Words for Writers: Don't be Unique. Be Yourself.

I think the most annoying piece of writing advice I've seen given by any writer is, "Be unique." Honestly, I don't know what they're trying to say. I think it's a pat answer.

About once a week I have a moment where I feel a fair amount of suckage. That is to say I would like to rip my laptop out of the wall, and throw it through my office window. When I first started writing I went through an extended period of trying to be unique. I want to be a fantasy writer. The fantasy genre is full of tropes and cliches. I, however, was going to be different. I was going to change the face of fantasy. For about six months I trashed every single thing I wrote. I felt like maybe being a fantasy writer was too high of an aspiration. Maybe I should write in another genre. The problem is I don't love other genres like I love fantasy.

In my personal life the two most important relationships I have are with my wife, and with fantasy literature. Trying to write in another genre was an asinine thought on my part.

I was doing the dishes last night, and came to a realization. I'm not going to tell great stories by attempting to be unique. I'm only ever going to tell great stories by being myself. I am an individual. There is no one else like me, and that by itself makes me unique. That makes the stories I tell unique. I love Brandon Sanderson, and I wish to God that I had thought of some of the magic systems that he's come up with, but  I haven't. There's no reason for me to fret over coming up with a magic system to compete with what Mr. Sanderson does. That's stupid on my part. I need to let who I am come out in the magic I create. Patrick Rothfuss is my favorite blogger. Honestly, you could take away every blog I enjoy, and I would be okay with that. If you took away Patrick Rothfuss I would have a shit fit. Now, as much as I'd love to be as witty, and as funny as Pat is, my blog will never be that. I'm straight forward, no b.s., full speed ahead.

I am who I am. There's no reason to change that. I'm unique just by being myself. As a writer I need to be myself.

Whatever you want to do in life. Whether it be: school teaching, music, writing, photography, or running your own business, it doesn't matter. Be yourself. Your idea may have been done before, but it's never been done by you. You're different. That will make your song, your story, your painting, your business different from everything out there.

Be yourself, friend. Don't get caught in the trap of attempting to be unique. You already are.