Introduction to originality

In this column I intend to discuss the problem of originality under its three most encountered aspects. There are more levels of originality, and the writer who passes them all is that who has the most brilliant career.


     1. Originality and law

In the first place, an original work is created solely by the said author, with no one else’s intervention or influence of any kind. That is, the write mustn’t be fully or partially copied. Quotes and paraphrases are accepted, but they are usually inappropriate in poetry and there are strict rules regarding their use.
Quotes of four or less lines should be placed between quotation marks (“). Those exceeding four lines are double-spaced, indenting each line one inch, and without quotation marks, as follows:

      They crept forward, glancing behind them as they went on down the long  

      alleys of shelves, the further ends of which were in near-total    darkness.

      Tiny, yellowing labels had been stuck beneath each glass orb on the

      shelves. Some of them had a weird, liquid glow; others were as  dull and

      dark  within as blown light bulbs.    (J. K. Rowling - “Harry Potter and the

      Order of the Phoenix”)

Also, mentioning the original source is vital and copyright laws are very serious. If a certain statement is considered general knowledge, there is no need for quotation, but this is a very delicate matter and the boarders are usually vague.
Plagiarism means stealing another person’s ideas or words and claiming all the rights for them. Especially now, in the age when the World Wide Web is so large and strong, plagiarism is easier than ever to commit. However, in spite of the huge mass of new information that threatens to often leave such an action unnoticed and, therefore, unpunished, there is still good news. There are also many ways to discover false authors and their deeds.  With some research and sites like www.turnitin.com, the truth can still be brought to light.


     2. Originality and a writer’s success

Beyond the issues discussed above, originality means creativity. If a few simple rules are followed, you can still write legally without being original. I remember participating in contests here on AP where the rules sounded like this: “Write in the style of Famous Poet X…”. And so did the participants. I have read plenty of good poems in these contests, yet there was still something that bothered me. The quotes were placed correctly, and the author whose style was copied was mentioned. It was all clean. So what was wrong, then?
Any writer, of any genre, has to have their own voice. That should come before everything else. Tastes differ and no one can define beauty in writing, but if, say, a thousand poets have the same style with little variation, who will remember them all? After a while, who will bother to read that kind of poetry at all? Boredom will be felt, and the so-called art will have no effect whatsoever on the readers, because they’ve been there, done that, read that. Total apathy, which is far from the principle real art is based upon, being rather like a kitsch.
I have seen old writers whose work I didn’t enjoy much, but who were considered points of reference in the history of literature.  They sounded rather dull to me, and I’m probably not the only one who would think so. What made them so special? Simple: at the time they started to write, they brought something new. Many of them weren’t even appreciated at that time. Many of them were blamed for their unique style and innovative ideas that sometimes destroyed the feeling of tranquility sets of values offered to the society of those days. And especially, I can’t stress this enough, someone writing in their style now would most likely have no chance in front of a publisher nowadays.  The world goes on and so does poetry. You can be admired much for your poetry today, but if you give it nothing new, nothing that represents you and only you and no one but you, people will forget your work soon. The key to a writer’s success is this, in my opinion: don’t be the one who copies, be the one people choose to copy. If you have your own voice, no one can take that away from you - they can only praise you (unless they are silly conservatives, but nothing ever really goes back to what it used to be).
And one last thing to remember about this type of originality: whoever has the skill to copy one’s style elegantly and without plagiarizing, also has the skill to rise and be himself/herself.


     3. Originality vs. redundancy

Redundancy. I’d say the most delicate issue a writer faces. To some, it’s worse than writer’s block itself.
So you have talent, you have ideas, you write 24/7, you have all it takes to be a success. Do you, really?
You can write very different from everyone else, and your style can be widely appreciated. Your ideas may be very innovative and your voice, loud and clear. But then redundancy can become your worst nightmare. What if, even though you’re different from each and every author that has ever existed on this earth, your work is always the same as yesterday and similar to what you will write tomorrow? You get suffocated by your own style and so will your most loyal readers, sooner or later. What to do?
Here are a few suggestions as to what could be done in this particularly difficult situation:

- Use different topics! Changing the topic usually changes the style of talking, too. If you also change the tone, you’re back to normal!

- Expand your vocabulary! Indeed, after you reach a certain age and education level, pride may make this option seem humiliating and worthless to consider, but sometimes it works, especially if your redundancy is mostly the fact that you mainly use a small set of “favorite words” that you cannot give up on.

- Try to understand your style so well so you can move on consciously. This one is probably the toughest, but it will get you the best results, in most cases.

- Write collaboration poetry! Have a friend who has the same problem as you, or maybe writer’s block? A poem written by two people requires a lot of team spirit which means giving up part of your style in favor of the other’s. Doesn’t it sound just like what you needed?

- The key word of originality: EXPERIMENT!!! Try making a new form. Try new fonts. Try writing in two languages at a time. Etcaetera.  Try, try, try!

These are just a few pieces of advice that may be helpful. One thing to be aware of is this: there is no such moment when you have said it all. If you live, you have something new to say. If you have ever found your own voice (which you of course have), you can do it again. Find a new one.


These are, in my point of view, the most important points about originality. Originality is, believe it or not, the key for a successful writer whose work people will remember even many years after s/he is long gone.