The Collective Unconscious?
I think I'm a little too tuned in to the creative masses...
As you may or may not know, I'm working on a paranormal YA this time around. So, a day after writing my scenes involving the spirit world, I saw a commercial for a Jennifer Love-Hewitt series The Ghost Whisperer. Yes, the show Medium already existed, so it's not like my premise is earth-shatteringly new, but still I was a bit rattled. To make matters worse, I then saw a romantic-comedy trailer for a Reese Witherspoon ghost picture.
Ack! I've tapped into something that's already out there. And my idea is soooo good!
Okay, I got over my inital freak out, thankfully. As most writers learn, no plot is ever going to be truly original (I mean, unless you're Diana Peterfreund or something...). It's how you write the story that makes it unique and fresh. Or at least that's the common wisdom.
After putting this into perspective, I got quite a bit of work done on the story yesterday. Those other related stories floating around out there may actually be a good thing. They are forcing me to go unexpected places.
I mean, who else would write a seance set in a bathroom, right? Only I could do that.
posted by Young Adult Authors @ 12:49 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
It is annoying when you tap into the collective unconscious with a new idea. But, as they say, it's all the execution.
Riiiiiight. Well, as the keeper of all original ideas, [ROFLMBO, here] it falls to me to tell you the story of how, when my editor presented my book at a sales meeting, some wet-behind-the-ears summer intern jeered that it was exactly like the plot of some made for TV movie she'd seen on USA or something ridiculous like that.
No new ideas. Really.
Oh, and in my last book, I had a seance in the bathroom. Seriously. I like them. Love to read more books with seances in bathrooms. keep writing!
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