Authors, Writers, Publishers, and Book Readers

Are there any unique story ideas?

Albert Einstein once said that "the secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources". He had a point. Consciously or unconsciously, many authors take their lead from what's gone before. I'm not saying that's wrong, just that it happens. Inspiration comes in many forms.

Are there any stories out there that are unarguably different or are we at the point where the majority of books are destined to be a rehash of previous works? Please see if you can think of one book you've read that was unique in some way.

I don't want to believe that we've ran out of ideas. Are there subjects out there that are begging to be written about that have so far been largely ignored? There must be.

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Kunz on October 14, 2009 at 6:19am

I have tried that, once before. I couldn't find anything that fit my interest so I thought I'd try out an actual romance novel instead of a combination of fantasy and romance and I couldn't even finish the book. I don't even know why though, I enjoyed the book, the Characters felt real and everything, but I guess the plot just hit too close to home and I didn't feel like reading something I was still trying to get over myself. I put it aside and read a couple other books that I had lying around and then attempted to finish it again at a later date, but I still couldn't bring myself to finish it completely. Pissed me off though, I hate not finishing a book that I start. I don't remember the name of it (I'm terrible with names), but it was the only book that I couldn't finish.

Kay Elizabeth said:

Andrew, how about trying a section that you would never venture into? When I feel I get in a rut I go to a completely alien part of the store and look. I force myself to read a genre or subject that normally I wouldn't. And if you don't want to spend money on a book you might hate, go to the library and get one for free. :) It sounds crazy, I know. Still, it broadens the mind!

Andrew Kunz said:
I remember reading Catcher in my Grade 11 English Class, least I think it was 11, might have been 12; but I was so interested in that book because I hadn't read anything like it before, that I went ahead of the class and finished the book before anyone else had. My teacher handed out quizes and question sheets about the book and half of the stuff I had to go and re-read the book because I was so far ahead I had almost forgotten what had happened in the beginning of the book, lol.
But to answer your question, Scribbler, I personally haven't found a book that I can say is definitively original. Every store I go to has a book section, most of the time, and a lot of the stuff they have for sale looks to be all the same. I stand there and read the back cover of most of the books and the majority of them are just different variations of the previous. Somewhat annoys me when I'm trying to find something to read that I haven't read before.

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Permalink Reply by Kay Elizabeth on October 14, 2009 at 7:22pm

That's an interesting style she has there Callie. By "girl and her father who can read characters out of books" do you mean that they come alive in front of them like a real person?

Callie Leah said:

When you say the word unique, the first book that pops into my mind is the Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke. She is a genius writer and has written several other books I can't wait to read. This is a book about a girl and her father who can read characters out of books by reading out loud. My favorite thing about this series is that before every chapter, she takes a paragraph or two from another book that tells you a quik summary of the chapter. Most of this book is actually a book recomendation. I certainly have never even heard of a book like that.

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Permalink Reply by Kay Elizabeth on October 14, 2009 at 7:26pm

That's understandable if it affected you like that Andrew. I rarely don't finish books either even if they are rubbish and hate leaving pages unread too. When you're ready to read that again, the title will come back to you. You're probably just not ready yet.

Andrew Kunz said:

I have tried that, once before. I couldn't find anything that fit my interest so I thought I'd try out an actual romance novel instead of a combination of fantasy and romance and I couldn't even finish the book. I don't even know why though, I enjoyed the book, the Characters felt real and everything, but I guess the plot just hit too close to home and I didn't feel like reading something I was still trying to get over myself. I put it aside and read a couple other books that I had lying around and then attempted to finish it again at a later date, but I still couldn't bring myself to finish it completely. Pissed me off though, I hate not finishing a book that I start. I don't remember the name of it (I'm terrible with names), but it was the only book that I couldn't finish.

Kay Elizabeth said:
Andrew, how about trying a section that you would never venture into? When I feel I get in a rut I go to a completely alien part of the store and look. I force myself to read a genre or subject that normally I wouldn't. And if you don't want to spend money on a book you might hate, go to the library and get one for free. :) It sounds crazy, I know. Still, it broadens the mind!

Andrew Kunz said:
I remember reading Catcher in my Grade 11 English Class, least I think it was 11, might have been 12; but I was so interested in that book because I hadn't read anything like it before, that I went ahead of the class and finished the book before anyone else had. My teacher handed out quizes and question sheets about the book and half of the stuff I had to go and re-read the book because I was so far ahead I had almost forgotten what had happened in the beginning of the book, lol.
But to answer your question, Scribbler, I personally haven't found a book that I can say is definitively original. Every store I go to has a book section, most of the time, and a lot of the stuff they have for sale looks to be all the same. I stand there and read the back cover of most of the books and the majority of them are just different variations of the previous. Somewhat annoys me when I'm trying to find something to read that I haven't read before.

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Permalink Reply by Kay Elizabeth on October 14, 2009 at 7:31pm

Cheryl, I love the sound of that book! I'll watch out for that. Is it a new one or has it been out quite a while? Hope the studies are going well too.

Is the author herself deaf? I would imagine that would be a tremendously hard subject to write about if you hadn't experienced it firsthand or at least within your family.

Cheryl said:

Well, I am doing Deaf Studies at University. I randomly spotted it one day in a book store and thought it sounded really interesting. What is unique about it is that it explores a love that crosses two language, but not two spoken languages... the main character in the book becomes deaf as a child after a bout of scarlet fever...the book explores the different languages she uses through her life, the oral one her gran teaches her, the 'home signs' her and her sister use, the true sign language she is taught later at school and the language she uses with her husband.
There is an element of the familiar in the novel, as Grania (that's the main character) Grania's husband goes off to war - but the main focus of the novel is deafness. I've never read such an expressive book, sometimes the author tells us things through Grania's eyes - she interprets the world in a visual way. The author is so clever in using shorter sentences at the beginning of the novel, with very little syntax or complex wording, because Grania herself wouldn't be using language like that...as the novel progresses and she begins to learn sign language her expressions slowly change and we see more complex and expressive language being used.

Having babbled on for long, I now realise I will never do this book justice! You can buy it for £3 at www.play.com :-)

scribbler said:
Tell us more Cheryl please. It's nice to meet you. What's unique about Deafening and how did you come across this book?

Cheryl said:
A book that I'm sure you will see me mention a lot on this site (I'm determined that everyone will read it :-D ) is Deafening... if there is another book out there like it, I'd sure like to know... if looked at something that had never been looked at in a novel before.
I think the backdrops that authors choose to use nowadays tend to be what has been popular in the past, for example war or romance etc etc... however familiar isn't always a bad thing as long as there is some original thoughts in there somewhere. Familiar can be comforting.

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Permalink Reply by Jasmine Andrade on October 25, 2009 at 3:07am

I don't understand why I've never heard of a book about a group unexpectedly being stuck on a desert island.

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Permalink Reply by Kay Elizabeth on October 25, 2009 at 7:18am

When you said that you reminded me of that TV show, Lost. I don't know if that was a book before and adapted or written especially for the small screen. That's all I can come up with, Jasmine. :)

Jasmine Andrade said:

I don't understand why I've never heard of a book about a group unexpectedly being stuck on a desert island.

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Permalink Reply by Philip Nork on October 25, 2009 at 7:32am

When I want to read something different I always turn more toward memoirs,or so-called memoirs. Nowadays many of these are actually reality ones--that is some fact, some fiction all coming together for a somewhat amusing tale. Some family books, those written by family members, that tell of long ago people and places with a touch of fiction added in for effect. These are never boring, never can be duplicated as they are truly "real" to the author, and allows the readers to experience something they never did in their life.
I do believe that most books and movies are just re-makes that are updated...boring, boring, boring. Once something gets branded as "successful" everyone else tries to copy. Are those people really authors at all? Or just good at stealing someone else's work?

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Permalink Reply by Jasmine Andrade on October 25, 2009 at 1:35pm

What was Lost about? You see, I am in the state of a story that goes along the same lines as that so I don't want it to seem like I copied the TV show/ book series or anything.

Kay Elizabeth said:

When you said that you reminded me of that TV show, Lost. I don't know if that was a book before and adapted or written especially for the small screen. That's all I can come up with, Jasmine. :)

Jasmine Andrade said:
I don't understand why I've never heard of a book about a group unexpectedly being stuck on a desert island.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra Kitchen on October 28, 2009 at 3:50pm

Jasmine, there have been several books that were written about a desert island, one was Robinson Crusoe. This was written by Daniel Defoe and first published in 1719. Yes, that is right 1719, but it has been reprinted several times. There are other books that do include more people.

Jasmine Andrade said: