#originality :')

[bettsfic]

i think we (fanfiction writers) can sometimes be self-conscious about the concept of originality in our work, and the way i've handled that in the past is to tell myself nothing is truly original, that everything comes in part from something else. tastes, interests, and ideals can't be built from nothing; the stories that surround us also create us, and we put our made selves into our work. the only difference between original fiction and fanfiction is that fanfiction openly acknowledges the text(s) that inspired it.

but i'm just about finished with jane smiley's 13 ways of looking at the novel (HIGHLY recommended) and she asserts that everything is original. she says that unless you're taking someone else's actual words as your own, you're always creating something original.

and even though "nothing is original" and "everything is original" inevitably reach the same conclusion (write it anyway), reframing my perspective that way has helped me see my work in a new light. i'm focusing less on the things i know i'm borrowing and more on the things i invent from that which i've borrowed.

#writing advice #originality

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

The best piece of writing advice I can give is that you should strive to be sincere rather than original.

You can't force originality. Originality will arise as a natural consequence of sincerity. Make the story completely and apologetically yours, and originality will come by virtue of it being your story.

#incorrect super smash bros #not a quote #writing #writing advice #advice #thought #idea #sincerity #originality

[nemfrog]

Originality. The genius of industry. 1883. Title page.

Internet Archive

#originality #graphic design #title #titles #nemfrog #1883 #19th century

[fansplaining]

Today we're thrilled to publish our latest article—a piece on U.S copyright law and fandom by @earlgreytea68!

Fan creators don’t speak with one voice any more than any creative community speaks with one voice. I am well aware that I am one of you, but I am definitely not all of you. But most fan creators don’t consider themselves to be lazy or thieves—including me. In fact, all the fan creators that I know work very hard on our creations. We don’t consider ourselves to be stealing anything, because what we “steal”—some characters, some settings—is part of our cultural heritage, part of the world around us, part of the raw material we’ve been given to examine and make sense of our world, the way creators have for millennia.

She'll also discuss the topic on this week's episode, out today for Patrons and tomorrow for everyone else!

#fandom #fansplaining #fanfiction #copyright #earlgreytea68 #originality #attribution #monetization #fanworks

[80sdragonbreath]

Moid

I've seen this word thrown around recently.

Apparently it is an insult. Supposedly it stems from the MRA insult "femoid" which may have been a mashup of "female/android" or "female/mongoloid" depending on who you ask.

Ironically I saw some radfems using this word to describe men pushing back against their claim that women were killed if they ever showed any creativity, historically.

I mean, that's reaching, if it's anything.

But it's downright wrong at worst. The claim was that 99% of everything was invented and built by men, and the radfems' retort was "women were burned alive" (referencing witches at the stake).

Firstly, while there was some witch burning, most of it stopped centuries before the lion's share of inventions were made. By men. So it's also anachronistic. And here's the thing:

Feminists are SO lacking in creativity that they can't come up an insult on their own, they have to take what men have created, and make it lesser.

Fe(moid).

They reduced what men had already created, but with not a letter of originality or creativity.

Ironically proving the point being made.

Women. Stick to creating babies. Lol

#radfem #feminism #feminists #women #babies #creativity #originality #everything feminists touch turns to shit

[philosophybits]

Creative activity is a continual progression from failure to failure, and the condition of the creator is usually one of uncertainty, mistrust, and shattered nerves. The more serious and original the task which a man sets himself, the more tormenting is the self-misgiving.

Lev Shestov, All Things Are Possible

#philosophy #quotes #Lev Shestov #All Things Are Possible #creativity #failure #mistakes #uncertainty #originality

[snaileer]

If you’re sick of tired tropes clap your hands!

👏🏼👏🏼

If you’re sick of overwritten pity parties, clap your hands!

👏🏼👏🏼

If you’re sick of overused tropes, and you just want something new, if you’re sick of tired tropes, CLAP YOUR HANDS!

👏🏼👏🏼

#aimed specifically at dpxdc but also some others #we get it #Jason has pit rage and it calms or ripples when Danny is near and somehow that makes him more interesting #that came out anti-Jason it’s more anti-vivisection found in Gotham Jason takes random stranger to his safe house #also give Bruce just a little bit of characterization #just a smidge #same for Ra’s and Talia and Damian-not in a ‘their writing was racist’ way- in a ‘all characters should have good characterization’ way #no ‘gruff’ does not count as characterization #aimed next at miraculous #spiderman #and bnha #originality #✨✨ #dpxdc #danny phantom #dp #dc #miraculous #batfam #this is explicitly not about BBC Merlin and Arthur knows fics #batman #danny fenton #danny phantom crossover #batman and robin #young justice #bruce wayne #tim drake #jason todd #dick grayson #tucker foley

[blackswaneuroparedux]

A plague on these moderns scrambling for what they call originality. Like men trying to lift themselves off the earth by pulling at their own braces: as if by shutting their eyes to the work of the masters they were likely to create new things themselves.

C. S. Lewis

#CS lewis #lewis #quote #originality #modernism #creativity #postmodernism #art #arts #culture #society

[em-dash-press]

Why Originality in Writing Isn't Always Possible

I was writing for years before I encountered a problem with writing as a whole—that most ideas have already been published.

When someone first told me that though, they said it like, "You'll never think of something that hasn't already been written."

The phrasing makes it sound like all story ideas are a waste of your time. I began spiraling. I researched every short story I'd ever written. I looked up books similar or identical to other books I loved.

Turns out, that person was right.

Sort of.

New Ideas Are Old News

Think about how long humanity has existed. Think about the many experiences that generations have shared—love, loss, happiness, adventure, self-growth, your coming-of-age years.

Story ideas inspired by whatever you go through in life have likely already been lived or thought of, given the trillions of people who have walked this planet and interacted with each other.

BUT

Originality Doesn't Only Come From Ideas

This is what I wish someone had told me back when I was spiraling.

I'll say it again for those in the back—

Originality Doesn't Only Come From Ideas

It also comes from your voice and your perspective!

Voice can feel tricky to grasp when you're starting out as a writer. Everyone can throw a few words on a page. How do you know what your voice sounds like and if readers will respond well to it?

Imagine two friends going on a trip. They do everything together. They sit on the beach, they eat lunch at a restaurant, and watch a movie before heading home. Then they each journal about their day in notebooks.

Those entries would look nothing alike! One friend might relax on the beach and feel so at peace that they take a nap, while another gets sunburned easily and hides under their umbrella with a scowl. Both ultimately enjoyed their day for different reasons. The beach lover got time by the ocean and the other friend who liked the beach much less fell in love with a new dish at the restaurant because they're a foodie.

You'll also frame your stories differently than any other writer. Like accents change the way every person speaks out loud, writers structure sentences and describe things/events/emotions very differently.

These may seem like insignificant details that set stories apart, but they make all the difference.

Think about Homer’s Odyssey. Circe is a minor character in the long tale and basically gets about a minute of the reader's time before Odysseus moves on to the next phase of his journey home. In Madeline Miller's Circe, the goddess becomes the main character and the ultimate portrayal of fear, rage, hurt and healing that are universally experienced but are especially true to the female experience.

Both stories follow the same timeline, so readers don't pick them up to necessarily get surprised by something Brand New to Literature™. Instead, they read direct retellings to learn from the characters in new ways, live momentarily through someone else's eyes, and bond over another aspect of the human experience.

Circe is an incredible work of art. Your idea—whether it's a direct retelling, indirect retelling, or full of literary devices from previous works—can be incredible too.

How Do You Know Which Ideas Are Worth Writing?

If a story idea doesn't immediately make you jump for your computer or a pen/paper, is it worth writing? My best advice is to sit with it.

Some of my best work has come from stories that got to marinate. I put them in the back of my mind and thought about the characters or themes or plot when something sparked another idea. By the time I started typing, the story was more vivid than when I first though of it.

But also, I have probably twenty failed ideas for every story I've written.

Give yourself time to get to know your ideas. If they're worth your time, they'll sit with you too.

#writeblr #writing advice #story ideas #originality #writing tips #writers of tumblr #writing #creative writing #writing community #writing help #creativity

[borderlinebelle]

#mental health matters #this one hit me like bricks #free me #free yourself #recovering perfectionist #perfection #perfectionist #perfect #human behaviour #human nature #originality #creativity #jeez i love you guys

[heywriters]

I don't know if this has happened to you, but, I know that when it comes to fiction I know there is a lot of similar ideas going around when it comes to a certain character or situation, specially if they are popular.

And for some reason, sometimes I feel kinda scared of posting things that already exist. And I've seen some... authors getting beef for it, cause

A) No. I'm not ripping off your work. I swear, the idea of x character doing x thing came to me in a random moment while doing a mundane thing.

B) I know some other fiction authors inspire others (Wich is cool) but that leaves me with 3 questions.

1. When does the line of similar ideas and a complete rip off blurs?

2. Thoughts of this?

3. How to avoid it?

Thanks! Sorry if it's too much. Recently followed your blog in hopes to improve my writing (quite effective btw) You've been incredibly helpful ♥️.

It's essentially only a rip-off if you're profiting off it financially, and even then it's probably legal (see competitive movie studios releasing similar movies at the same time).

You really only need to be aware of plagiarism, and that's easy to avoid since plagiarism is extremely intentional (e.g. copy/paste and say you wrote it).

If you're just writing a similar story without knowing or intending for it to be similar, you're completely within your rights. Reference/inspiration have always been allowed regardless who complains.

If your worries are based on the Two Cakes allegory [You bake a nice cake for a party only to find someone else has already brought a cake, but the partygoers don't care because, hey, TWO cakes!] then there isn't really a problem. Readers are always content to have multiple stories containing their fave subject material, tropes, archetypes, etc.

If your worries are based on a fear of others, excuse me but screw'em. Maybe you're in a toxic online group/fandom, or maybe the problem is actually bigger in your head than in reality. Either way, screw'em. And if your work is in any way fanfiction, the only thing that would ever deserve backlash in this regard is outright plagiarism (stealing scenes word-for-word, copying OCs, etc).

Lastly, it's highly likely that whatever you're nervous you've copied was itself copied from something else. Many writers have come to me or other writeblrs because they are afraid their concept is copying some big franchise. My advice is always to find what that big story used for inspiration. Instead of their work, find the source material (or the thing they are being sued for plagiarizing, lol). Once you confirm for yourself that nothing is original, you can breathe easier writing whatever you want.

—

+ If you enjoy my blog and appreciate my advice, consider visiting my ko-fi and Buy Me A Coffee! 🤗

#writing #writing tips #plagiarism #originality #answer #writers on tumblr #creative writing

[intellectualpoaching]

Not that a man sees something new as the first one to do so, but that he sees something old, familiar, seen, but overlooked by everyone, as though it were new, is what distinguishes true originality.

Friedrich Nietzsche, Human, All Too Human

#quote #philosophy #nietzsche #originality #art #human all too human

[morimatea]

Find the beauty of nature, the feelings of the legend of light.

#morning quotes #light aesthetic #warm and cozy #morimatea #teapot #chaxi #teatray #tea #beautiful #window pane #pottery art #naturelovers #tea lover #pottery studio #artgallery #originality #cornertime

[jim-jams-posts]

Okay soooo I have an unpopular opinion. Disney's wish....wasn't tht bad,yes it could have been better but tht doesn't mean it's Terrible.

I just finished watching it and I feel like people are being to hard on it. Is wish good enough to LITERALLY BE THE 100 YEAR SPECIAL?? No. No I don't think so,however it's not a bad story. I mean don't get me wrong it would have been amazing to see star (as a actually boy) be asha's love interest. I mean it would have made sense as Disney's how brand is basically true love,wishes,hope etc. But the story...in (it's own way )is original and different,it's not a sequence an already pre existing story. I mean i respect tht they FinAlly~ decided to do something no one [as far as i know] has thought abt. But wholeheartedly I feel tht Disney's wish could have worked as something completely separate to the 100 special. Yes I still (as many others do to) have problems with the movie....somethings they could have done better,like I still will never understand why they decided to scrap star being an "actual" character but yeah in conclusion....

Wish wasn't tht bad and it could have been better. (I say and because I really do mean AND)

#wish #ashA #dreamworks animation #spoilers #originality #unpopular opinion #disney #pinocchio #peter pan #snow white #cinderella #fairy godmother

[roguetoo]

The Cloud Report Promo Poster by Vesa Lehtimäki Via Flickr: How about a poster to promote the photograph from yesterday? I found the idea silly enough to put one together. I googled the word "Gundam" in Katakana, I hope I got it right. I really do not know this stuff, I simply love how it looks.

#gundam #gunpla #scalemodel #miniature #scalemodeling #toy #toyphotography #toyphotographer #avanaut #originality #cloud #sky #robot #mecha #mechasuit #rx-78-2 #posterdesign #katakana #poster #design #flickr

[atelierclic64]

Servicios, Madrid, 2023

Photographie: Dany ERDOCIO

#black and white #originality #washbasin #graphic design