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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/36162
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

The only reason we say there are a small number of plots one can list is because they're defined in an extremely vague way. There's still plenty of room for originality; I'll let you decide whether it constitutes "hope". Here's [the best analogy I've heard](http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-common-movie-arguments-that-are-always-wrong/):

> The basic plot is like a mannequin. You're pretty limited in the number of shapes you can come up with -- curvy or straight, thin or fat. The rest of the movie -- the subplots, the personalities, the atmosphere, the pace, the number of explosions you add -- that's like the costume you put on the mannequin. Someone pointing out that a plot is "basically the same" is pointing out that two designers are using the same fat mannequin. One could be wearing a bloodied Viking costume and one could be wearing a flowery muumuu, but they're both size 40, so they're "basically the same."

So what are the details of this costume? TV Tropes lists tens of thousands of tropes, as well as [many ways to use them](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlayingWithATrope). When you crunch the numbers, stories can be as unique as human genomes.

The real danger isn't unoriginality; it's trying to be original with the most obvious deviation possible from the mainstream, because every budding writer is trying that. That's as liable to make your work like others' as any follow-the-leader mentality.

Original score: 36