Adding Originality to a Story

[Aileo]

I honestly believe there is no such thing as an original story, as most are based on precious few archetypes. However I got to thinking after recently playing through UnderTale that even a simple plot, such as getting from point A to B, can be a wonderful journey. So I was wondering, dear forum, what you think about changing or adding to a story that makes a plain idea shine? How can I as a potential writer craft a work that is compelling to read even when its plot has been done a million times?

[SundownKid]

I think it's mainly just having a knowledge of the tropes involved and knowing where to "pull the train switch" to make the story go somewhere unexpected or interesting, or to make the setting different.

So let's say you were told to write a story about the hero saving the kingdom from an evil villain, that's a typical trope ridden story. Then all you have to do is change one element to make it original.

For example:
The wrong guy was picked as the hero and doesnt want to admit it.
The kingdom is actually evil and the villain wants to save it.
The villain is actually harmless and thought to be evil because of superstition, but if the hero doesnt kill it he will be branded as evil.
The princess orchestrated her kidnapping to get away from the castle.
The hero gets killed by the villain who proceeds to take over, then the real story starts.

Or you could go for originality in the setting:
People can only use a magic spell once every 48 hours.

Et cetera. And bam, you have an original story.

[Kate]

If you think in a "meta" light, life itself has been done trillions of times. Human life has been done billions of times. Nothing is ever truly original, yet everything is unique in some way. Like snowflakes.
-retreats back into cave-

[gekiganwing]

I honestly believe there is no such thing as an original story, as most are based on precious few archetypes.

It's true. What Kate said is also true. Everything that has been said in fiction has been said before. The idea that you think is innovative might have been written years ago in a prose novel, a movie, a comic, or some other form of media.

That said... start by reading TVTropes' article So You Want to be Original. The site has a number of inspirational or thoughtful articles, but keep in mind that it can be a notorious time sink.

Afterwards, think about the following:

1. Ask yourself, "What do I want to achieve with my story?" Perhaps you can write a story that's personal, and that reflects your interests and experiences. Maybe you're writing in order to react to several stories that you really liked, and perhaps also some that you did not especially enjoy.

2. Indie creators have to make sure their stories and games can find an audience willing to buy them. If you're creating freeware, this is not a concern. Your story can be as experimental, ridiculous, or didactic as you want.

3. Read outside your favorite genres and categories. There's a world of experiences out there. Look for styles and formats that are unfamiliar to you. I say this as a person who grew up reading a lot of fantasy novels, and who didn't realize for years just how many books could be described as Lord of the Rings with a handful of changes.

4. Remember, sometimes people like stories *because* they have familiar elements. Comparing and contrasting can be an enjoyable activity. For instance, the movies Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful were released one year apart, and are clearly similar. You'll find people who like both, or who prefer one over the other.

5. Finally, don't worry too much. If you experience frustration and worry, then strive to finish writing it and move on.

I read SundownKid's comments and liked them. Consider a variety of ways to help your story stand out. I don't recommend patterning your story after a popular one, just changing the setting, and then calling it a day. Instead, think about things such as tone, pacing, and format. For instance...

* Fill your story with absurd comedy.
* Or keep it relentlessly bleak.
* Make sure your story focuses on the characters being proactive
* Slow the pace down with many calm conversations.
* Tell it through a series of fictional diary or blog entries.
* Create short chapters.
* Try writing it in first person narrative from just one person's perspective.
* Try second person narrative.

[Yolo400]

just let it flow, what you make will end up yours.

one does not force.

[CrazyHussar]

I bet you know some stories what original or isn't or even filled with clichés - let's imagine them with an opposite outcome. Here's the most used japanese anime/manga/VN cliché ever:

The phatetic protagonist is late to school at the first day so they lovely, helpful and mostly incest but super cute little sister wakes him up and he has to run with a bread in his mouth. Meanwhile he _accidentally_ bumps to a 11/10 tsundere and -as always- the protagonists sees her pink panties -and fo course he says nothing- then the tsundere kicks him in the head with an authentic "kyaa". 10 mins later he founds that the tsundere is his classmate and she shouts "you're the chikan from this morning!".

Let's tighten up a bit:

The painfully average but not so bad protagonist is late to school and his (maybe) helpful and kind of lovely but not-at-all-incest little sister tries to wake him up. The average protagonist says something "just five more mins" then the not-at-all-incest little sister operates her extreme painful wrestle move to wake him up. The protagonist run with a croissant in his mouth but he will eats that halfways then bumps to a 10/10 average but very nice girl and accidentally sees her black(!) panties (but he doesn't sure about it because it's black), apologizes then helps the girl to stand up. Later he founds that very nice average girl is his classmate and luckily the girl doesn't give a sh*t about the morning's accident.

Way more original isn't?

[Nicodemus_Reborn]

At this point, I can agree that originality comes from the minute details and not the overarching theme or archetype. When I brainstorm ideas (for VNs and D&D sessions) with my friends, I'm always quick to discard my ideas for being too unoriginal or being an oversaturated genre at the moment.

I think SundownKid summed it up pretty well - the twists and hooks you add to your story will make it unique. Take something that seems unoriginal, and ask yourself "How could I change this?" Is it a magic-using story? How do they cast it? What is the cost? Is there a stigma associated with it?

[YonYonYon]

Adding to the all previous comments...

God is in details, like, take an overused plot, change a couple of details and work from that.

Because different characters act differently, different settings demand different solutions and have different possibilities. Like all human beings are different, not because they're all so original, but they got different sets of circumstances. For example, a person who lived all their life in a desert would be very fascinated to see an ocean, it also would be a unique experience thanks to their previous history with oceans. Like, what if their family lived near an ocean before they moved to the desert, and they have heard stories from their beloved parents/grandparents?

Take a very standard fairytale story: Travel to the tower, slay the dragon, save the princess, get the kingdom.

Change the main character, for example. Make him a thief instead of a knight, how does he save the princess? Give him some unusual talent, or an unusual disadvantage. Make him a dark knight, who wants the kingdom for his world domination plan. Make him her brother and make the story about family ties. Make him a lesbian woman who loves the princess and it's her only chance to marry her.

Change the princess. Make her the one who takes the action, befriending the dragon. Make her a dragon, captured by an evil princess. Make her a prince in distress for once.

Or change the setting. Like, everything is happening in space! Or it's happening in our world in our time. Or take an inspiration from other cultures around our world.

I'm not saying that this is all you need for originality. And it's an oversimplification, maybe, but this "What if?" question is very important. Like in Undertale, the question possibly was "What if you don't have to fight monsters in RPG game, but befriend them instead?" And it sparked a chain reaction of other questions like "Why?", "How?", "Who?", etc.