Idea Freshness: No Expiration Date
Archetype (Carolyn Kaufman) started the QueryTracker.net blog chain round with these questions:
How do you keep from telling the same story over and over? What are your tips and tricks for finding fresh ideas and adding new twists to your work?
I majored in English Literature in college. Most of my assignments involved analysis of great works–often, a comparison/contrast of great works. What I walked away with, other than a degree, was the knowledge that there are no new ideas, only new ways of expressing them.
That revelation in mind, every time I write something, I try to realize that it has been done before. I have to find something different in the way I approach the subject.
I almost always come up with a premise from a life experience or personal question.
Over and over, I’ve wished I could trade places with someone. What would it feel like to live in another person’s body, even for a moment? How many times has this story been written and filmed? Lots. Why? Because it resonates with people. For me, that’s a great reason for a re-telling. Now, how to keep it fresh. How can I add a twist? Perhaps add another old standard theme: ghosts stuck on earth because of unfinished business. Cool. So the ghosts share the person’s body for a while.
Still, not enough. Been done…lots.
Okay. Add another popular theme: Reincarnation. So, now we’ve got a reincarnated person who can share her body with ghosts to help them solve problems that keep them earth-bound. Yawn. Been done. How about she is reincarnated but doesn’t remember her past lives so this unusual ability to help dead people is an unpleasant surprise. Okay, now we’re warmer. But why reincarnated? Because it adds unique history for this character. A vengeful demon that’s killed her before and a guy who has been her companion in past lives makes the reincarnation relevant and freshens these tired themes. Love across lifetimes is a tried and true theme. Fresh because she doesn’t remember it. Fresher because she’s jealous of herself from her past lives. Ooo. Now we’re on to something. Result:
SOUL PURPOSE is a 68,000-word young adult paranormal romance about a sixteen-year-old reincarnated ghost mediator with past life amnesia who is being pursued by a pissed off demon that wants her dead and a hot guy from her past lives who… well, just wants her.
I’ve tried to create something fresh and different by relying on the old standards of reincarnation with love across lifetimes, communication with the dead, and a form of trading places.
Everything has been done before. As a writer, I just want to retell it in a fresh way.
Kate posted before me and Kat’s post on this topic will follow. Other members of the blog chain are listed in the links on the right.
Tags: QueryTracker Chain, Writing
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May 3, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Nice post, Mary. I like the way you walked us through your thought process for Soul Purpose. Nice!!!
May 4, 2009 at 7:38 am
Wow! I’m officially jealous of your writing! The post itself was a fresh way of saying what had already been said and Soul Purpose sounds amazing! I’m hooked! Did I mention jealous? Yes, nothing unique about that. lol!
May 4, 2009 at 8:20 am
You make this idea-forming sound so easy.
I can spend days and weeks stewing to come up with something way less impressive. But that’s what we do, right?
Great job.
May 4, 2009 at 2:09 pm
awesome post! I also loved the walk through of your thought process (and I’m with Elana…I try and do the same thing and come up with much less cool stuff)
You are right though…it’s all about finding that new twist to an old tale. Sometimes hard to do, but so amazing when it happens 
May 4, 2009 at 5:47 pm
I just love your one line pitch (especially the last part). It’s way better than some of the winners in the QT contest. I dying to read the book. Hurry up and get it published, will you. And I love YA paranormals with hot guys. I mean, what more could you want?
May 4, 2009 at 6:35 pm
I also create stories by combining several ideas. Isn’t it ironic that you can create something original by combining old ideas?
May 5, 2009 at 9:57 am
I think the one thing to remember too is that your voice as a writer and the way an “old theme” is executed has a huge impact on how people react to it.
Soul Purpose sounds like a great read. I can’t wait to check it out.
May 5, 2009 at 12:45 pm
I love how you talk about keeping things fresh in terms of giving us a glimpse of your own process. Great post, as always!
May 12, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Nice job of showing us how to put new twists on “old” ideas!
May 15, 2009 at 4:11 pm
That is a great example of how you can stop yourself and think about what to add to a story to make it fresh. And, I found myself intrigued about Soul Purpose on the last bit, when you said your MC is jealous of herself from past lives. Sounds awesome!