, such as George R.R. Martin, Fritz Leiber, or Ursula Le Guin to name but a few. My only real point was that I am dismayed when critters on forums cut someone to ribbons in the fantasy genre for being ‘derivative’ when there may be nothing wrong at all with the writing, and I suspect many agents would also hit ‘reject’ right away on many such fantasy stories, failing to understand that there is a huge audience out here craving more. I know it won’t ever be possible, but I would love to see a great writer take some of the more general pieces from Tolkien’s Silmarillion and flesh them out into true books. I also appreciated McKiernan, even though his Iron Tower trilogy was clearly derivative of Tolkien – he was giving us more of what we craved.
Just wanted to address this:
T. Anne said…
It would be an interesting exercise to give a group of writers the concept of a story, then see the different directions they each choose to run with.This kind of thing goes on all the time on writing forums, it’s a really interesting exercise. On the Kelley Armstrong forum, for instance, we have a word count, a topic and one or two ‘rules’ and then all go off for 2 weeks with those. After that time all the stories are posted (anonymously) and we all vote for our favourite.
It’s astonishing how different the stories will be, given the strictness of the guidelines.
FAO Vic K
thanks for the well reasoned response. Of course you’re bang on about reading widely, and I would like to think I do (European AND American literary fiction, ha!)
I’m sure there are great works within the fantasy cannon, it’s just I won’t feel compelled to read them until I run out of great literature that doesn’t contain elves.
I’m sure that’s a frustrating response, and I’m not intending to be willfully obtuse, it’s just where I’m at.
In my defense I would add that my favourite book of all time could probably be summarised in the single line: the devil comes to Moscow.
and I’m currently writing something with a mermaid in it, so maybe I’m in need of some genre re-allignment therapy
Simon
In response to Vic.
I’m a female fantasy reader/writer and I love elves, dwarves, wizards and dragons and would be greatly disappointed if they were ever completely removed from the fantasy genre. Fresher stories with some familiar concepts is just fine with me.
Oh, and I enjoyed Eargon. It wasn’t wonderful, but I enjoyed it and it wasn’t until the later books when he lost me (boy needs to listen to his editor :P). Just throwing that out there. š
-JS
(Long time reader, first time poster. Nathan, I love your blog!)
Sorry Mira –
It was after midnight so I went to bed. I didn’t mean to leave you hanging but I thought you got the joke.
I was referring to a restraining order. š
I hate when I have to explain punchlines…cause then it means I was laughing alone. š
@purpleclover
Nope. Was laughing right along with you and polishing the ice-cream patterned fluffy restraints for Mira’s arrival!
No laughing alone for PurpleClover. Like csmith, I got it, too. I chuckled aloud.
Confucius says, “He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.”
Pattie —
Don’t give up, that is, unless you’re seriously depressed and considering ending it all because some agent or editor crushed your dreams. In that case, it may be time to take a break. Or take a break from submitting stories. As I thought about my previous post, it occurred to me that no one can tell you when, or if, you should give up. That’s your decision. The only thing Nathan, or any of us, can do is tell you about The Others. You know The Others, don’t you? Stephen King is one of The Others. He threw Carrie into the garbage because he didn’t think he could finish it. He wanted to give up. His wife pulled the story from the trash. She told him to get his butt in gear and finish (my words). That’s what he did. Ultimately, he sold the story for an insultingly low advance, and the rest is history. Carrie earned $400,000 during its first year in publication (at least according to Wikipedia). There are many stories like this in publishing. The Others are the ones who get discouraged, think about giving up, but don’t. Eventually, they make peace with the writing life. They get published or produced. They find a bathroom wall and write their magnum opus. Maybe you, too, are an Other. Maybe you can add to the writer legends, the ones that keep us all going when we get discouraged. Anyway, whether you stick out the rough patch, or strike gold using your creativity in a different way, I wish you luck.
Purple Clover –
Restraining order? That’s okay. I don’t need to put out a restraining order on Nathan.
Thanks for the thought though. But really, he’s been very appropriate in his communications with me.
So, anyway, it’s almost breakfast time. I was thinking of just showing up at his house and surprising him. What do you think? Yes, I agree, I think that’s a great idea.
Mechelle, that’s a great story about Stephen King. I didn’t know that.
I thought everything you said to Pattie was in both posts was really well-spoken.
I also want to add one thing though. Let’s say the worst is true. You are a bad writer.
So?
Get better.
Musicians practice for hours every day. They do scales over and over and over just to get it right.
But writers sometimes feel that if it’s a natural gift, it should be effortless.
I don’t think so. For most people, talent is something that is developed and honed over time.
Even if you were a ‘bad’ writer, that’s not a static condition.
Become a better one.
@Mira
Well said. Nothing is effortless. Writing is hard graft.
xx
I asked Neil Gaiman to write an intro to my second graphic novel (which he did), because of all the negative letters I’d been getting for the issues being reprinted.
A lot of people were utterly CONVINCED that I had stolen two characters, Oberon and Titania, from Neil’s SANDMAN, and they were terribly offended that I would just lift his creations that way.
Neil explained in the intro that I didn’t steal them from him – that we’d BOTH gotten them from Shakespeare, who got them from someone ELSE. That’s the nature of stories. We take what we find, and borrow, steal, reinterpret, reinvent, and eventually (hopefully) produce something that is a unique product of our own sensibilities.
csmith,
thanks. your comment was well-said, too.
Um, Mira, sweetie… Nathan’s not going to have lunch with you. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.
Come back to CIC and I’ll have Faldur make you a sandwich.
(Just kidding… I have to work now.)
Wonderful discussion here. I’m totally addicted and am prying my fingers off the keyboard… right… now…
Christine H,
Duh. I know Nathan’s not going to have lunch with me.
We’re meeting for breakfast.
Oh. I should get ready.
I agree that nothing is completely original – but stories can be told in such a way (perhaps in a different time, by reversing gender roles, etc.) that they might feel like an original concept. You see this in movies all the time – “Clueless” serving as an updated, valley-girl version of “Emma” / “West Side Story” as the urban musical take on “Romeo and Juliet”.
But, with the queries we read, I wasn’t just looking for originality; I was looking for an intriguing story told by a professionally-minded writer. Although I considered #9 for a long time, I ultimately wanted to know more about the author, and the query was lacking in that department. #39 was a much better query – as far as structure, info about the author, etc. – but the idea simply didn’t grab me, and while I thought there were better YA concepts in the “Be an Agent for a Day” group, I did appreciate the personal touch in #21.
Even before the contest, I knew how difficult an agent’s job must be – to find a “gem” in a one-page letter – which is, I’m sure, why many agents (like NB) require the first few pages of the manuscript. Then, with the query, five (or more) pages, and perhaps a brief synopsis, the author at least has a fighting chance to convince an agent of his talent/worth/whatever, and an agent has a better sense of the rest of the book. Then, everybody’s happy, right?
In defense of Paolini:
He’s taking a lot of hits here. I liked his books. I don’t imagine they will ever make a high school required reading list, but they were fun for me to read. At the end of the day it seems not a bad strategy: write a book you would like to read.
Possession was an amazing book. I don’t see how anyone could read it and not be floored with Byatt’s accomplishment. I thoroughly enjoyed it but it wasn’t as fun as Eragon.
And finally, he started that series when he was SEVENTEEN. No college degree, no MFA, nothing but a love of the genre and an idea he wanted to flesh out. He thought it would be cool to have a dragon. He couldn’t get published by anyone so he self-pubbed and sold enough books on his own to attract the attention of a publisher. If either one of my kids pulls that off at age seventeen I will be very, very proud.
There seems to be a lot of focus on concept and originality while everyone laments their inability to get an agent. I don’t know what agents are really looking for but since I buy books I assume it should bear some resemblence to what I look for. It’s great to be ambitious but I don’t always want a Pulitzer caliber book. Obviously I am not alone. Heard of Twilight? Honestly, which one of us didn’t pick that up in the bookstore, read the back cover, and snicker as we put it back on the shelf? A few months later I read it and bought the other three although I was pretty ashamed of myself for liking them.
And regarding getting published, self pub is intimidating but getting easier all the time, especially with POD and ebooks drastically reducing the cost associated with a classic first print. It sounds like there are so many fantastic books out there that I have never heard of because no one will take a chance on them. How unfair! Come on, people, help the unwashed masses get what they want. Get your books out there!
I also liked ERAGON, and what I think was unique about it was its innocent, fun spirit. It was more than just good relative to his age, he really captured the wide-eyed wonderment that you feel when you’re that age. It was more than the sum of its parts.
There is fantasy that has a fun spirit and fantasy with dragons, but ERAGON really captures and embodies that teenage time where everything seems possible.
I think you hit the nail on the head, Nathan. Eragon was the best of the three published so far and I never could put my finger on it. The other two just feel a tad too “epic fantasy.” Still good, though.
Eragon, for me, was alright. I kept thinking it felt derivative – but – that may have to do with my gender. I’ve noticed that men tend to like it more than women do.
That’s not based on scientific data, just an impression.
But in this case, I think Paolini captured a sort of fantasy that really speaks to men – or the young man inside them.
Obviously not only men, Laurel. Sorry. I’m not saying it’s exlusive.
I just find there’s a wish fulfillment element to most fantasy, especially YA fantasy. I think Paolini captured something in Eragon that really resonated with a certain yearning young men have.
Sort of like: Toy Story.
I think women can appreciate it, and many love it, but it’s really a guy’s archtype.
Mira,
No offense taken. I think you’re probably right. That is also one of the elements of fantasy that I really like. Most fantasy authors aren’t afraid to write characters that are better than real people. The books I like best hold humanity to a higher standard by setting an example. I don’t really mind if the example battles evil dragons and immortal war lords. And if he has a crush on a hot elf, that works, too!
And obviously gender plays a big part in who buys books. I don’t know any men who’ve read Twilight and I would never recommend it to any of the men I know. That also plays to an uber-stereotype a lot of women like: selfless superhero protector guy falls in love with hapless heroine. I do wish the heroine didn’t faint quite so much, though.
If I want subtelty, I read Zora Neale Hurston. After putting a 5 and 2 year old to bed I read bestsellers.
Oh, and Eragon was absolutely derivative. The most original thing about it was that he used EVERY archetype all in the same book. Some of the details reminded me so much of David Eddings that I felt positive he must have read those…turned out I was right. And I didn’t care one bit.
Oh yay, not alone in my jokes. Glad someone gets them.
Mira – you are hilarious…but I’m starting to think you are a character and not a real person?? I’m wondering if your blog is a ploy…
*ponders*
Laurel – Really, we all have masculine and feminine parts of us, so any book can speak to any of us.
With Eragon – it also may be generational. The ‘hot’ book of your time. I know a 21 who loves fantasy, but he couldn’t get past chapter one in Tolkien. He ate Eragon up.
Whereas I love Tolkien, and always will – even though it only has two female characters in 3 books.
Btw I know men, a couple of them, that enjoyed Twilight.
Clearly, Eragon absolutely spoke to you. That is cool. I love when I find a book that does that for me.
P.C.
You caught me. I’m not a real person.
I’m, ummmm, let’s see. Who am I today?
Oh shoot. I forgot to write myself a note. Today, I was going to be either Scarlett O’hara or Minnie Mouse.
I hate when I forget to tell myself who I am. Now, I’m going to be dealing with existential identity crises all day long.
Sucks.
Mira,
It’s not so much that Eragon “spoke” to me as I really think Nathan is exactly right about originality. Despite the lack of originality, I really enjoyed the book. In the genre I’d have to say the books that spoke to me the most were probably CS Lewis and I was too young to know it at the time. There was also a great book called The Unlikely Ones by Mary Brown that touched me.
I just think we miss out on so much when we read books as critics instead of settling into someone else’s fantasy for a little while. Of course, there are books you just can’t like for whatever reason and that’s different.
Gender preferences are really only an important consideration if you’re trying to sell one, not if you’re buying one.
How are your lunch plans coming?
Personally, I think Mira is Mrs. Fettleston’s alter ego.
In real life, she crochets doilies and says “dear” a lot.
This whole fantasy discussion has me itching to get back to work on my novel. But I can’t. I have to go teach statistics!!! ARRRRGGGHHH!!!
(16 days novel-free and counting.)
Christine H said:
Personally, I think Mira is Mrs. Fettleston’s alter ego.
In real life, she crochets doilies and says “dear” a lot.
————-
I’ve thought the same thing. If Mira were to start a humor blog, she might develop a following. Her humor cracks me up.
Mira, are you still sitting at breakfast? Your pancakes are getting cold.
Christine,
Yes, dear.
Lauren,
My lunch plans. Were actually not lunch plans. They were breakfast plans.
In case, you’re wondering what happened, I was stood up.
I was. Nathan did not show for breakfast.
At first, I was a tad miffed. I had prepared a whole breakfast for him. A special one.
First there was the milk, then the sugar, then the Cheerios. It was a production.
But then it dawned on me. There are really only two things that would cause Nathan to stand up a stranger who stalks him on his blog. They are:
a. He has the bubonic plague.
b. There is no other reason.
Nathan. I’m so sorry. I had no idea.
Please go take care of yourself. We’ll have breakfast some other time.
Really. Don’t say another word about it.
Contrary to how we usually interact.
I just want you to take care of you.
Hi Marilyn,
Thanks for the compliment. Means alot. š
I’m going to write a humor book. I just need to nail the concept down.
I created Come In Character to help me do that.
In terms of breakfast, you can see what happened.
Disclaimer:
Just to be very clear here, the above comment that Nathan has the bubonic plague is a joke.
Nathan does not, and most likely never will, have the bubonic plague.
To my knowledge.
He has more than enough just dealing with the scurvy.
Just a joke, too. Nathan does not have scurvy.
This entire exercise was designed to send home to you the very clear message that diseases are nothing to joke about.
No diseased jokes.
Okay?
Good. My work here is done.
So sorry the cheerios got soggy. Maybe he’s not a breakfast guy.
Try showing up with coffee. I get the feeling caffeine is his favorite food group since apparently he never sleeps.
What happens if you have absolutely no idea what genre your story is? I feel so ignorant… wait, maybe that’s because I am!
New genre? I doubt it, I just don’t know what all the genres are because they confuse me, although I have to admit, I haven’t quite seen any other stories like mine… but wait again, that might be because I live in a black hole with horrible abridged versions of various classics rewritten for kids, and nothing else to read but the same books over and over and over and over and over the hills and far away. Why are books so hard to come by these days? Why?
Mira, you’re humour is affecting me like a sinister contagion, and well, I know I’m bad at humour. sigh. So while I would love to barf up more about campfire DNA that was implanted into aliens by our ancient cave men, I will now retreat back into my black hole and under the trap door where all the bad jokes belong.
Mira said:
“I’m going to write a humor book. I just need to nail the concept down.”
Excellent!! Sounds wonderful!!
Someone else said:
“eg. the perfect murder (you do it with a knife made of ice. don’t tell anyone)” How in the world would that be the perfect murder weapon? The police are will notice the stab wound and people have been sentenced for murders when the weapon was never found.
I embrace the tropes. One of my favourite writing exercises is to go to TVTropes.org and select one or more tropes, usually at random, then write something (I say “something” because I don’t always produce what resembles a complete story) that uses all of the selected tropes. It’s actually very liberating, because it allows me to focus more on the execution and less on the plotting.
Similarly, attempting to avert a trope is a good way to get a story. This isn’t the same as being original (since trope aversions are far from original themselves). It’s just a way to get two stories out of one trope. And its fun to turn worlds on their heads.
Marilyn –
Thanks!! š
FAO: Hippokrene
thanks for kind of illustrating my point. Therein lies the problem of staking the success of your writing on a single device or ‘orginal’ idea.
There’s always a chance someone will point out that it’s either a) not that original, or b) a stupid idea that doesn’t make sense.
@ Simon:
I don’t know if you had the dubious pleasure of seeing “The Apprentice” last night on BBC1 (UK TV). If you want to know exactly what happens to a “stupid idea” which is original just for the sake of it with no thought behind it, it is really something to watch. Because boy did it go down like a lead balloon. Now, don’t get me wrong, I rather like originality – what I’m writing now is relatively original (not fanstasy, historical). But because of that, I’m being sure to stick to existing tropes in other areas. People like the familiar, to a greater or lesser extent, in my experience.
All the best,
chris
@ Chris smith
I did have that ‘pleasure’, albeit watched between my fingers (it was worse than a horror film)
a perfect example of the dangers that can come with an obsessive pursuit for originality.
@Simon.
Ah yes. Then you understand. I had to leave the room when they were pitching. It was embarassing – more so because their “project manager” was so completely incompetant at controlling the direction in which the project was going.
So moral – don’t be original for the hell of it, and pray to god you have an editor/agent who can tell you when you’ve left the shallow shores of “original” and wandered into the deeps of “needs psychiatric care”?
Nathan, thanks for this post. I struggle with the whole originality-monkey-on-my-shoulder thing. And sometimes trying to be original turns into the exact opposite when I weaken and attempt to write to a current fad.
That said, how is one to be original within the framework of a query? Queries are formulaic in that they need to be tight and contain bullet points. I’m afraid that attempting to be too original within the confines of a query also puts the writer at risk for appearing loopy or outlandish if not done with the right style and panache.
Toni-
In form, queries shouldn’t be original. There’s a formula to follow. But the best ones are written in a unique voice.
I think you’re completely right. And even for the Shelleys and Wells that introduced new genres to our palates, they wouldn’t have made it if they hadn’t some how resonated with us.
And how can they resonate with us if the characters don’t somehow face the same flaws as we do (whether human or alien or a little bit of both)?
Waaaay up at the top, Kristen Painter said…
There are really only two plotlines anyway:
1. Someone takes a journey.
2. A stranger comes to town.I beg to differ. There’s also “Sexual/mating interest A meets sexual/mating interest B.” (Usually “boy meets girl,” but let’s face it, the aliens who altered our DNA may have been a bit more metrosexual. And/or multi-gendered, in which case, add a C, D, or however many is proper for the species.)
[I do hope that this isn’t double-posting.]