Monday 16 April 2012

Old ideas begins with an O



Today, I was sitting and talking with my brother and his friend about the originality of ideas...
How, for example, JK created the bowtruckle
Bowtruckle.JPG
A Bowtruckle
and the hinkypunk, but took the giants, the goblins, the ghosts from elsewhere.
Then I began to think about the strange phenomenon that allows any fantasy novelist nowadays to use mythical beings, such as giants and centaurs, but disallows the use of beings created in modern books.
JK created the hippogriff, yes? And when I say 'hippogriff', everyone knows what I mean, just as they know what a unicorn or a werewolf is. So why is it so frowned upon to take modern ideas such as these from modern novels?
Is it seen as copying?


When we write about Vampires - Twilight, for example



- we are not accused of copying Dracula. Or when we use a sea monster - Pirates of The Caribbean - we are not accused of using The Lochness Monster. Yet, if I were to use Hippogriffs and Thestrals, it would be seen as out-right copying, from lack of my own imagination perhaps, or even plagiarizing.
And this lead me to that depressing thought that, I'm sure, almost every modern fantasy novelist but get: The slower I am to write this book, the less creatures there will be for me to make.
Scary thought, huh! One day, the only truly magnificent fantasy novels will be those created by people with the most incredible imaginations, those with minds like the comedian, Noel Fielding or JK herself.

This is Noel Fielding in various disguises designed by himself.








Maybe, just maybe, all of us out there, trying to create a new world with new places and new creatures - we are not just looking to create a book that people enjoy; we are looking to be the next imaginative genius, the next Dali - even if it is subconsciously.
Well, this is definitely what I'm aiming for. I know it's a difficult mountain to climb, but hey! Why aim at all if you don't aim big?
Here is a fact about creativity for you fact of the day:
In fact, I have found 2:
It is scientifically proven that:
- Creative thinkers have slower nerves
and
- Aerobatic exercise increases one's creative potential
I hope you found this post interesting.
M. x

4 comments:

  1. I have just realised, this website must be American or something, because it says I wrote this post at 4:27 PM when I am absolutely sure that I did not (seeing as I was trying to write and publish it before the evening changed to the morning.) I assure you, I wrote this on the 15th of April - I have not missed out a day of posting - I stuck to my promise of one post a day. Thought I could just make that clear... :) M. X

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  2. The joy of creating your own worlds in fantasy fiction, is that you get to make the rules about what your creatures look like, sound like, how they are named and what they are able to do.

    Of course, these attributes have to be described to the reader, who cannot see the images in your head, and therefore this takes time and word-space. Hence, it would seem to be an easy option to use creatures that the reader is already familiar with - centaurs and the like have filtered in through our imaginations through folklore and mythology. Let's face it, they've been around for millenia so no-one can probably claim copyright!

    Newer creations, via writers like Rowling, are just the 'new kids on the block' and firmly associated with their named creators - it's easy to see their use in someone else's MS would be seen as an infringement.

    So, I'd say, create your own creatures and fashion them to fit your current project - instead of trying to dovetail/recycle someone else's thought into your own work!

    Good luck with your fangs, wings, feathers and horns! ;-p

    Happy A-Z'ing!


    SueH I refuse to go quietly!
    Twitter - @Librarymaid

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the advice! I promise, I will try my hardest to make my own incredible creations! :)
      M.x

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  3. There is nothing new under the sun, although we can make a twist and a turn to make the plot and characters fresh for the readers.

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