Transcription
Foreign. [Music] There is nothing new under the Sun, but I will come up with an original story, even if it takes me until the heat death of the universe to do it. Ah, being original. The Holy Grail of writers and terrible riding advice is here to aid them on their quest to come up with original stories. In fact, I have my own very original story. See, a character goes on an epic journey after discovering they are chosen by a mysterious higher power. On their Adventure, they visit strange and amazing locations, meet a variety of wild characters, some of whom eat the protagonist, and eventually, the protagonist saves the world. Oh, and the bad guys are an evil empire run by a dark lord-like character. Original story. Do not steal. Oh, wait, that one already exists. Well, crap. There goes my first idea.
To be truly original, don't worry though. I'm sure other aspiring writers will fare better after watching my video on being original. Creating a truly original concept is, in fact, super easy, especially if a writer possesses the spark of creative genius. In fact, if a writer doesn't turn out page upon page of riveting originality, then they are not a good writer at all. In fact, they are a hack. The worst thing a writer can be. I mean, you know, other than poor. If a writer struggles with coming up with original ideas, then that rider should obviously panic and spiral into a creative crisis before retreating into a fortress made of their own ego, because being a writer is all about being an original creative genius that sneers down upon the simple plebeians and their asinine taste and does so effortlessly. It's good for even amateur riders to start with extremely high expectations as to how easy it is to be truly original. Such lofty ambitions certainly don't set up new riders for failure by giving them unrealistic expectations of just how difficult true originality is. It's also very important that originality be stressed as the mark of a true writer, as opposed to understanding the fundamentals of writing a story, because audiences love stories that are super original, especially in terms of being an unstructured mess that's impossible to follow. But hey, they can't complain because no one's done that. But before true originality can never backfire by being too alien for conventional audiences. We all know that originality always translates into sales. While Sammy Drake never finds any success, this is why formulaic romance novels are infamous for not selling well. But true originality could never hurt her work's chance at being popular, no matter how weird, niche, and unpalatable it is for mainstream audiences.
That's why I've revised my super original story idea. See, it's about a person from the normal world. One day, they find a special world that's hidden from normal people. Circumstances force them into exploring this special world, where they learn the truth about the mysterious circumstances of their birth and family, and then they have to save the special world from a dark, corrupting force. Original story. Do not steal. Oh, wait, that one already exists too. Ah, well, that's okay. There are only like seven basic plots anyways. Overcoming the monster, rags to riches, the quest, voyage and return, comedy, tragedy, and rebirth. I mean, depending on which system the writer wants to reference, there's also the hero's journey and the 3x track. Sure, Hollywood loves abusing both of those. Don't forget the rule of three or five tax pyramid. In fact, this list could go on forever. Story structures work kind of like religious dogma in that the writer should adhere to them zealously. Remember, original thinking can only occur inside this tightly shut and meticulously labeled box. It's the same with genre conventions. Once the writer has restricted their perspective to encompass only the narrow definitions of genre and story structure, only then can true originality be obtained. A writer can then simply tweak one single aspect of story structure and genre before loudly declaring that they have single-handedly performed a feat of unparalleled originality. This perspective is only possible if a writer is willfully ignorant of any creative accomplishments outside the last couple of months at most. Besides, it's not like dogmatic adherence to genre conventions and story structure can strangle the life from a story, much less its originality. That won't happen to me because I have an all-new original story idea. Okay, hear me out. It's a mythic journey, but with like rabbits. Original story. Do not deal. Oh, wait, that one already exists and animated adaptations have traumatized children the world over. I'll have to think of something even more strange and obscure.
Well, maybe what's really needed is to cultivate ideas for a story. A common issue I've read in a lot of amateur fiction is when a story has only a small handful of ideas that are stretched too thin across too large a story. The end result is something you can do, a sandwich that's all bread. Another common issue is when new riders lump every idea they have into the story. They just keep throwing in more and more until the whole thing is just a mess of ideas with no cohesion. The end result is something akin to a sandwich that's all meat, and what little bread there is is soaked in mustard. How can a rider balance quantity of ideas with idea quality? The answer to this difficult question is actually rather easy. Don't bother. The creative genius required for avant-garde originality is above such petty trifles. When a writer is original, all ideas are good ideas. The real pitfall is overthinking things like keeping a note of interesting ideas that can be later used to flesh out a story, then taking those ideas and selecting ones that synergize well with each other or the story's tone, theme, and or symbolism. That is all unneeded because the only litmus testing idea needs before it's thrown into the story is that the ideas seem cool. This will never backfire. Ideas that seem cool at the moment will always stay cool, no matter how much time passes. Riders should never express doubt that an idea might actually be really stupid once the sheen wears off and they find themselves in front of an unamused audience. It's not like I've experienced that a few times as a dungeon master, as I was forced to stare down a table of bewildered and frustrated players, and that was when I was lucky and they weren't just laughing at my incompetence. Don't worry, "Why did you think that was a good idea?" is a question that true original thinkers will never hear. Never give ideas time to cool. Time is a great litmus test for if an idea will truly fit into a story, but creative geniuses are exempt from paying its toll. There is no need to look at an idea and think, "What does this add to the story?" Remember that ideas are not cheap. For true creative geniuses, in their special case, every idea is golden and above scrutiny. As such, any idea a writer has should be considered a sacred cow and worth approximately all the money. Writers should never share their ideas because someone might steal them. That's just how precious they are. This story idea is so great that everyone is after it because this story is perfect, at least in my head. Never mind that the worst story in the world is still infinitely better than the best story in my head, because at least the worst story actually exists in the real world. Am I conflating my sense of self-worth with what basically amounts to daydreaming? Is the true test of skill in storytelling not the quality of ideas themselves, but how well a writer utilizes their ideas in the story? Most certainly not. That would make me an egotistical blowhard desperately seeking validation rather than a creative trailblazer that I truly am. Better to focus on how great my ideas are rather than how they work in context of the story, because ideas are what writers should focus on while ignoring the basic skills that act as a foundation for storytelling. This most definitely isn't because of my creative genius. Narrative might fall apart if I scrutinize it, so better to emphasize idea quality rather than actually knowing how to write. Originality is best used to dismiss the whole experience thing. Geniuses don't need experience to be good at things, and neither do I. Nor that they need to worry about how a good idea implemented poorly usually makes it no longer a good idea. Is the true acumen of a writer's skill to take old cliches and present them in a way that makes them compelling again? No, it's to write a thousand new ideas no one has ever seen before for bragging rights. Like my new idea. See, it's set on a space hospital that treats aliens. That's an idea that I'm sure no one has explored. Original story. Do not steal. Oh, wait, I think there's more than one of those now. Drat. I should have some kind of illegal way to stop people from taking my great ideas. That's why I'm going to trademark and copyright my ideas, even broad ones that huge corporations can't defend in court. I'm sure it will work out for me, even though I have only a fraction of mega resources. And hey, I can make the rest of the writing community mad at me while I'm at it with petty litigation. Again, I can't stress this enough, the ideas themselves are what makes the story good, not actual good writing. I can just scrimp on that part. This is the best attitude to have while ignoring that the beating heart of a story isn't something that's so easy to classify and put a label on. That what makes a great story isn't simply good ideas, but a culmination. Stories are the sum of their parts working in tandem, not the largely subjective value of their ideas. But that's just stupid talk from someone without any true original ideas under their belt, unlike me. Take for example, my new story idea. Let's see, it's about a bunch of characters with interconnected stories, and like, there's this malevolent entity that attacks them when they are at their emotional low point, and like, he uses a bit baseball bat or something. Ha. There. Original story. Do not steal. Surely there's nothing out there like that. Oh, wait, that one already exists as an anime, actually. I'm pretty sure anime has covered just about every weird, off-the-wall story premise, which is bad because there won't be any originality left for me, because originality is the single most important thing in writing. Unless something is 100% original, then it has no creative value. There could only be the one best version of anything. Something is either the best, most original version, or it should just go and die somewhere out of the way. I guess there is no room for multiple works in any genre, and any writers who don't exist at the absolute apex are all hacks. Remember that all writing is a zero-sum game, and there can be only one. All a rider need do is redefine an entire genre or create an entirely new one effortlessly, or face collective scoring from all society, with forever known as a failure hack wannabe for all eternity. No pressure. Just relax and write what you want to write, while keeping an eye out for revision and being aware of the conventions, tropes, cliches, and potential pitfalls of your chosen genre. Impossible. How will I be known as the single greatest creative person in history then?
But what if a rider realizes that they are indeed a hack and are not capable of being original? Well, fear not. Just make something unoriginal and then just pass it off as original. Most people won't notice the difference, and those who do will be shattered down by legions of zealous fans who reflexively type slurs in the comments when someone utters the words "media literacy." And if that doesn't work out, then don't worry. A true writer stands alone because everything is a monolith that comes from nowhere. Storytelling isn't an evolutionary process where each new iteration is built upon what came before, all the way back to the dawn of storytelling. Instead, let creative anxiety and a clawing need for validation drive a rider's quest for originality, rather than a genuine desire to explore interesting concepts. I must continue my quest to be original, even though it's all been done. Sorry, it's all been done. All of it. Except for my new idea, of course. See, I'll give people sarcastically bad writing advice. No one has ever done that before. Original story. Do not steal. Oh, wait, that already is an entire book. Maybe I should just stop worrying about being original. Let it go. Write what you love. Love what you write. Love it enough to want to improve it. It doesn't have to upend the very foundations of storytelling to be creatively worthwhile. While, but no, it is critical that every rider want to be the freaking Magellan of creatives, even if they have to eat the rigging. Besides, if a writer isn't original, then the writing police will show up and take the writing license away. Then they will be forever doomed to a life of making Sonic recolors. I've always hated chaos. The mewling, incompetent masses would never understand what it takes to rule from the shadows. Every puppet stream can be manipulated by only the lightest touch of my fingers. Three steps ahead of me. Check again, because it's already checkmate. The willful blindness of the masses is my shield, because everything is going all according to plan. What are you whining about now? Are you still convinced I'm going to screw this up? Oh, I'm not worried about things that have already happened. You look like an edge lord. Whatever, Mr. Tactical. Listen, just try not to fluff too much during the debate. I control every major power from the shadows, but there are some PR disasters that even I can't fix. Good evening. Live from Federation Star Atorium, I welcome you to the Federation presidential debate. The first candidate is former General Chainsaw, the War Monger Party nominee. How hard can politics be? And the other candidate, the nominee for the Green Party, Inner Greed. Greetings, everyone. I am Greed, and greed is good. Oh no, he's fully animated for too long. As the Federation suffered under the incompetent fumbling of its military-industrial complex, its wealth squandered on pointless planet-building exercises, billions lost in bombing stone-aged blue furries on backwater worlds, the wasteful proxy war with space communists, and for what? And what does the Federation's bloated military ever brought them other than budget deficits? But I have brought you something. This video sponsor, CuriosityStream. CuriosityStream is a subscription streaming service with thousands of documentaries and non-fiction titles. Titles like "The Secret World of Lego" or new series like "Alien Takeover" that explore the biology of a single invasive species. Each episode. I do enjoy explorations of ecology, of course. You like invasive species, Greed? Oh, my dear General, if only you were capable of recognizing the irony of you making that statement. I keep saying those blue cat people needed some democracy and freedom, just like the mineral wolf they were sitting on needed to be freed. Well, I suppose if that doesn't interest you, then you could always go back to watching World War II documentaries. I recommend the Apocalypse series. They even colorize the footage, and it's got a pretty good soundtrack. CuriosityStream is even teamed up with Nebula, a streaming service built by a host of educational creators here on YouTube, featuring original content free from the yoke of YouTube and its restrictions. Why, you don't even have to choose between them. TWA fans can sign up at curiositystream.com/TWA and get 26% off CuriosityStream's annual subscription for less than $15 a year. That's $14.79 using the code TWA to get both CuriosityStream and free Nebula access, including ad-free TWA videos. Signing up helps you directly support the TWA expanded universe. What you got going on? Backstage password required. Uh, password one. What idiot makes his password password one? Apply animation rig. Uh, sure. So this is how he's animating himself now. It's all mine. Oh, thank you.