On What's Original (and what's derivative)

I was having a conversation with my husband the other day and an interesting point came up... a point that most artists struggle with - the idea of original work vs derivative work.

Specifically, it was about that moment when what you're working on seems like such an awesomely original idea that you furiously write it all down. And as you're working on it, as you're working to revise it, or you're getting it reviewed/critiqued, you realized.... it's been done before. The horror.
But what's wrong with derivative? Can one truly have an idea/theme/story that's never been done? In today's time? I don't think so.

I think writers/artist take their inspiration from the world around them and from other forms of art. That's how ideas generate - when people are exposed to new/foreign ideas or view something from a new perspective. Derivative art is original art.

Imagine if some of our favorite writers didn't write because something's "been done." What if Laurel K Hamilton decided to give up on her Anita Blake books because the whole Vampire-Hunter love-hate thing's "been done" ala Buffy? Or Stephanie Meyer decided to not write her Twilight series because Vampire-Human-Werewolf stories "have been done." Or the creators/writers of Vampire Diaries decided to not do pursue the series since there's so much Vampire-Werewolf-Witch- Supernatural stuff already out there? Or how about where the stories of Vampires, Werewolves, Witches and other supernatural beings originate? Are we not supposed to write about them because Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley got there first? These supernatural beings can be traced back to folktale origins... so when or what constitutes as the line for something that's "been done before?"

A personal experience of when I was confronted with the "It's been done" monster - when I was in college, I was in a creative writing class. For one of my assignments, I'd written an crime story from the POV of the person committing the crime. It was a girl who was bent on revenge, aiming to kill a man that was the leader of a crime group. Twist at the end... he's her father!

One of the guys who critiqued it said I ripped off Star Wars.  Imagine my surprise and distress... since I've not ever seen Star Wars. By this time, all 6 episodes were already out and many many many people had seen it. I was one of the few whose parents were not big movie people, and i didn't have friends who were into the sci-fi/fantasy scene. But that's not the point. The point is... the ONLY commonality between Star Wars and my short story was the "I'm your father" twist.

Umm... the Greeks got there first. Oedipus. Kills his father, marries his mother - all because (surprise!) he didn't know his real parents! It was prophesied. And in Daytime soap operas... the real parent of the baby/child reveal or hidden/lost love child reveal was almost an annual thing. It's a drama trope! I'm pretty sure they did it before Lucas wrote it into Star Wars.

So... if you have an idea, run with it. Someone else did something similar? So what? You may have similar ideas, but your execution of the story will be different. Every writer has his/ her own distinct style and voice and how (s)he treats the theme/idea is just as important as what is told. Don't keep from writing what you want to write because of the idea that someone else wrote about it first.

Did you have an enthusiasm dampening experience where you stopped working on a project because, "It's been done?" What did you do to overcome it and move on?

On Culture, Customs, Class lines, and Outsiders

A writer I occasionally follow wrote about an observation he made at a Thai restaurant. It seems like he did an exercise that all of us writers do when we people-watch, make the observation and create a story to go with it.  When the hostess/woman and waiter at the counter bowed to a non-assuming asian college student, the assumption that it was a sign of respect to someone of higher stature.  He wrote that this bowing and the girl's hand-wave was a clear and overt display of class distinction where the lower class revered the higher class. There was also the supposition that the US doesn't have hard lines of class distinction. It's a "quirk" of "our" culture.  By "our" did he mean "American?" Was there a presumption that the "young Asian-American college student" didn't share in the "American" culture since she was clearly part of the "other" culture?

I had a slightly visceral reaction to his post mainly because of all the second generation baggage I grew up with (some would define me as 1st gen since I was born in the US, but my parents are immigrants). Additionally, I have all of the cultural the baggage that comes from growing up in a cultural enclave. Also, if a person has not experienced/observed class lines & distinctions, have not had to navigate those lines, then (s)he is in a position of privilege (but not so privileged that (s)he identified as part of the elite class).

That being said, I think a presumption of culture, rituals, and protocol is a slippery slope towards misrepresentation, stereotyping, and covert racism. As authors and writers, I think it's important to do our best to truly understand a culture before we build a world that incorporates aspects of it.

So... I'm just going to present 2 videos that represent...

1)




And 2) ... as food for thought.





What about you? What's your take on cultural gestures, customs, and the like? Do you know of any writer who did a great job at creating and/or representing different cultures? Any authors/writers that you've read (or work you've seen) who created a unique/distinct culture that is not easily (or disrespectfully) identifiable as "ethnic"?

Back to Basics and whatever it takes

So last night, I went back to basics. I pulled out a journal I'd been kinda using (it's over 10 years old judging by the first entry in it) and used it to pen some ideas and notes on my most current project. I ended up writing for a few hours and 7 pages worth of notes, giving the project a little but more clarity and structure. Now, I've torn those pages out and tucked them into the pocket of my Moleskine journal.

I thought it was appropriate for the story that I'm writing - one that's steeped in Chinese superstition and death rituals - that I succumb to a but of writer superstition as well. For those of you who don't know, Moleskine notebooks have a bit of legend to it, being the notebook of choice for artists and writers like Van Gogh and Hemmingway. They're also my favorite since they're so portable, yet well made (sewn pages, some perforated for easy tear-out when needed, durable cover, good paper).

So now, I carry my Moleskine with me where ever I go.  I just need to find the nifty pen holster for it so I don't need to dig around for a pen. I'm also staying up later and consuming inordinate amounts of coffee (even by my standards).  But all of this will be worth it.