How can i stop being so derivative?

L

linter

Member
My problem is a lot of what I think of starts off okay but sooner rather than later begins to smell of something fishily familiar. An example:

Recently, a title I love arrived in my head: I Feel Your Pain. This announced itself as a horror story. Soon, I had a vision of a coldly professional ER room doctor, a good guy but not a warm guy. And he could use some warming up. So, into the ER comes a girl bearing her father in monstrous agony. In fact, he is dying. The doc wheels the old man away. The daughter overhears the doc saying some of the callous brutal things docs say about patients, to keep their feelings in check and at bay. He does what he can for the father, but it's no use. Afterwards, the doc gives the daughter the bad news, she sobs and wails, and into this, the doc says, "Very, very sad. I feel your pain." The girl lashes back with some of the stuff she overheard, then finishes up w/ something like this: "You feel my pain? You don't feel my pain. But you will soon."
And from there the daughter begins to stalk the doctor. The doctor has nightmares that the girl has a forked tongue. The doc goes to the funeral and ends up asking the girl out. Also: the doc is up for a promotion, it's between him and the good, feeling doctor who is not as technically capable. Etc. Etc.

But here's the thing. In the back of my mind the whole time I'm hearing echoes of Drag Me to Hell, the recent Sam Raimi movie. Haven't seen the thing but I read the script and it's stuck in my brain; and since it worked so well, my brain won't let go of it. I mean, in Drag, the gypsy lays a curse on the bank teller. And in my thing, it's essentially the same thing. In fact, I can feel myself wanting the daughter to lay a curse on the doc but, obviously, that would be too blatant a copy even for my brain to accept; so I've avoided that; but because I have, everything proceeds a little watered down from there; and quickly devolves to a funeral scene involving mutant Viking throwbacks sending their dead leader off into a lake in a flaming Viking ship. Bla bla bla.

So here's the deal: how do you avoid such a stir of echoes?

And look, there I go again!
 
I've often heard that one of the fastest ways to learn the craft and break into the industry is through adaptation. After all, when you adapt another story into a screenplay, you already know that you have at least a few solid narrative elements.

Likewise, I don't think you should feel too concerned about these "echoes." After all, if we consider the hero cycle as the foundation for many stories, then we're all telling the same story in a million different ways. Likewise, just like in music, I'm sure creative "borrowing" happens all the time in the industry. How can writers not be inspired by or influenced by other great writing?

So, I think the only thing you really have to worry about is instilling some sense of your personality, your identity onto the stories. Maybe a unique theme would help? People cursing other people is a tried-and-true storytelling element. Make it unique to your imagination and I'm sure you'll be fine. Or, you could make this a horror story / thriller without any supernatural curses at all.

Good luck!
 
It has been said that all stories are derivatives, nothing is truly original. But I think one can certainly go on cliche hunts in a script, cut them out or change them, that would help. And put twists on characters or worlds; for example, take an aging female detective mystery writer sleuthing crimes and you have Angela Lansbury and Murder She wrote; change that to a girl and you have Nancy Drew; change it to a man and you have Columbo or a bunch of others. Change Rocky to a woman and you have Million Dollar Baby, somewhat. If you get my point. Fiddle with characters, worlds, and sure the stories are derivatives but they become original in their own right, and entertainment, and actor bait, and $ for writers and prodcos.
 
Suggestion: don't work on your idea until the inspirational piece has left your mind. You need to create fresh work, not left overs. Until then you can work on other projects.
 
Ask yourself, "What can I do to make this (character, scene, story-point) BIGGER, WEIRDER, or just MORE?"

Never stop questioning yourself. "Have I done enough with this? What else can I do?" Be happily unsatisfied with everything you've written.
 
linter said:
My problem is a lot of what I think of starts off okay but sooner rather than later begins to smell of something fishily familiar. An example:

Recently, a title I love arrived in my head: I Feel Your Pain. This announced itself as a horror story. Soon, I had a vision of a coldly professional ER room doctor, a good guy but not a warm guy. And he could use some warming up. So, into the ER comes a girl bearing her father in monstrous agony. In fact, he is dying. The doc wheels the old man away. The daughter overhears the doc saying some of the callous brutal things docs say about patients, to keep their feelings in check and at bay. He does what he can for the father, but it's no use. Afterwards, the doc gives the daughter the bad news, she sobs and wails, and into this, the doc says, "Very, very sad. I feel your pain." The girl lashes back with some of the stuff she overheard, then finishes up w/ something like this: "You feel my pain? You don't feel my pain. But you will soon."
And from there the daughter begins to stalk the doctor. The doctor has nightmares that the girl has a forked tongue. The doc goes to the funeral and ends up asking the girl out. Also: the doc is up for a promotion, it's between him and the good, feeling doctor who is not as technically capable. Etc. Etc.

But here's the thing. In the back of my mind the whole time I'm hearing echoes of Drag Me to Hell, the recent Sam Raimi movie. Haven't seen the thing but I read the script and it's stuck in my brain; and since it worked so well, my brain won't let go of it. I mean, in Drag, the gypsy lays a curse on the bank teller. And in my thing, it's essentially the same thing. In fact, I can feel myself wanting the daughter to lay a curse on the doc but, obviously, that would be too blatant a copy even for my brain to accept; so I've avoided that; but because I have, everything proceeds a little watered down from there; and quickly devolves to a funeral scene involving mutant Viking throwbacks sending their dead leader off into a lake in a flaming Viking ship. Bla bla bla.

So here's the deal: how do you avoid such a stir of echoes?

And look, there I go again!
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Woah, woah--you're all over the map. First, what's your story about? So far, you've got some interesting elements here. An emotionally burned out ER doctor, a sick old man who dies and leaves a grieving daughter.

Is the ER doctor somehow responsible for the old man's death? If not, is simply overhearing a few heartless comments from the ER doc enough to drive the daughter to stalk him a day or two after the fact?

Also, if she's so mad at him, why does he ask her out at the funeral? That sounds sort of bizarre. And this pending job promotion? Waaaay too similar to 'Drag Me to Hell', in my opinion, and even if it wasn't, why is it important to the story? So, he's up for a promotion--big deal. Does he have a dentist appointment next Tuesday? (I don't mean to be harsh, but you get my point, no?)

I'd focus on what exactly is the story you're trying to tell. Find the exact point it is making and then write it.

Is the story you're trying to tell a revenge story? Or an ironic, reap-what-you-sow sort of tale?

-- Artman009
 
I shot two funerals as an event shooter. Good opportunity for really dramatic, moving footage. I decided that I would one day produce my own funeral video, before the fact, and it would be a Viking funeral. 'Cause they're awesome.
 
I can't remember which movie it was in, but the line "You don't feel my pain, but you will" has been used before :(
 
Another thing that helps with avoiding cliches and such: living. Going out into the world and having new adventures. Also, reading a lot and consuming other media can help you virtually obtain new experiences.
 
Thanks, all, for your thoughts and wisdom.
Artman: Your point is my point exactly -- I'm all over the place but always verging on something that's been done and is lodged in the back of my brain. That's what I'm trying to get away from....
10S: Yes, but then that would involve reading nothing, since everything I read has a tendency to want to impose itself on whatever project is currently at hand.
Randall and Ex: Yup, yup, and yup.

Justin: Woah! "I shot two funerals as an event shooter." Who hires someone to film a funeral? What's up with that? Since when is a funeral an "event"? There's got to be a movie in that somewhere, about the guy behind the camera. First there was the Wedding Singer, now there's the Funeral Filmer....
 
Definitely. I was in Paris a few years ago, on the Champs-Elysee with the gal I was traveling with, 2am having dinner on the sidewalk (restaurants have tents with tables out by the street), when out of the shadows and falling light rain scurried this old woman, barefoot, dirty, words can not describe how much she looked like someone out of a story by Voltaire-- hunched over, face like a witch out of Hansel and Gretel, crazy eyes. Running to us and away. We gave her a Euro coin and she was so grateful. An experience I will never forget, so visual, like I said it was like out of a movie. Just one of many unusual experiences from getting out and about.

EDIT: Of course you don't need to go to Paris, LOL; once I was walking to the university for class and this HUGE MUSCULAR dude was begging for money-- I offered to buy him lunch instead, so did, and then gave him a ride to his house (yeah, i know, not too smart). He was built like Micheal Clarke Duncan, honestly; but some good conversation came out of it all, he was a Vietnam vet and all, hard times, etc.

Eximious said:
Another thing that helps with avoiding cliches and such: living. Going out into the world and having new adventures. ...
Click to expand...
 
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linter said:
Thanks, all, for your thoughts and wisdom.
Artman: Your point is my point exactly -- I'm all over the place but always verging on something that's been done and is lodged in the back of my brain. That's what I'm trying to get away from....
10S: Yes, but then that would involve reading nothing, since everything I read has a tendency to want to impose itself on whatever project is currently at hand.
Randall and Ex: Yup, yup, and yup.

Justin: Woah! "I shot two funerals as an event shooter." Who hires someone to film a funeral? What's up with that? Since when is a funeral an "event"? There's got to be a movie in that somewhere, about the guy behind the camera. First there was the Wedding Singer, now there's the Funeral Filmer....
Click to expand...

So... are you going to write it or what? How about the answers to my questions?

Man, you're such a tease--you got me all interested in your story but you don't provide the goods. :)

-- Artman009
 
nah, i don't think i'm going to write it. i posted it mainly as an example of how my thought process attaches itself to 'outside' inspiration and has a hard time letting go.

i still like the title though.
 
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