Originality is Overrated
Creativity is often about working with what you have, not inventing something new
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If you’ve been reading a lot of theory, you’ve probably encountered the standard formula for ideology critique:
‘X’ sustains THE DOMINANT IDEOLOGY. If people would just wake up and realize ‘X’ is part of the problem, we would be one step closer to ending THE DOMINANT IDEOLOGY.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with using formulas to structure your writing. All writing is formulaic. That’s because writing occurs in genres, which are socially recognized ways of using language to respond to recurring situations. When the same pattern repeats across texts, it’s not because the author is lazy or unoriginal — it’s because it serves a specific purpose.
The phrase “once upon a time” is a good example. It might be cliché, but it also serves a rhetorical function. It signals the beginning of a fairy tale, an established genre most audiences are already familiar with. More importantly, the phrase sets up specific expectations. The audience knows they’re about to hear a story that involves a prince or a princess and takes place in a land “far, far away.”
Inexperienced writers often think they have to reject the tropes, motifs, and conventions of the genre to be “original.” But the most successful writers know how to play with the expectations established by the genre. They use the formula to their advantage:
If you’re writing theory, this is great news! It’s means there’s a huge difference between being original and being creative.
No one is completely original, because we’re all working in an established genre. We’re all using the same formulas. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be creative.
Again, Shrek is a good example of this. Characters like the Gingerbread Man aren’t original — and that’s precisely why the film works so well. Shrek trades on the audience’s familiarity with the genre by taking stock fairy tale characters and using them in creative, unexpected ways:
In other words, the goal is not to reinvent the wheel by coming up with a “new” formula for ideology critique. Genres are useful! We shouldn’t waste our time trying to escape them in a bid for originality.
Instead, we should be learning to leverage “generic” and “formulaic” writing when it gets us closer to our goals or helps us connect with our intended audience.
I’ll have more on this next week.
In the meantime, good luck with your writing!