Originality

Originality is a great concern for writers, especially beginning writers. Those who can break down individual stories into basic components realize that every story has already been written. Those who can't do that see that there are millions of stories already made, so it's impossible for their story to be original.

This is a paralyzing fear. When you think that none of your ideas are your own or worth sharing, you will not write any of them. And since fear is irrational, there is no reasoning that can have a meaningful impact. It is easy to say that simply writing your version of a classic story in your voice and style will give enough individuality to make it not a copy. It's a lot harder to get people to believe it.

There is no magic cure for fear. There are techniques to circumvent it, though. If somebody thinks their story is unoriginal, find out why, then simply do something different. If somebody thinks that there are tons of stories that are all original, show them that most stories are retellings of the same basic story and that it is possible to write a good story that has already been written before.

Occasionally, originality is merely a generic crutch. Though they claim that their ideas aren't original, they still don't want to write when something completely new is in front of them. In that case, the fear is merely a matter of self-confidence. And although there is no cure for that, either, the treatment for it is easy: write something. The only way to believe that you can write is to actually write. If you don't spontaneously combust, then you're a writer. Then all you have to do is become a better writer, which everybody has to do. And that's way more important than an original story, anyway.