How do you know when a story is truly original?

Question

I have been writing stories, and trying to write novels for a long time. But I stop in the middle, thinking my stories are not original enough or interesting enough. How do I know when I have the right story? How should I go through with writing and finishing a story?

Answer 1

Wow, that is a great question. Original is hard to come by today, it is the way the author decides to plot the story that makes the difference.

I wouldn’t just give it up, sometimes a writer won’t like what she/he writes until the ending has been reached. And sometimes you’ll have to write a scene over and again until it’s done.

Here’s some tips:

1.– Never tell, show your reader the story
2.- Find your viewpoint, in the first or third person, and stick with it.
3.- Don’t give up.

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Here some books that might help:

Portable MFA In Creative Writing
by New York Writers Workshop

•Format: Paperback, 256 pages
•Publisher: F & W Publications, Incorporated


•From the Publisher
Writers can get the core knowledge of a prestigious $50,000 MFA program without paying tuition. With sound, nuts-and-bolts instruction and real-world career advice, The Portable MFA in Creative Writing is the only book speaking directly to the tens of thousands each year who don't make it into MFA programs. Topics include magazine writing, memoir and personal essay, poetry, fiction, playwriting and more:
* Inspiration and tips on revision, stamina and productivity
* Clear instruction on the craft behind the art
* Detailed reading lists to expand writers' literary horizons
Those who heed its advice will gain the wisdom and experience of some of today's greatest teaching minds, all for the price of a book.

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You don’t need an agent to write for magazines>

Best of Magazine Markets for Writers 2007
by Marni McNiff
$22.95
•Format: Paperback, 720p
•Publisher: Writer's Institute Publications

•From the Publisher
For more than 14 years, thousands of freelance magazine writers have relied on Best of the Magazine Markets to get published. Just as in past years, the new 2007 edition is the most comprehensive market directory available, providing complete and current information-updated by knowledgeable Institute staff members who interview magazine editors personally-for the leading freelance-buying publications in North America. It contains over 1700 publisher listings (200 new this year), including contact names, pay rates, editorial needs, submission requirements, and more. Also included are feature articles with insight from leading editors and seasoned professionals on successful strategies for breaking into print.

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Writers Market 2007
by Robert Brewer, Joanna Masterson (Editor)
$29.99
•Format: Paperback,
•Publisher: Writer's Digest Books


•From the Publisher
The Classic Resource for Every Writer Who Wants to Be Published

* Features more than 3500 market listings

* Includes 500 new markets for 2007

* Provides 100% updated materialContinuing the tradition of providing writers with the information they need to get published, the 2007 Writer's Market is the go-to guide for anyone who wants to be published. Featuring new and exclusive interviews with Alice Kaplan, Augusten Burroughs, and Jennifer Weiner, the latest edition also includes articles covering the basics of book proposals, how to get freelance writing gigs, the keys to successful query letters, the six rules critical to publishing success, and more.

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Online Writing Book Clubs
http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/bn?category.id=Writing

Answer 2

If you completely made the story by yourself without the ideas from other books then you are writing as original as you can get. You should know when you have the right story because you will feel good about it. Writing and finishing a story is all up to you.

Answer 3

It doesn't matter. Writers and musicians are always reusing material from their predecessors. Do you think Shakespeare came up with every one of those 37 plays all by himself? They're all stories that he borrowed from elsewhere.

It doesn't matter if you don't have an original story. The important thing is that you add your own creativity to whatever it is that you're writing. Shakespeare may not have come up with the stories of "Hamlet" or "Romeo & Juliet" but he added to them and genuinely made them his own. He added dialogue, creative vocabulary, stylistic elements, plot details, and much more.

Those in turn have gone on to inspire works like "The Lion King" and "West Side Story." If you feel like your story isn't original, don't let it stop you.

Answer 4

Just keep writing, see where it takes you. Add some of your own twists if you think it's not origional enough. =D Good Luck & Keep Writing

Answer 5

<>Keep writing. Let your friends and family read it. If they like it, submit it to a publisher. If it's not original, they'll let you know.

Answer 6

I do! My fiance and that i've got been on our first 'genuine' date whilst we could been fantastic around one yet another for some weeks. We went for dinner, then back to my house to make certain if there grew to become right into a movie we could have liked to pass to. We ended up chatting jointly on my settee for 2 extra hours. Then we swapped glasses to make certain how stable each and each others' prescriptions have been. He reported he had to pass because of the fact he had to artwork early day after as we communicate. Then he began the 'lean in' element, and that i grew to become into great worried because of the fact i in my opinion liked him, so I reported "is this the area the place you kiss me?" Then we the two cracked up guffawing so confusing that it grew to become into yet another 5 minutes till now we certainly DID kiss. After that kiss, I knew he grew to become into the guy i grew to become into going to marry. i've got by no skill been kissed like that. To on the present time, 4 years later, he nevertheless catches me off look after with a kiss that make my abdomen dance and my heart pound. We also have a terrific "how we met" tale. he's a musician, and that i concept he grew to become into truly lovable up on diploma enjoying his sax. i needed to fulfill him, yet my buddy needed to pass away till now his harm so I wasn't able to speak to him. So I wrote "Sax participant - digital mail me" in the back of a corporation card and placed it in his tip jar! And he DID digital mail me!!