When asking the question “Where do you get your ideas?” to any established writer, one should note that he or she is liable to be A) publicly humiliated by both writer and audience, B) slapped in the back of the head by both audience or writer or C) all of the above, for asking one of the most redundant and repetitive questions of all time.

Originality is the ultimate stumbling block for most aspiring writers. “The well is dry,” so many of my peers have told me in regard to their writer’s block. Unless you are actually living in a plastic bubble, the well is never dry! In fact, you might have more to write about living in a plastic bubble than you would in a residence hall.

The problem is we live in a society and an industry in which the original is so deeply polarized with the formulaic, the relationship between the two is never fully realized. Deeply artistic personalities like David Lynch and Charlie Kaufman have been inspired by previous works which have guided and shaped their creations.

In fact, some writers have even refused to be called creators in the first place. JRR Tolkien, deeply religious (some of which rubbed off on his drinking buddy, C.S. Lewis) denoted himself as a sub-creator, since in his mind, there was only one true creator. Regardless of your stance on religion, you can easily see many works are built upon foundations of archetypes, themes and yes, even formulas. But it’s the author’s voice which colors these works into something artistic.

So, in regard to these developments, don’t beat yourself up over the loss of original ideas. Many originalities come through execution of a story, not from the story itself. Plots that would otherwise be tired clichés can become powerful means of expression when combined with personal obsession and experience. Ultimately, just as a car is only as safe as its driver, a book is only as good as its author.