In a post on Writers Helping Writers, Becca Puglisi shares tips for making your story idea pop with originality. “I’ve been thinking a lot recently about differentiation—how we can make our stories stand out from all the others,” she writes. “I took a good look at some books that grabbed me straight off and continue to stand out in my mind as incredibly memorable.”
Here’s what she found:
- Break genre rules. “If you write in a genre where certain rules apply, start over,” Puglisi advises. “See which ones you can revamp (remembering to explore the new rules from every angle and plan them out for consistency) to switch things up for your story.”
- Splice genres. Pick and choose elements of different genres or mash up a few to make your own.
- Upend preconceived notions. Consider a truism – either good or bad – and consider how to portray its opposite. For example, in Philip K. Dick’s Minority Report, crime is kept under control by arresting people before they commit a crime. Reimagine a horrific historical event as something intended to be beneficial.
- Use unorthodox characters. “Characters are the heart of any story, and they’re primarily responsible for pulling readers in,” Puglisi writes. “When you’re creating your characters, please make them interesting.”
- Use a distinctive voice. “It’s easy to get drawn into a story when the protagonist or narrator has an intriguing way about them,” Puglisi adds. “This can be hard to get right, but it’s worth the time and energy to really get to know your character and figure out how they should sound so you can write them consistently from page one.”
- Try an uncommon setting. “Unique locations won’t work for every story because the settings will often be connected to the overall plot,” Puglisi notes. But we always have options. Don’t settle for ho-hum places; if you have the choice between a dining room table and an outdoor café on a windy day, go with the latter.”
- Use an unexpected villain. Alien, Misery, and Psycho each gave audiences an unexpected type of villain. Don’t settle for a one-note bad guy or the expected flavor.
- Plant a surprise ending. “Some stories are memorable because of the surprising way in which the main conflict is resolved,” Puglisi writes. “This method works best if you’ve got a story with seemingly insurmountable stakes, so keep that in mind if you want to employ it.”
- Build a surprising foundation. Rather than rely on a surprise ending, create a story world with an unexpected foundation.
