This Sneaky Writing Myth Is Blocking Your Next Big Project
Image by Rupert Britton on Unsplash
Has this happened to you?
You’re journaling, reading, or cooking, and suddenly… BAM! It hits you.
A flash of brilliance. A blessing from the muse. It’s an idea for your next writing project!
You sit at your desk with tea steeped and writing playlist queued. You open Google Docs to a blank page. As suddenly as the inspiration hit, these thoughts slide into your head:
Has somebody else written this before?!
Am I an unoriginal hack?
It’s all been done before!
I’m guessing you’ve been there. Me, too. 🙋🏻♀️
“It’s All Been Done Before” Syndrome has held me back in my creative work big time. I’ve waited years to work on exciting writing projects because I assumed I couldn’t produce work that was fresh and original.
A few years ago, I learned about multiverse theory from a podcast. Boiled down to a not-so-scientific explanation, the theory states that in an infinite universe, there is an infinite number of possibilities.
Therefore, there’s an infinite number of earths. An infinite number of Renee Longs. An infinite number of YOU, reader.
Infinite. Possibilities.
This idea––infinite characters and endless storylines––grabbed me and would not let go. But my inner critic kept rolling her eyes and saying, “Don’t be silly. The parallel universe thing is sooo overdone.”
That was three years ago. It wasn’t until I said, “Enough! This idea won’t leave until I write it.” I got to work.
This November, I set a daily word count goal of 300 words (I started small so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed and give up). Now, I have over 5000 words in my novel, Magda and the Multiverse: The Tale of the Walking Whale. It’s a solid start.
And guess what? I’m having a blast playing in Magda’s world and learning how to navigate a universe of endless possibilities. “It’s all been done before” be damned!
Do you have an idea you’re putting off because you think it’s been done before? Or you think no one will read it because it’s too similar to [insert bestselling novel here]?
Stop getting in your own way! The world needs your story, and no one but you can write it. Not your favorite author, not your multiverse doppelgänger… YOU.
This roadblock comes up so often with writers that I created a mini writing workshop so you can move through this crippling myth. Get your soul’s work out of your head and into the world.
This free workshop is exclusively for LitHabits VIPS, so hop on the bandwagon and get the workshop below. 👇
In this mini writing workshop, you’ll get:
A 5-step framework to overcome feeling “unoriginal.”
Doable action steps to access your original voice.
The confidence and courage to write one-of-a-kind work.
Thank you for sharing your creative spirit with me. Write on, friend. 🧡
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Photo by Rupert Britton on Unsplash