For the last two days I have been thinking about the difficulty of developing a creative work. I did some reading, as it was a subject that was on my mind, and then I tried to widen my view by discussing my thoughts with ChatGPT.
On the other hand, after a few months, I met up again with my good friend of 17 years. He is not an enthusiastic person about writing, but when he saw my passion, he started asking questions. “How did you start? What are you doing? Do you like what you do?” and then he elaborated with questions like “Do you think there were people who inspired you? Do you think you have written something really interesting and different? What do you pay attention to when creating your fiction so that it is not like the others?”
Since I haven’t talked about it much, I either skipped these questions or didn’t think about them because none of them came to mind. But the funny thing is that because I had spent time on the subject that day and before, my answers came faster and more fluently than I thought they would.
Actually, I was looking at this topic to get ideas for the books I want to write later. When I write them, I don’t want them to be completely similar to my current stories, I want to add a difference. Of course, it is also important to do it in the right way, not to exaggerate, or to edit without damaging the existing fiction.
Writing the beginning of a work is, in my opinion, the most difficult task. That’s why I thought of creation myths as a subject since I’m planning to write a fiction series. You know, they are clichés. There is a mysterious being who somehow rules the universe. To be honest, that kind of fiction also applies to my story, but if you think about it, that’s not the point. The point is that we can’t come up with anything more unique. It is very difficult, if not impossible.
Before I get into the topic, I should draw your attention to the following two concepts, because I want to use them to further the background of the topic: originality and uniqueness.
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Originality refers to the state in which something is not derived from what already exists and is innovative or original. An original thing is a work that is different from others or stands out with a different point of view, style or content.
Uniqueness is the state in which something is completely unique, one-of-a-kind, and so different that it cannot be compared to anything else. A unique item stands out because it has no analogues and cannot be compared to anything else. This does not necessarily make it better than anything else, of course, but it can make it more interesting in one way or another.
Now, the concepts may seem a bit confusing at first, but they are not. The main difference is that an original work may be inspired by another work, but it is a work that is ultimately, if not entirely, dominated by its own novelty. Unique, on the other hand, is literally unlike anything else, a one-off.
Let’s speed up retention with an example. A painting by an artist inspired by nature may be original. The painter may have interpreted the subject differently from everyone else and added his own style. To put it simply, he has a unique style; perhaps he finds the pink colour of the trees more attractive, or he is always careful to make his brush strokes spiral.
On the other hand, a diamond, of which there is only one in the world, is a unique example. As we have seen, a specimen can be a concrete object rather than a work that is created from abstract thoughts. It cannot be compared to other diamonds because it is formed in a completely unique way. There is no other like it. This can give it unexpected recognition or value.
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Let us now turn to myth. We know that the human desire to tell stories has been present throughout history. It is also a fact that although these stories vary in local content and contain their own unique parts, they share a common point. For example, the bones and remains that we have not even encountered in the evolutionary process, but which we have assumed to be dragons due to poor technology and insufficient experimentation/knowledge at the time, actually belong to other animals. Nevertheless, we have continued to tell their stories, diversifying them and making them an element of fantasy. If you look, you will find that there is a dragon motif and story almost everywhere in the world.
In other words, the structure of human thought takes a common form. Although cultural, linguistic, historical and traditional differences may manifest themselves, what resonates in the mind always remains the same. So even if our ideas are original, we can’t say that they are absolutely unique.
When I was discussing with ChatGPT, I kept thinking about how we could overcome this. I asked him to give me some unique examples. Yes, they were not like the stories I had heard, but they were not things I thought were great in themselves. I ended up asking for examples when I remembered that this was, after all, a human endeavour. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t come up with anything completely unique.
But we are missing something obvious. The phenomenon called fiction is creative and unlimited within the power of your imagination. Perhaps there is a regular obstacle in our minds. For example, think of technological innovations that you have never heard of. When you see them for the first time (whether you like them or not), you find them interesting and innovative. You wonder why no one has thought of it before. But then you start to think that the logic behind it (at least at first glance, and without getting caught up in the technical details) might be something you could come up with. Now, the glamour it creates in your eyes may begin to fade. For it is original, but not entirely unique. Once you have internalised it or learned it, it begins to take on an original form.
On the other hand, there is something else that should not be overlooked: the abundance of works. It is inevitable that although we think we are pursuing a different narrative, we are actually creating works that contain a similar narrative in some way. We are instinctively influenced by other works that we consume. Maybe it’s a fairy tale we read as a child, or part of a story we’ve been told. When we finally encounter it, there is no need to feel frustrated because it is a natural occurrence.
Let’s go back to the concept of fiction. When writing your stories, remember that you should write from the heart. So repeat that the emphasis should be on it being completely your own, not unique. This is what will bring you joy. We have said that it is difficult to create a unique work, but originality is not as easy to achieve as it seems.
Think of a unique work. If your answer is Tolkien’s famous works, you are wrong. Although it is a great work, even a series, and is done with quality, it is original, not unique. Religious references, the influence of Norse mythology, a fictional language adapted from Finnish and inspiration from another work about the main symbol, the ring… Don’t get me wrong, he needed it all to create this great work, and I’m glad he did. Because, as Umberto Eco pointed out, creative fiction is what makes people think and talk about it.
Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash
I mean, creating a completely unique piece of fiction is difficult and rare. I think the main thing is to mix your favourite thoughts and ideas in the light of everything that will help you develop, rather than trying to be unique and beating yourself up. To put all this into practice, to show what is special about you and to go beyond mediocrity. This is the greatest joy and the joint product of your imagination and craftsmanship.
This is the last article of the year. Barring any mishaps, see you on the 1st of January and wish you a great year.
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