About Creativity (And Story Types?)

[Endrenesk]

This is something that's been puzzling me for roughly 13 minutes, although probably several years with me forgetting afterward.
I don't know about you guys, but I find creativity to be the ability to think up new things.
And, in one of my really few and far between zen moments, I once thought "Originality is nothing but a shade if it's true form."
Most people have creative thoughts, and don't even realize it.
Or they buried them because they didn't like what they saw.
Some people use logic and humor as a substitute but it's not because it's the same thing honestly

So, How do you guys figure out new ideas?
For me, I just stayed up for three days and read scott pilgrim again after a year.
and dang, the author tied in a lot of key details that I missed after my first three reads.

So, this is now off topic after the bold, but may or may not be interesting to read i guess
There are a couple different writing styles/formats that I've noticed over the course of slowly soaking my brain through literature and visual novels/manga/anime/yougettheideaprobably
1- The Clues game
You all know which kind of story I mean, the one where there's like 3 years worth of pre-story story, where the author is trying to get at something without saying it until it's relevant to the story. The flip side of the title "Clues Game" is that it also technically applies to horror/drama/action stories. or you could just use it as lore or something i don't bloody well know
2- Character Development Central
This is the ideal story type for 10+ characters. The characters are set up against an undesirable situation where they must grow to solve the scenario, which within writing can be very lighthearted or serious depending on the tone the author is going for.
3- this story has more twists and turns than chutes and ladders
"I, YOUR BEST FRIEND, AM ACTUALLY YOUR MORTAL ENEMY/RIVAL YOU ALMOST KILLED 3 YEARS AGO!"
that's basically all i have to say about that subject, but squared by 333.
4- The Hero's Journey
This is similar to Character Development Central, except heavily focused on one specific character- the others are bonuses.
5- Write the unexpected
I have a book somewhere with an author that has a quote like "If I don't know what's happening next, neither do my readers." Which, while accurate, kind of gets old like plot twist city, because oh look a cute supporting girl character bet she's gonna die because we love her character and it's fabulously tragic

so i don't know what this is anymore and i'd like feedback and stuff because my brain is about as active as a hive of ants
i guess this became like a question/observation things

[Ringarune]

For me, my ideas stem from concepts that I like. For example, my current project Star Pace is heavily inspired by two mangas that focused on the entertainment industry and mine focuses on singing. Another idea I'm planning out stems from a concept in the anime Sugar Sugar Rune. A quick synopsis of what I'm working from is that the girls in that show have to collect hearts from people for points and in the process they get to know about that person. I have a similar concept in mind except in regards to shooting stars.

[J.Z.Castillo]

It's been written before that there's only 7 types of stories in the world, in the history of human kind, EVER.

1. Overcoming the Monster: MC sets out to defeat their enemy.
2. Rags to Riches: MC gains something they didn't have before, to then lose it, and gain it again.
3. The Quest: MC sets out to an undiscovered location facing many obstacles and tempations.
4. Voyage and Return: MC goes on a journey overcoming threats, returning with nothing but experience. Very similar to #3 but the difference is that in #3 MC gains something material at the end, whereas in #4 MC gains knowledge and experiences (immaterial things).
5. Comedy: Light and cheerful, ends in a happy ending, more than humorous usually having a plot where conflict is created through poor lines of communication and then made clear with a simple explanation, like most romances.
6. Tragedy: MC has a major character flaw that is ultimately their undoing (think of Batman).
7. Rebirth: A certain event makes MC change their views on the world, making them a better person.

These seven types can then be further cataloged under the "Man vs" system

Man vs Man: MC fights against a certain human, or same species, individual (Harry Potter).
Man vs Self: MC struggles with their own self (Evangelion).
Man vs Technology: MC's main antagonist is of a technological aspect, anything from AI to a really hard to open jar (The Matrix).
Man vs Nature: Nature becomes the antagonist (Castaway).
Man vs Society: MC usually lives in a society where they are oppressed and sets out to change things (The Hunger Games).

Then you can further break that down to genres, and each genre will handle each story differently, but when you break them down they are all the same.

So you see, storytelling does not have THAT much diversity. Many authors have tried to break away from these basic plots, and guess what? Their stories sucked, hahaha! I'm trying to find an example, when I do I'll edit this and post it here.

I wouldn't worry too much about thinking "is my story original?" I would concentrate more in "is my story good?" It all comes down on how you spin your plot and what you can bring to the table. For example, my comics are FAR from original, everyone's seen the male MC with fire powers, or the vampire lovers, right? But it's about how you DEVELOP your story in an original way, THAT is where distinction lies! If you start using tropes that have been seen before that's when the story fails and becomes a cliche.

[joannekwan]

Ideas usually just come to me without me forcing anything. Example, I had a kick-ass idea for a name and decided to create a character around it, I have an idea of his appearance and developed his backstory. Wanting to create a story around him so much, I sort of forced a plot for him to go through. This was a week and a half ago. But just in the past two days I got different ideas of how things could go for him. I completely revamped the plot, his occupation, and the roles of the supporting cast. Now I have a story I am 10x more confident and happier with.

Sometimes though I have to connect one thing to another, otherwise plot-holes. So I think on it a bit and usually an idea dings in my head.

I second @mrjonzap, don't worry about originality, worry about quality. And yeah, there are a ton of ways to tell a story, but figure out your "voice" what you want to say with your story and focus on the best way to get your message across.

[ConradComics]

Hmm. I guess I create characters. I wind them up and let them go. They do things. I write down what they do.
I then edit their actions (or the order of said actions) with a meta eye, making sure it's all logically consistent.
Profiles and backstories are part of the character creation stage, but I tweak them throughout; again, with an eye for consistency.

The thought of Is this really original or creative? is not really part of my process.

Edit: To add to the off topic part. I have noticed a new offshoot of the Clues/Mystery style and that's the Puzzle Style. In that, the author(s) set up the situation, and you know already that unless this is the end of the story, the bad-guy is going to survive anyway. So, you are left to figure out how, in this specific situation, the bad-guy will use the terms or 'rules' of it to win against the protagonist(s). I've seen it before with the manga Death Note and more recently with the same creative team's newer manga Platinum End.

The payoff is a little bit different than a mystery, because it's more expedient (and repeatable).

[timinabox24]

I just draw whatever comes to my mind, because someone has to do it
I refuse to go out of my way to try to come up with ideas because that always ends badly and I have no reason to do it X_X

[indagold]

My most recent comics are like 75 percent based off dreams... that means when i'm awake I do 25% of the work!

In all seriousness things just pop into my head and I just role with it most of the time. Build on it for years until i'm happy.

[R.n.P]

For me I don't usually have much problems when it comes to creativity, who knows maybe because I try to make my story simple yet interesting and what I use for my decisions on story progress and character development and other aspects is how hyped up I am to draw what ever it is I'm picking, so I make a scale of one to ten in my head how awesome it would be to me if my story should progress in this direction rather than in the other and then after picking I find a way to fill in any plot holes that may open up if I go in that decided direction

[Kirstin]

I think that stories evolve naturally!

for example, you can have a random burst of inspiration for a new character, concept, or place. I've often found that my story expands on it's own and things get a little more complicated and significant. I think it'd be hard to force out a creative idea.

It's always fun to draw inspiration from the real world. There's been so many epic civilizations that you can use as a foundation or whatever. I went to a history museum the other day and now have plans for a new story arc .