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Being Original is Hard
Are writers doomed to imitate and repeat ourselves/each other?
I have two drafts that sit in my drafts folder, mocking me. I don’t know why I don’t just delete them.
They linger, like unflushable turds, to remind me that I always need to check myself before I wreck myself.
I thought they were so original and clever when I wrote them. And then, like a dumbass, I did a Google search.
Never, ever do a Google search, especially if you are a pop culture writer. You may quickly find that (almost) all of the good ideas have been taken.
That hot take you fired off, so full of passion and panache? It’s been done, and most infuriatingly often better, elsewhere.
Of course, I could always rewrite my pieces to make sure they have their own twist on a taken take, and I have done this before. But god if it doesn’t sap the life out of me as a writer.
We all want to think we are terribly original and the first person to ever think of a (seemingly) novel idea.
Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of ways to put your own stamp on an idea. It can feel daunting, for instance, when you see a new show or film has been reviewed or written about numerous times.
