Unique,Interesting and New?
Original?
It is only a myth that the head of the US patent office should be closed because of the belief that everything that would ever be invented had already been invented. While we may have thought this was true, the idea may have been considered. Who knows what people "think" in the tiny recesses of their minds. We too may be forced to assess our own belief that something "new" can come to us that will be unique, original and interesting. And so it came to pass that yesterday, I thought something very similar.
I have been diligently accessing webpages that offer blogging for dollars, even though I am not really wanting to make it my career. There is something enticing about sharing knowledge and information in a place where people actually might pay you to do so! But one of the caveats of the site I joined asked for "unique" and "refreshingly new" material to offer the reader. Who would not want to supply that, if they could? There are people who invent things all the time, and wish they had the financial backing to bring that idea to fruition. And so, it is the same with writers. After all, who would not wish to bring a new thought, a new idea out to be considered, or discussed to a group of willing readers?
The truth is that there are things that have been written to death. And yet, we still find new ways to express them, new books come out all the time about the same subjects, but some people are more effective in their writing style than others. As far as fiction goes, there are only 7 stories in the world, and millions of derivations of the same story. Wouldn't it be great to invent a new idea, let's just call it a "creation vibration" or something to either inspire others to action or a new way to do something that would be brilliant! When we are introduced to a new thing, it can, at times bring us to a whole new way of living.
Take for instance my new purchased discovery: "The Kindle"! As a literature teacher and an avid reader, I spent many days trying to justify the purchase of this fine new electronic bookshelf. I love to hold and smell new books, but my home is almost tipping over with the multitudes of books that occupy the physical shelving. This new "idea" (which is not really so new) came from the unique idea to make books available electronically! And then implement the idea into reality! Now we have Sony and Barnes and Noble presenting their own "original" variation on the same thing. And all are thereby different and unique. Some do different than others are, some are not able to download like the Kindle can, and some are more cost prohibitive than others. Are they all not unique?
Inspiration means to "breathe in" and when someone gets the inspiration to write, they should not be made to think their work is not unique. It is to them. A former Professor of mine, (who was extremely closed minded) believed there was only one way to write, and tried to drill and instill his thinking into his students. By doing this, he stifled me. I was angry and felt he was condescending and judgmental in doing so. Then, I read "Death with Interruptions" by Jose Saramago. Jose writes sentences with capitals in the middle of them, and commas, commas, commas! Like ee cummings, he wrote in a style he felt comfortable,and still accessible to his reader.
Take the "thinking inside of the box" and burn it. There is something to be said about being well rounded, and open to the new. The patent office is not closed, but it is also amenable to variations on a theme. We just need to remember that some things are worth repeating and discussing again and again. Life gives us what it is we need to know, usually at the time we need to know it.
