A Note on ‘Orange’inality
Orange you glad you clicked on this article?
In all seriousness, I’ve really struggled with the concept of originality lately. In Hollywood, two studios seem to simultaneously develop similar concepts for films in the same span of time. For example, Pixar’s A Bug’s Life vs Dreamworks Antz, or 20th century studios’ Rookie of the Year vs Columbia Pictures Little Big League.
The list of simultaneous concept films is extensive. Studios call them ‘Twin Films’ and they happen for a variety of reasons. Sometimes producers pass one concept along and give it to a different studio, other times, in the case of the death of Steve Jobs, production companies race to see who can be the first to produce a biopic about the tech god and capitalize.
Whatever the case may be, the same thing seems to happen with my own writing. This is also the reason why there are so many lawsuits in Hollywood regarding perceived ‘stolen ideas.’ The truth of the matter is, these ideas weren’t stolen, they were just kind of bound to get made.
Gradeschool Plagiarism
My first struggle with originality, actually came in the form of blatant, unabashed plagiarism in Grade 5. When tasked with creating a “picture book” and without real clear instructions, I decided to try my hand at retelling one of my favourite films at the time, The Dark Crystal, only this time I placed myself in as the lead character. I, being young and naive didn’t really see anything wrong with this. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! However, my knowledge of intellectual property was non-existent.
My teacher gave me my first ever grade F on the project.
Rather than taking the time to explain to me what plagiarism was, my teacher at the time who I’ll refer to as, Mr. A, (for asshole), told me, and I can remember his exact words to this day, “You didn’t write something original, and that’s because you’re lazy. Do you want to be a lazy person, Daniel?” to which I sheepishly replied “No.” while trying to fight back tears. Mr. A, went on and said “You missed the point of the project. When I asked you to write a story, I didn’t say write a story you liked. Better luck next time, bucko.”
Imagine my heartache as 10 year old me shuffled back to my desk. I didn’t understand what I had done wrong. The point of the project was to write a good story, and I thought that The Dark Crystal WAS, in fact, the best story ever! It would take me years to get over this feedback, and feel inspired again to want to even attempt at doing something creative.
It wasn’t until Grade 9, when I met a very inspiring English Teacher named Mr. Chevalier, who started off our English Class by telling us a wildly fabulous adventure he had over the summer, complete with fighting off a bear on his camping trip. After he confessed this was all a lie, and in fact, a story that he wanted to tell us to spark our imaginations, I was hooked on the idea of wanting to be as original as possible.
A Master at Being in Second Place
Unfortunately, I seem to have a problem.
Almost all the scripts or concepts I write, seem to get produced or created in one form or another. I’ll write a teenage-centric comedy about growing up in a religious environment, only to learn of multiple different movies that already touch base on this exact same concept. Do I think some wild producer is wire-tapping my phone, or spying on my half-written pile of first drafts? No. I think it’s because I know a good idea when I see one, but I fail to act and write it first, and or am limited by my lack of exposure to industry professionals who can further my career.
I think it’s important for anyone struggling with creativity and originality to think first about why you want to tell the story that you’re telling. What is it about your personal experiences do you wish to communicate in your work? What is it you’re trying to say as an author?
Are You The Most Original Version of Yourself?
You’re the most unique person in the world, and nobody could plagiarize your own experiences… right? Then again… they kind of do, and that’s okay. Everyone has awkward first dates, embarrassing stories, profound loss and grief. The human condition is about telling stories that connect, for we all on some level or another have shared experiences throughout our existence.
I don’t like when people tell me “there are no original stories” because, although there may seem to be some truth to the matter, why is it that we become captivated by new art, literature, and stories every year? I think every person’s experiences are unique, and everyone has a story to tell.
The tricky part, is rising to the occasion and putting pen to paper before somebody else does.
Seek Out Your Own Voice and Perspective
As I said before, you are the most unique version of you that you can be. You should aim to write stories that speak to you, your own perspectives on the world, and ultimately use your own voice. If you’re having trouble finding your own voice, don’t worry. It will come in due course. Write from your own experiences, from the heart, and from a place of curiosity. They say everything else has been done, but then nobody has been you before. What do you have to offer that nobody else does?
