There is a saying that the quality of a story depends on how original it is. It is a fair statement to attest to; enjoyment can come from a background of creativity and surprise. But that doesn’t mean that the conventional and the popular are to be avoided. In fact, traditional ideas have just as much chance of making a compelling story. However, to choose between tradition and novelty, one must understand the limits of originality and what is beyond it.

Originality is foremost a risk that the writer takes. There is no guarantee that a new concept will work. In contrast, a conventional idea has been used many times and has managed to stand the test of time enough to become popular. Though it is not a certainty, it is proof of its efficiency as a reliable element for a story.

Furthermore, a story gathers many ideas, all serving the same objective: to keep things interesting. Trying to make everything original and coming up with new ideas is difficult, which can be frustrating for the writer. A simple but well-executed storytelling is easier to handle and can prevent writer’s block.

There must be something beyond being different and new. When the writer thinks of an idea, they need to wonder how it would serve the story. Every idea must have a purpose, and being original is not a purposeAn idea might be clever but if it doesn't have a clear role, then it is counterproductive.. What the writer needs to seek is ingenuity, a term that defines the usefulness and cleverness of something.

Ingenuity and originality are interconnected because they both require thinking outside the box; the difference is that ingenuity has a clear goal to it. If a concept is ingenious, then it is most likely beneficial for the story. In short, an ingenious idea is original, but an original idea is not automatically ingenious.

Being original for the sake of being original isn’t a mindset to seek. In literature, building its own identity is important, and originality is usually the easiest way to do so. But it can come to the detriment of quality. Like most ideas, originality must have meaning to stand out. And with meaning and purpose, originality becomes ingenuity.