Writing Excuses Episode 2: Blending the Familiar and the
Original
How do you know when your setting of high school kids solve
supernatural mysteries becomes cliché?
Brandon, Howard and Dan discuss how you create unique concepts by
blending familiar topics with something new and original and how to avoid possible
pitfalls.
Notes
Take a mundane idea and something extraordinary and merge
them together. Expand on whatever it is you are writing about.
Ex. You can create a character such as a pirate or bounty
hunter and give them an extraordinary name.
Understand the theory of The Strange Attractor- this has to
do with something that attracts and is familiar but there is something strange
about it.
So what do they mean by familiar?
Familiar- It is something that you can relate to. Also,
something already in your head even if it is as simple as a story you recall of
a kid in high school. Now by understanding the familiar, you can then create a
simple story about high school kid but then add in the original, which could be
that your teacher is an alien or robot.
By following this theory it allows readers to locate
themselves in your story.
In order to be most effective in reaching your audience you
must understand them. You must do your research. Know all the trends in your
industry or genre. It is best to know what else is being written around you and
to also know what is actually being read. Understand that people want different
amounts of original and extraordinary. For example, in science fiction many of
the readers look for about 70 percent original content and about 30 percent
original content.
Watch out for Risks
In science fiction there is a risk of singularity and post
singularity. This is when the writer is no longer able to create characters
that are recognizable. The problem is that if the readers cannot identify the
characters they will not want to read.
Here is response posted on the website regarding the writers podcast.
Tips
You need to make a decision on how much familiar content and
how much original content you want to provide to your reader. There is a market
for both but it is suggested that to write to a specific audience. The largest
audience is in the middle of the two.
Don’t stand on the shoulders of giants. Pick something out
of reach and jump for it, make a leap, take a risk.
Take a long look at your original content and really analyze
and make sure it truly is original. Do your research.
Lastly, write the story YOU want to read.
