A number of years ago there was an, unfortunately, short-lived scifi magazine titled \u201cAboriginal Science Fiction.\u201d\u00a0 It published short stories, movie reviews and book reviews.\u00a0 The one thing I will always remember was the way one of its book reviewers began one of his columns.\u00a0 He was responding to the question, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you ever review the newest Star Trek novel?\u201d\u00a0 His answer came down to this: if he picked up a book in a bookstore, and from its cover and synopsis gathered that the plot was something he had read a thousand times before in other books, he put it down and moved on.\u00a0 He wanted something new.<\/p>\n
Now don\u2019t get me wrong, we all have our likes, and when most people really like something they enjoy reading it over and over.\u00a0 This is the reason we get movie sequels which are generally the same plot slightly rehashed in a slightly different setting \u2013 we enjoy visiting the same place over and over.<\/p>\n
The most extreme version of this in writing is fan fiction.\u00a0 Take characters established in other books or in film and write your own stories about them.\u00a0 If you\u2019re a good writer you can probably get some folks to read your work, but is this really what you want to do?\u00a0 What about those, like the reviewer in Aboriginal, who look for something different?\u00a0 How do you reach them? The answer is simple – try to be as original as possible.<\/p>\n
This doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t write that sword and sorcery novel you\u2019ve dreamed of, but if you find yourself populating the world with orcs and trolls and elves and dark riders you\u2019re not really trying very hard.\u00a0 Can\u2019t you call them something else?\u00a0 Because if you do then you need to explain, at least to yourself, what they are, and every little new twist you come up with makes the story more your own creation.\u00a0 It also can make it more enjoyable to every reader looking for something a bit different.\u00a0 How about making the deformed magical creatures (e.g., the orcs) the good guys?\u00a0 That would be different, and would take work, but you might end up with an interesting and original story.<\/p>\n
Sometimes you can take a well used idea, look at it from a different angle and find a gold mine. The late Sir Terry Pratchett took sword and sorcery, played it for laughs with his Discworld series, and became world famous with a following of millions.<\/p>\n
The trick is always to ask \u201cWhat if?\u201d\u00a0 When I say that I don\u2019t mean what if the Cylons hadn\u2019t rebelled in \u201cBattlestar Galactica,\u201d although that might be an interesting premise.\u00a0 I mean what if there were no nuclear weapons?\u00a0 What if mankind had discovered immortality in 1958?\u00a0 What if scientists discovered that \u201cdark matter\u201d was the source of magic in the universe and we learned how to control it?\u00a0 What if? What if? What if?<\/p>\n
As a writer it\u2019s your job to answer the \u201cwhat if?\u201d with a vision.\u00a0 Get into a game of \u201cWhat if?\u201d with some friends, it\u2019s a blast!<\/p>\n
Then sit down and write about it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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