Are we ever original? I asked myself after someone has accused me of "stealing his style." A petty thing, really, originality. To be the origin of a thought. The creator, the 'first cause' of an idea. To be the source of electricity for that imaginary light bulb above our heads.
How sure are we that someone, somewhere unrelated to us, totally separated from out existence, has not yet come up with the same thought? how sure are we, that someone, somewhere, from a different time and place, has not been the origin of that same thought?
Originality has been fought after, and intellectual property has since been protected. We are encouraged to copyright, to patent, to certify that we are the first, we are the sole origin of an idea.
But what is originality then? Can we claim to bve sole creator of anything that pops out of our heads, CONSIDERING THERE HAVE BEEN BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of PEOPLE IN THE PLANET, and THAT'S ONLY COUNTING THE LIVING. Who knows what unwritten ideas have sprung out from geniuses who lived way before us?
I guess it comes with the misuse of the word. What i think originality means is when you come up with your own idea. In the case of the little fat man accusing me of stealing his style, it is simply not true. I have been writing since I was 10. He only started blogging 5 years ago... at most.
Originality means coming up with your own ideas. Maybe that fat blogger was original. Or maybe not. Remember my term 'emoterang floglet?' That appeared on one of his blogs one time. Still, he made the accusation, even though I know he was reading off from my blogs so long ago.
Originality is a big plus, but face it, who can afford to be original when you are handicapped with the fact that you were born late?Whe writing a story for one: There is a limited number of storylines or plots one can only mix and match to produce a story. Themes vry, and that's where youcan be original, but as far as that happens in the story goes... you can come up with as much as 32-36.
It all boils down to what the mind can create, and how you tell it. I guess what's realistic iosn't originality... it's creativity.
1 comment:
In theater, claim to originality is more in the interpretation done by the director with his material piece, like the play of Sikat or Joaquin (Stanislavski). Plots are hard to be said one's original concept. You are correct, Ron. Creativity!
Style is what an artist develops after many years of practicing his craft. He had simplified his method and that one can be said his "originality". To equate plot's originality with style is starting with the end than the beginning.
Whomever accuses you is just "but a trying hard second rate copycat!"
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