This Is Why Writers Hold Themselves Back From Writing

Original ideas don’t exist — how you write about them is what matters

Some writers don’t write for fear of failure. Other writers blame a lack of inspiration to write about a topic they’ve been waiting for days to write about.

But there’s yet another reason — I should say a lame one — why writers hold themselves back from writing.

And that is, they think their content isn’t original. Unless their idea is original and unique they don’t see a reason why they should write about it.

After all, everything out there on the internet has already been said, not once, but million times. You may wonder why should I say it again?

Original ideas don’t exist

Here is the thing: There is no such thing as an original idea. Everything out there has already been written. The only difference would be how you say it.

While many ideas have already been hammered into our brains million times, it doesn’t mean your take on the idea doesn’t fit in. Because it’s not about what you write, it’s how you say it. Each person views the world from their own lens. That means how you approach the topic will be different from anyone else who writes about it.

So no matter how many times people have heard and read about the topic, you shouldn’t hold yourself back from writing about it.

What you have to do is simply take the same topic and write about it with your own unique twist and with your own voice.

How to stand out from the crowd

When writing on the heavily covered topic, there is one major caveat: you have to be as creative as possible. This is so that you stand out from the crowd and your voice isn’t cast in the shadow of all the voices out there. Your writing has to be memorable and unique. The words you choose have to connect with the reader emotionally.

The question is, how can you do that?

Well, it’s simple — you add your own unique twist to the story.

Add some creative visual elements to it, which will make the reader connect to you on an emotional level. The more you personalize your story, the more you can differentiate yourself as a writer and stand out from the crowd.

Your story is still original

The art of a great storyteller is to cover the same topic in such a unique and compelling way that it almost transforms the whole topic. Picture an old and chipped piece of wood. Once you sand and polish it, it’s like new again.

That means it’s okay if a topic is familiar and has been written about so many times before. You can breathe a new life into it by writing about it from your own point of view. By writing on existing ideas, you’re not copying anyone else — you’re honing your own voice.

It’s like you’re taking an existing dish and transforming it into a brand new one. You tweak the ingredients and add in new flavors and spices. The dish that you’ve now created may be so different from the original it’s hard to tell the difference.

The takeaway

No idea is original. Everything out there has already been said. But this doesn’t mean you can’t write about it. You can take the existing idea and make it unique by adding your own personal touch to it. And remember your story will still be original, as long as you write about it with your voice.