It has been said before that there’s nothing new under the sun. From a physics perspective that’s certainly true (all matter was created at the same time, more-or-less, and while the specific form it’s currently taking may be new, the matter itself is old!).
But it’s a bit of a challenge as a writer to consider that any story I want to tell is really just a re-telling of another story. A few bells, a whistle or two, but at its core, some fundamental story archetype being re-explored through my world and my narrative, rather than something truly unique.
To be honest, I’m okay with that. I’m not out to reinvent the wheel or to be the most creative writer of all time or anything like that. I just want to make stories that people enjoy. And just because everything has been told before doesn’t mean I can’t tell it in interesting and new ways.
The story I’m working on right now owes a lot of its roots to Star Trek. It’s a story about exploration at its core. But the way I approach that exploration, and the reasons for it, and the ship it takes place on, all of that is different… and hey, Star Trek is just a re-telling of older Western stories about exploration and strange new worlds, so it wasn’t super unique either!
Basically, just because something isn’t “new” doesn’t mean it can’t be good. And here’s hoping my novel is good!
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!