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I suppose "Inspiration" would be more fitting than "Originality" in the title, but originality is also a major point that will be touched down on in this entry. Anyway...
June/July of 2009, more than half a year ago, was the last time I drew anything of note (aside from the random doodles I did just today, but I digress) and it has been even longer since I've written anything post-worthy. Emotional duress, though one of the contributing factors to this art-drought, didn't play as major a role as I believed... especially considering it has actually helped a few of my pieces.
Despite all the sources I had before, I still tried too hard to be original. But that's just it... everything's been done! Unless there's some major point I'm missing, some breakthrough yet to be had, the only thing left to do is to put unoriginal concepts together in an original combination. Somewhere down the line, I forgot how to just have fun with an idea, without worrying if someone else got to it first.
So... what do I do now? Consider my options. Sure, work and lack of computer access will hinder my process, but I have plenty of notebooks to write ideas down on. Or, I could just brainstorm now, while I do have time.
...there is a lot of rambling, and maybe even "circle-talking" up ahead; just a warning.
There is one piece on here, in my Journal, which is one of the very few works I've ever completed; the NetStar Chronology. It isn't the worst I've done, but most certainly isn't the best... but the thing is, it's officially finished; I consider it abbridged, because it literally is something that could just keep going, but all stories have to end sometime. That's beside the point... the fact alone that I finished something is a sign that I either had, or have, the potential to complete a work, given enough inspiration.
But what's holding me back? My potential readers, most likely. The masses want to see something they haven't seen before, something that catches their eye and holds their attention until the very end... something that makes them care about the people in the story, fictional or not. I was too worried about that. I didn't know how to have fun with a story, like I did with the NetStar Chronology.
Another limit I have, is my genre. What would you call my genre? I usually include a fusion of building relationships (romantic or otherwise), conflict escalated to where the characters and their peers are at risk of injury or death (which includes much fighting, of course), all included in a world that isn't our own; whether cybernetic or fantastic. But... it all couples in with my interests, so that's the only way I can play out a story. With all this in mind (this is a culmination of weeks or even months of self-reflection while working) I've finally figured it out. All it comes down to is getting the thoughts out... who knows how many people will like it? After all, the NetStar Chronology, which is inferior to what I was writing thereafter, had a handful of people who stuck with it to the end.
During the past few days, I've considered what I could include in a new story idea. The revival of old characters, placed in a semi-similiar cyber world, with comparatively original concepts... what I was thinking was going back to the basic. A blissful facade of ignorance, yet attentive enough to produce a somewhat original story.
Well... here's the thing. Everything that's in the story will have been done before. The concept of a cyber world was introduced by Tron, and the .HACK series... and even the Megaman Battle Network games (which happened to be the main inspiration for my creating a cyber world in the first place). So what could I do then? Make the denezins almost exactly mirror humans. Organic matter, true emotion, independent thought; with the added bonus of being able to manipulate large amounts of energy in their bodies, and sometimes even the energy around them... performing feats far beyond what a normal human could even wish to do. And, allowing them to absorb every part of what they ingest, removing the handicap of them having to expel waste from their bodies. Their flaws still characteristic of human traits... whether it be corruption or a simple error in dialect, bodies formed thicker or more frail than others, freckles dotting certain parts of their skin... the possibilities are endless. The cyberworld itself would be made into something reminisent of the real world... grasses, trees, lakes and rivers, clouds, day and night, weather and nature effects, etc.
Of course, with the addition of abilities came another contusion of originality. Look at D&D, which was basically the backbone of all RPG gaming... it introduced not only racial bonuses, but also spells and arcobatics that could be used in the field. Or we could look at the more flashy executions of Final Fantasy skills or battles in the Fire Emblem series... different arts of sword and magic alike, often fusing the two together. There's nothing to be done to avoid copying this... however, they all seem to follow a trend. Often times, games will be set under a Japanese style, or more focused on European concepts. The only option is to bring them together, like a melting pot (though thinking on this, there are many games that include co-existing styles, though many of them obscure). This is not limited to fighting styles and teachings, but also fashion. The clothing that would be uniform in a town is replaced... each person dressing to match their abilities or upbringing... not all knights donning plate armor, and not all thieves cloaked and mysterious.
But where is the story going to go from there? You have the physics and mantra set up, but you don't have anything to really play in it; pardon my terminology. We could go with the path the previously mentioned story goes... but the group of heroes thing has been done to death. Power Rangers, Gunstar Heroes... just to name a couple. They, of course, don't have to be the main focus. The main character him or herself, could be competent enough to handle themselves alone... but even that too has been done. The freelance hero concept has been seen in sandbox games like the Elder Scrolls series, Grand Theft Auto, and Fallout. After thinking all this through, it does seem futile to even begin something... but in order for a story to have a purpose, its characters have to have purposes. Not just the main cast, but each faction, each individual has to have their own interest, their own goal, just like in the real world.
And finally... what should happen in the process? Should the hero/ine become successful, failing but learning from his or her mistakes... or should they face ultimate defeat, forced into an unsatisfactory situation; even going so far as being killed for the sake of the plot? All of these have been done before.
It will be hard, but it comes down to being inspired. Tweeking unoriginal concepts to make something seem new. Or... just having fun and posting it, just to see where it goes from there... to see how many people devote themselves to watching it to the end. I suppose I've ruined my credibility, defending unoriginality and trite inspirations, but I did it all to make a point. And so, I post this to see where this little burst of inspiration and brainstorming goes.
 Shin-Maruku · Fri Jan 29, 2010 @ 05:10am · 0 Comments |
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