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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/36727
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/36727
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

My personal creative mantra is cribbed straight from _The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya_:

> If it doesn't already exist, I should just make it myself.

_To the best of my knowledge_, nobody has ever written a story combining the "save our school by forming a club" set-up of _Love Live_, with the pure destructive thrill of robot combat (complete with obligatory anime tournament arc). So I'm writing one, because I think it would be awesome.

Of course, as you noted, it's impossible to be _completely_ original these days. If I had a dollar for every time I was watching something and thought, "That's basically [character] from [one of my stories]!", I'd be set for life. So I have my own corollary:

> If it does already exist, I can just make my own version.

No two characters, and no two stories, will ever be exactly the same. On those many occasions where I come across a character that resembles one of mine, I try to focus on the differences between them, rather than the similarities. Sure, one of my characters has a very similar personality, lifestyle, and skill set to Futaba Sakura from _Persona 5_. But nobody can ever accuse me of ripping her off because their physical appearances and character arcs are absolutely nothing alike.

And finally, the most important thing to remember: **writing a story that's original is nowhere near as important as writing a story that's _actually good_**. Someone's already written a story similar to the one you want to write? **Make a better one.**

Original score: 5