Hello everyone it's Sleepy Sunday and I once again have an opinion.
As I was riding the bus home and hoping that on the way I would be stricken with inspiration for a hard hitting blog post that I could clearly explain my opinions and possible strike a reaction from someone.
Now there were a few things that I saw.
A girl with bleach white make-up on her forehead but very little from the side of her eyes downwards. Which I thought was quite disturbing but also funny.
A woman with such tight jeans that I wasn't sure whether to be turned on or sympathetic for her ass cheeks which were most likely bleeding from the tautness and tenacity of those tight fitting jeans.
There was also the thought that at that moment someone could be reading my mind.
But none of these things I thought of seemed to have much meat to them. They didn't seem to have the depth for a long blog post.
So instead I've decided to write about nothing. A whole lot of nothing it seems but still nothing.
Many writers in our time and before our time have succeeded merely by writing about nothing. Many newspaper columns are about absolutely nothing. They're about someone's thoughts about the world around them and what they think about the occurrences of every day life. People enjoy this because it's familiar.
The Japanese writer Nagaru Tanigawa made a strong career and fortune for himself by writing about nothing with a twist. His light novel series 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya' is filled with nothing. The main character Kyon would be doing nothing if he had not met Haruhi. His commentary about the moments where the group does normal things makes the reader feel at home and safe. It's familiar when he describes sitting in the club room with Koizumi playing a quiet game of Othello because we all know what it is like sitting quietly doing something simple with a friend or even someone your just acquainted with. Plus the voice acting of Crispin Freeman in the anime for Kyon makes the commentary even more fantastic.
Haruhi is nothing with a twist because the mundanity of life made interesting is interrupted by moments of sure panic, fantasy, awkwardness or all of the above. But it shows that great things come from ... well nothing.
Throughout the years of fictional writing or even none-fiction writers have been searching for the great epic to write or write about. Tirelessly searching for inspiration for a tale that will spin the minds of their people and turn nations with their life changing words.
But with the originality market almost completely saturated it becomes harder and harder to not bore your readers with something many people have said before you. So the smart money now is to find a unique way of writing about something that's already been done. Or trick someone into thinking what you have written is unique when actually the bare concept is for cliché and quite simple.
Take Avatar for example. Not taking into account the fact that the film was riding completely on its ability to make your mind bedazzled with all the pretty colours and pictures. Which fortunately puts me at an advantage because I can't see it in 3D due to eye problems so I can see what the film truly is. Pocahontas + giant blue people - Raccoon and Humming bird sidekick.
Of course the story was lacking but my point remains the same. This film has become a huge success on a cliché idea and unoriginal concept. Because it's familiar and a good concept.
Another one would be I-Robot. Robots become sentient and go rogue. Very familiar, very successful.
So I bring myself to a close with advice for all writers or even anyone in need of an idea. If you are struggling for a concept or idea, just go with something old and add your own personal flair or twist to it.
- Matt
It's Sunday, piss off I'm sleeping.
P.S Yes yes. The meat thing was a pun. Lads you can think about it and you'll get it. Ladies, don't think about it. You won't get it anyway.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Well it's true that things that have been done before usually is safe to do again, granted that the original or atleeast the idea yours spring out from was successful, the problem is that most new ideas are crap, or crappily executed :P. So if all you want is success and money, sure go with the known stuff, if you however want to contribute something, there's certainly always room for that, just make sure it's an actual good idea, I once saw this guy on TV he was in this show about the best invention it was a competition of sorts, and there was this young guy who's invention was a remote holder, it was a lump of plastic to hold remotes, but he was probably by friends and family led to believe that this was way better than it was. That is not to say you can't make something small plastic thing that isn't a great invention, just not a lump that does nothing but sit there. Be original, but also be smart, and don't always listen to those closest to you, their intentions are good, but often they just don't want to tell you you're being an unimaginative tosser.
ReplyDeletebtw. I know one; it's nice to meet a girl in the park, but it's even nicer to meat a girl in the park!