Diane Magras (she/her)My husband (a fellow writer) and I often talk about the concept of familiar originality (it comes from Tom Stoppard): how to create work that is original, close to our hearts, fulfilling our interests, and being true to ourselves; yet that has that flavor of familiarity that makes it marketable. I'm convinced that this is at the core of most published books.
Naomi Heartbreak@dianemagras I think a lot about what becomes popular is very random - something that just happens to catch someone's imagination and then others pile on to see what the fuss is about. I'd say it's mysterious and unexplainable, but then, I like things to be that way.
@paranoiapen Yes, what's popular to the market often seems random. But it's interesting to look for the connections. How is something familiar to people, or how does it repeat or comment on what's already been done? People have always said that there are only a handful of stories out there, and it's our telling of those stories that makes them different. I think that's largely true.
@dianemagras when you write a story, do you think to yourself, which story that's already been done should I choose to do again? I don't like to think about stories that way myself, but then, I have the luxury of being an amateur writer, so it really doesn't matter what other people think of my stories.
@paranoiapen I don't typically look for classic stories and try to write them as my own (though writers have done incredible work doing this with folk tales), but more when I notice stories and themes coming up in my work. This usually happens during revision when I'm going over a novel and trying to figure out what I'm really saying. And then those familiar stories—like the "finding yourself" plot that's common in my genre—become important supports to the idea I'm trying to convey.