I Wrote a Novel: Here Are 5 Laws of Creativity I Learned in the Process
Embracing them might give you creative freedom
In 2022, I followed a lifelong dream. Over six months, while working a full-time job, I wrote a novel.
I dedicated myself to learning as much as I could about storytelling and creating believable characters. I plumbed the depths of my imagination and saw a story take shape in a way that I can only describe as magical.
That’s not to say writing a novel wasn’t difficult. All creativity has a cost because it requires energy. But during that time, I learned more about creativity than if I’d read ten books about it.
While creativity is different for everyone, I want to share five rules that I learned and believe apply to any creative endeavor based on my experience.
1. We Are the Sum of Our Influences
The Duffer Brothers, creators of Stranger Things, have a Masterclass course on screenwriting. In it, they talk about all the influences that shaped the hit show.
If you’ve watched Stranger Things, you know how many pop culture references it has. The show is literally a Frankenstein’s monster of 70s and 80s movies sewn together. The Duffers explained how they took all their childhood influences and combined them to create the show.
That’s what all creatives do.
We each have a unique set of influences that shaped us. Influences from our childhood are powerful and special to us. Whether or not you realize it, your influences seep into your creative work. They mix and layer on top of each other to create something that feels fresh. But if you knew the artist’s influences, you’d be able to see them clearly.
When I was writing my novel, I was heavily influenced by books like To Kill a Mockingbird and Harry Potter. Additionally, the influence of movies and television shows like Smallville, X-Men, and Star Wars is on every page.
If you identify your biggest influences, you can consciously apply them to your work. You’ll find a deep well of inspiration that also appeals to others who share your influences.
2. There’s No Such Thing as Originality
Originality is overrated and misunderstood.
You may think you want to create something original, but you don’t. If you did, you’d write a novel or screenplay about an extraterrestrial blob who can’t see, smell, or speak and is looking for love.
I doubt you’d have a blockbuster on your hands. The concept is so out there your audience would have a difficult time relating. The market isn’t looking for originality. It’s looking for content that’s the same but different.
That’s why so many writers rely on storytelling structures like the Hero’s Journey to tell a story. It’s familiar but endlessly flexible. You can create unique work when you add your influences (see above) to an existing structure.
As I was crafting my story outline, I purposefully used both The Hero’s Journey and Save the Cat. These helped shape everything from my story’s genre and characters. My influences combined with these structures helped me create an “original” story.
We’re much more drawn to a new angle on the existing idea than an original idea.
3. There Are Only 8 Stories
For his Master’s thesis, author Kurt Vonnegut Jr. proposed most stories fall into one of eight-story shapes. He even believed computers could plot the shapes of stories on a graph.
Turns out, he was right.
A few years ago, Jodie Archer and Matthew Jockers created an algorithm that allowed them to plot the shapes of novels on a graph. They describe their process in the book The Bestseller Code. Their findings revealed that stories really do follow shape patterns.
For my novel, I used Archer and Jocker’s algorithm via Authors.ai — a tool I recommend for any aspiring novelist. Among other insights, it revealed my story unfolded in an S shape called a “Quest.”
You can see Vonnegut’s explanation of his thesis in this video. A couple of examples are:
- The Cinderella story: A character goes from bad fortune at the beginning to good fortune at the end.
- Man in a Hole: A character starts with good fortune, experiences obstacles that create bad fortune, but returns to good fortune in the end.
While a story framework like the three-act structure or the Hero’s Journey is a skeleton, the shape is more about how the events in a story unfold. Stories can deviate from these shapes, but the result is often confusing for readers.
4. Creativity Is Transformation
The act of creation changes the creator.
Artists have known this for centuries. If you want to improve your skill as an artist of any kind, set uncomfortable challenges for yourself. You can’t hope to get better if you’re always creating the same thing.
Transformation is the heart of every story. In writing, it’s called a character arc. That’s when there’s a noticeable difference in a character at the end of the story.
I crafted my story so my main character transformed from a lonely teenager into someone with friends and a purpose. If you’re thinking that transformation sounds familiar, you’re right. Remember, readers like familiar story elements with a twist.
We love characters who experience transformation, whether big or small, because it reminds us we, too, can change. It’s no wonder Ebenezer Scrooge has endured for nearly two hundred years. But characters aren’t the only ones who transform.
Reading fiction can change you, the reader because it puts you in another person’s shoes. Even though it’s a made-up character, you still feel empathy for them.
And if a flawed character can change, maybe there’s hope for us too.
5. The Idea Looks Nothing Like the Finished Work
Several years ago, my wife and I went to Yosemite and saw the giant sequoia trees. While the trees were breathtaking, what impressed me the most were the seeds. They were miniscule.
It’s difficult to believe a gigantic tree can grow from something so small. The end product looks nothing like the original. It’s the same with creativity — especially with writing.
An idea is nothing more than a seed. As you plan and work with the seed of an idea, it begins to grow. The more you work on it, the more it changes. By the end, the finished product may look nothing like the original idea — but the seed is still in there somewhere.
Yes, some creators get an idea, and the result looks exactly like they imagined. But that’s rare.
For every J. K. Rowling who got the idea for Harry Potter while riding on a train, there are ten George Lucas who wrote multiple drafts of Star Wars before it reached its final form.
The first draft of my novel was a story about aliens — no lie. By the time I finished, it had become a (much better) story about teens with paranormal abilities. But I didn’t simply decide one day to change it. It happened as I wrote and revised the book and continued until I finished.
Don’t worry if your project takes a different turn from what you originally imagined. It’s all part of the process, and you get amazed at what you created.
Conclusions and Takeaways
Firstly, don’t pre-judge your creativity.
While writing my novel, I sometimes felt like it was just a knock-off version of other popular books.
But by the time I finished, I understood it was a mixture of my influences. If I’d stopped writing and allowed my self-judgment to get in the way, it would’ve robbed me of a fulfilling experience.
Will my novel land a publishing deal? I don’t know. And while I don’t plan to self-publish, writing it taught me to trust my creative instincts.
Secondly, creativity requires courage. When you’re creating something, you’ll have plenty of temptation to quit.
Don’t listen to it. You can’t judge whether your creation is any good until it’s finished.
So go ahead, get out there, create, and enjoy your life.
Each week, I deconstruct one big idea around creative work, human nature, and writing. Join other smart creators for my best insights.
