What Draws You to Story Telling?

I might have said this before, but there are certain phrases I stopped saying when I realized it was true of all creatives. "I've been drawing/writing every since I could hold a pencil." "My inspiration is Disney and anime." "I'm a flexible person/critical thinker/problem solver." "I'm highly motivated and a fast learner." You know what I mean-- the stuff that now shows up on every résumé or social media description out there. What is left when the really honest, creative, and original thoughts are old hat?

The same can be said of storytelling and there are the same platitudes whenever a new writer worries their idea has been done before. "Make an idea your own." "You have a unique voice/style." "If it's interesting enough, people won't mind the similarities." "If it works, it doesn't matter." Not that these aren't all true in parts, but I feel like a lot of those worries need a more personal approach.

First off, most worries are almost always presented in a way that is infuriatingly general. As I've gone into before, Quora questions and the initial state of an emotion tend to be a dump on impulse that needs direction to isolate. When someone asks "what if my idea has been done before?" it gets pulled in a lot of directions:

• Asking them to explain their idea
• A slew of general suggestions
• Frustration or outright trolling
• Hug-box nonsense

To name a few. Ultimately, noise, well-intentions or no. However, the more I observe the interactions, the more I wonder why no one is asking the person what makes them ask that. Are they reading a lot of books in the genre or none at all? Are they worried their fandom will make it more fanfic than original work? Are they basing it off of something and just hoping no one will notice? In order to alleviate this kind of fear, sometimes I think we need to ask the right questions and that the asker has to be comfortable with answering them so they can be directed towards a mindset that might benefit them.

Of course, no one owes a writer a story. I understand that some writers are wary of how much they are 'helping' someone write their story when sometimes it becomes clear that someone who isn't actually writing anything is actually just harvesting and picking other brains. I don't think this is the case most of the time, but rather than getting to their idea, the wary writer can instead dig into what methods that writer is using, never needing to discuss ideas at all.

Going back to the questions: what are they reading? I know there's this huge consensus that to be a better writer, you have to be a better reader. However, a great deal of doubts can arise from reading too heavily in your genre, worrying you're gleaning your ideas from these books, or of course, just have no idea what's happening in the genre at all and want to avoid writing into an unpopular or even overdone trope or cliché. Some solutions might be:

• Reading 'too much' in your genre, too much knowledge and feeling you have nothing new to add: Start reading from other genres, no matter how much you like it. One way to refresh your passion in a genre might actually be to integrate an idea from ANOTHER genre that doesn't get a lot of movement in yours.
• Reading 'too much' in your genre, afraid you're going to unconsciously borrow: This might be unavoidable, but again, if you must read, deviate from the genre and let your most recent influences steer away from the norm. You can also put down the novels and pick up short stories or writing articles, something that will help you focus on craft rather than content.
• Reading 'too little' or nothing at all in your chosen genre: The likelihood of your unique idea being not so unique might be high but uninfluenced, you can honestly plead ignorance or even just concede that a good idea is a good idea and more than one person thinking of it is proof enough. While a binge might be inspirational, sometimes that dry place is one where you'll worry less about WHERE you've read it before because you might not have at all. See what you can do with it.
• OH NO! I've seen my idea done before while searching the internet: Sigh. Don't do this. Ever. Don't go from excited about this idea you came up with to seeing if it's been done. Train yourself not to research that, train yourself not to care. Again, once you read how it's been done, it could cripple you or make you miserable by telling yourself theirs is better. A newborn idea is always generic but give yourself time to grow it, write it, edit it before you ever look for it. Where it's been done, they went through the fully-formed process and you should give your own ideas the same care. Don't see it as a waste if you can't make it work. Critical thinking and problem solving is NEVER a waste of time and you can use and refine those methods for any idea after.
• Wellll, technically it's fanfic with the names changed: Wellll, technically fans are going to call it out. As long as you don't pretend otherwise, you can also add where you deviated. Remember, plagiarism is a percentage and if you can bring enough original content to a clear inspiration, it's valid. You might want to pay an editor and possibly a lawyer to check it if you want to cover your ass against being sued though.

In tackling the source of a general fear, finding the right questions, you're helping yourself too. Develop a plan of action to see social situations as a good place to test your ability to dig into motivations. There's a bubble of safety in the manipulation of your characters, so sometimes you do have to put your theories to the test with actual people, even if it's just internet strangers. I personally don't like using public forums like Quora and social media for this, especially when any personal information is attached to the profile. I make an exception when it comes to closed groups. While large groups can sometimes be an unfiltered risk, you also might feel nervous about approaching people in smaller groups. I'd say it's okay to go anonymous or create a lite or false profile where permissible, but I'd advise against the temptation to troll because of it. In my case, I stick to closed groups. Anonymity just gives me too much temptation to deviate from the purpose of social accountability so I don't do it. When I'm looking to help or understand people, removing the diplomacy of my personal character defeats the point of appealing to someone on the same level.

Cheese and Jesus, I probably sound like a huge nerd again, but if you understood it, I've found my people and that's all that matters. What does discerning personal motivation have to do with story telling? Well, everything so I'll finish that up.

Story telling-- what draws the story teller into telling their stories or the story seekers towards them is this alignment of personal motivation. I suppose you could refine it into a marketing strategy, but let's assume a more traditional stance and just say that those alignments are not only found in ads, commercial popularity, or even word of mouth, but the connection between the writer and the reader. 

At first, it surprised me when the person behind a story I loved seemed to observe the same way I do or made the same comparison. I might have said it out loud once and been laughed at and embarrassed for it, but then a published book says it and suddenly that shutdown becomes validated because I'm not the only one. Sometimes a story can bring us courage and acceptance. And yeah, sometimes we never needed it to keep repeating it even when we're laughed at (I'm both of those people depending on mood) but it still feels good when someone says it like you or even a little better.

Sometimes walking with a writer becoming a storyteller is draw enough. As the writer publishes, either for free or daring to put a price on it, there's the validation that they are eager to stick with this, making people more confident in investing their beloved pastime with them. The hard luck story and the writer that stood in the shadows of the writing world for 10+ years is still a romantic concept for some people, even in these apathetic times. 

Some readers need the whole series to even begin so you might need to put in years and more years besides to even get someone to pick up the first one. Some storytellers don't have the patience so they filter their ideas into essays, short stories, novellas or single novels to offer a fully finished bit of their work in smaller bursts.

Story telling is about intimacy with the work, which can get uncomfortable on most sides. It takes strength in all parties to take chances. What draws most of us to trying new stories is the search for that resonance, that connection. It doesn't have to be deep or profound-- it can be horny and violent, but it's connecting regardless.