Writing Tips and Reviews

Collaborations: Why We Need Help

Have you ever sat down, laid down, or just brought out your story and didn't know what to do next? I have, and many writers do too. Our stories may need help and we don't know how to get to one point to another. Some go for it and write even if they don't know what they're doing, and other seek help.

Seeking help from collaborators is more efficient to me, since it's not that random person who doesn't know what you're writing about. Collaborators have an idea on what you're working on and make suggestions on what to do next. Writer's block is something we all have, and new ideas and suggestions can help us get out.

Sometimes our ideas are downright stupid, sometimes they're too close to the original we got inspiration from, sometimes they're just a blank screen. Collaborators can help with making those ideas more exciting and more you. Unique is the word of the day, finding an idea and putting your own spin on it, we all do it.

An execution too close to the original is not going to go well with the fans of that story. And don't go giving me a pissy fit with "well, this company stole from this other company so it's okay if I steal". No, one they didn't, two, that's literally retarded. Don't excuse yourself with "it's okay because ()" no, I don't want to hear it. Either get input from collaborators or sit there and wait for the idea to grow. It's what I did. Find an idea I like, write it down and let it sit for a while until it changed in my mind and became more unique.

I won't say "original" because nothing is original anymore. Your story is yours and all ideas have been used already. It's the way you tell your story that makes it "original". Like my favorite quote says:

"But you know what? Originality's not a big deal. We're presented something made of elements we've seen before, arranged in a new way we haven't seen before: it strikes us as original. But typically it's either just a gap in our particular experience - it's new to us - or it's just novelty in the execution or the delivery, not the content.

Who cares? Why care? What's the appeal of originality? As opposed to real depth of human emotion? As opposed to artistry that thrills with boldly executed truths? In practice, if you do something spectacularly well, people experience it as original, because it hits them on a level they've not seen."

Get help if you need it, it's not a bad thing to ask for help and sometimes people don't even have to know. But if you're going to not give them any information and expect them to help you, they're going to give you whatever they think makes sense, don't throw a fit if it's not what you want to hear.