Oh No, Someone's Already Thought of It!

[worldofmutes]

I once had an idea for a book where some broski goes and gets the “Choicest Haircut” and they just shoot the shot together and he leaves a happy man. Is it a stupid idea? No. Has it been done? Yea. Günter Grass wrote one about dentistry. But I would still write it if I knew anything about barbering.

 

[msstice]

https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienfans/comments/saowa9

seems topical here ...

 

[Guttersnipe]

Tolkien's ring idea may have been inspired by Draupnir of Norse mythology, Alberich's ring from the Nibelungenlied, and Plato's Ring of Gyges. It seems to be a combinations of these things. The evil part was probably a flourish of his own.

 

[Travalgar]

Tolkien's ring idea may have been inspired by Draupnir of Norse mythology, Alberich's ring from the Nibelungenlied, and Plato's Ring of Gyges. It seems to be a combinations of these things. The evil part was probably a flourish of his own.

And Kalevala inspired him even more.

There's nothing new under the sun indeed. Someone's brand new smartphone is made of matters that would have laid dormant in earth's crust for up to billions of years before.

 

[Guttersnipe]

And Kalevala inspired him even more.

There's nothing new under the sun indeed. Someone's brand new smartphone is made of matters that would have laid dormant in earth's crust for up to billions of years before.

Definitely. Gandalf is basically Vaïnämoïnen and Odin combined.

 

[Stuart Suffel]

Given that Avatar is essentially the same as Pocahontas but with blue people, I think you're just fine

And that be the slam dunk. Originality exists mostly in how a "new" idea is presented (and, ultimately, marketed).

 

[Brian G Turner]

I came up with an idea years ago about a character who receives telepathy due to a special hearing aid

And? What messages are they receiving? And why is this important?

I don't think you have a story idea, just a concept so far.

 

[Wayne Mack]

I take the viewpoint of "It's the same, but different." Originality and duplication are not opposites; a story will have some degree of both.