Looking From All Angles

“Research, like writing, is an individual, creative process. It cannot be ‘taught’. In his quest for original material – and who does not dream of stumbling upon a cache of hitherto unknown, unpublished papers or the answer to a problem that has baffled scholars for generations? – the writer never ceases to learn.”

Ann Hoffman, Research for Writers

Many budding writers lack the confidence to take the first step into the commercial market place because they feel it is impossible to produce something completely new that no one else has ever thought of before. But as we’ve already observed : there is no such thing as a new idea. Most creative ideas have been used before, over and over again. What we are looking for are innovative ideas, so let us return to the dictionary definition to find that innovation means: To introduce alterations; to put forward novelties. To alter or change by the introduction of something new.

This is what will give our work that spark of originality. In all honesty, even the most block-busting novel is only a variation on a familiar theme rather than ground-breakingly new. For an example: in an earlier creative writing book, From An Editor’s Desk, I threw in the Polti Theory, which maintained that there were only 36 dramatic situations on which the writer of fiction can draw. By using single situations or several combinations, the basic theme of every story (long or short) ever told, written or devised can be summed up in the following list:

Supplication

Deliverance

Crime pursued by vengeance

Vengeance taken for kindred upon kindred

Pursuit

Disaster

Falling prey to cruelty or misfortune

Revolt

Daring enterprise

Abduction

The enigma

Obtaining

Enmity of kinsmen

Rivalry of kinsmen

Murderous adultery

Madness

Fatal imprudence

Involuntary crimes of love

Slaying of a kinsman unrecognised

Self-sacrifice for an ideal

Self sacrifice for kindred

All sacrificed for passion

Necessity of sacrificing loved ones

Rivalry of superior and inferior

Adultery

Crimes of love

Discovery of the dishonour of a loved one

Obstacles to love

An enemy loved

Ambition

Conflict with God

Mistaken jealousy

Erroneous judgement

Remorse

Recovery of a lost one

Loss of a loved one

Twenty years later and retired from editing creative writing magazines, I would add that most non-fiction and poetry submissions probably  fall into those categories, too.  If you don’t believe me, check out the theme of the major features or stories in any selection of magazines or newspapers and you’ll find most of them are loosely based on one or more of the above. If we remove the smokescreen of exotic locations or glamorous lifestyle, we will find that most of the plots used by our favourite writers are telling the same old stories, over and over again. The basic theme of murder, intrigue, adultery and chivalry are all there – they just have an innovative backdrop.

Colin Dexter, the creator of Inspector Morse introduced us to the esoteric world of academe by casting his novels amongst the traditions and dreamy spires of Oxford University life; while

Simon Raven did the same for Cambridge. Dick Francis came up with his own original formula set amongst the racing fraternity where wealth frequently rubs shoulders with the lower echelons of society. Jilly Cooper moved from Wimbledon Common to the equestrian set, before turning her attentions on the international orchestral and art worlds, and has since moved on to horse racing. Ellis Peters went back to medieval Britain. While in the fantasy department, Tolkien created Middle Earth and J K Rowling, Hogwort’s … and more recently Maureen Carter solves her crimes in gritty Birmingham; David Hewson stages his Nic Costa series in Rome, while Andrea Camilleri utilises his knowledge of Sicily to great effect in his highly entertaining series of novels featuring Commissario Montalbano

Nevertheless, strip away the mystery, glitz and the glamour and you’ll find that nearly every single piece of writing, fiction or non-fiction, will be loosely based on those themes given in the Polti Theory.

Rather than waste time trying to buck the system by coming up with original thought – go for an innovative approach.