Another Cinderella Story?

One of the things we struggle with most as writers is originality.

I once heard that every story there is to tell has already been told. That’s sounds pretty black and white, though, doesn’t it? Non-Fiction writers, especially, will argue till their faces turn purple that their individual experiences are unique beyond compare.

But that’s the every-snow-flake’s-different vision, the no-two-people-are-the-same view. And I’m not sure which to believe some days. Black and white? Or gray all over?

I’ve often wondered whether that someone was right. Has every storyline been explored? Honestly, how many times can I see Cinderella find her metaphorical or literal prince at the ball? And tragic endings don't necessarily solve this issue. Think of a movie that ends with “The Big Game”. What happens in the end? Either they win, overcoming people’s expectations and beating their sore-losing opponents, or they lose, learning a greater lesson from their defeat.

And how many times can we watch the hopeful character at the climax of the movie walk out of their potential employers office with a shocked/slightly sad look on their face (to which their family/friends quickly tell them "you’ll get it next time") only to say they’ve gotten the job. Did they have you fooled? Would you be shocked even if they hadn't gotten it? No. Why? Because you know they’ll learn something from the experience. Where have I heard that before?

So have we seen it all? Catch me on a bad week and I might say yes, but most days I’m a romantic, and I believe there’s still one or two more unexplored avenues out there in Author City. Maybe I’ll be the one to find it. Maybe you will. But I don’t think either of us should worry too much about it.

Were you blown away when (SPOILER) good triumphed over evil in Harry Potter? No, because that’s what happens in rags-to-riches, powerless-to-powerful stories. And here’s Rowling’s secret: she understood that that’s how people actually want their stories to play out. People want to believe that there’s hope, that dark will always disappear in the face of light.

There’s a reason that we keep writing these “cliché” plots. Because readers, at the core of their beings, respond to them! And it doesn't matter that we knew Harry would win in the end. We wanted to see how he did it, and what he learned along the way.

So write another Cinderella story! Just make sure the journey to happily ever after is all your own.

Photo from onedayworkweek.wordpress.com