I didn’t see the episode of Grey’s Anatomy that was on after the Super Bowl – the “Code Black” one – but a friend of mine told me about it the next day. Apparently some weekend warriors built a backyard bazooka, and one of the ended up with a live shell in his body. When I heard this, I though, Damn, that was one hell of an episode… when I saw it on M*A*S*H twenty five years ago.
I remember it clearly because Radar brought an X-Ray over to Hawkeye, and Hawk said, “Radar, get that grenade out of his pants!” Radar just sort of looked up at hime and replied, “He’s not wearing any.”
I have heard that executives in Hollywood today don’t care about anything back beyond last weekend’s receipts/ratings, but damn, people, try and get an original idea. Those are the first questions I ask myself when I start on a story: Has it been done before? Why is my version different? If it’s not, I put it aside until I can come up with something new. Apparently Hollywood doesn’t bother.
Has it been done before? Why is my version different? If it’s not, I put it aside until I can come up with something new.
I try to do write stuff that hasn’t been done before, all while knowing it probably has been done.
The key to newness for me is in the characters. By virtue of their different life experiences and outlooks, no two authors will approach similar characters exactly the same way. No two characters will respond to similar situations exactly the same way. The deeper I get into character, the more unique my story seems.