TWO WAYS AN AUTHOR CAN WRITE AN ORIGINAL NOVEL

Originality. . .  Is there truly nothing original in writing these day? Are there no new plots? Settings? Professions? Characters?

Long ago I read that there are only so many plot lines, and they've all been used. With our world becoming smaller and smaller there really are no new settings left to explore nor professions. And characters...we've seen them all from the toothless, crusty cowboy to the upper, Manhattan power chick. Yes, they have been done. Think about it. How many different vampire stories do we need? How many time travels are sufficient? And how many times will love conquer all?

Now if I were a pessimist I'd probably throw in my pen and paper computer keyboard and stop writing altogether. But I'm not. I'm an optimist. So...how does an author write original novels?

There are a number of ways, but I'm going to focus on two: mix the pot and keep your audience guessing.

1) Mix the pot.
    So what if there are only a few plot lines. Big deal. Let's mix the pot and stir things around. For instance, say you're writing about the Civil War. There are a ton of Civil War stories: Gone with the Wind, North and South, and on and on. But what if your story is about a Yankee nurse who one day awakens to find she's in a different war? She's come forward to the End of Days War. Can you imagine the layering you could do with a story like that? Why has she been transported to another time? What could her lesson be? Would she fall in love? If given the chance would she go back? Would she stay? Of course, you're going to need to layer her character with wonderful traits and history that would reflect well in both times. But now you have a ton of possibilities all because you mixed things up.

2)  Keep your audience guessing.
Let me explain. If in your story you have a little old grandma who loves to write, don't have her write poetry and knit. Have her write thrillers and ride a Harley. Of course, you're going to have to do the ground work and add context that makes her believable, but wouldn't you rather read a story about the second grandma rather than the first? And that's not meant to knock poetry or knitting, I'm just saying poetry and knitting is what most people would expect, so keep your audience guessing, give them the unexpected not only in your characters, but in your plot twists. If you're writing a romance and the big scene comes where the guy finally gets the courage to ask the girl out, but you can't have her go with him, throw in something more. What if she suddenly tells him she's a spy and has been sent to kill him. That's not expected and could take your story into many directions depending upon the tone you want.

I know there are many more ways to be original in your writing. Please share your thoughts.