Recently I did a post on how originality is overrated, which you can read here:
And I wanted to balance that out here, by offering a practical alternative to originality and how to handle this correctly.
The three best ways to create content that is practically original, that is to say, content similar to existing fiction, but that hasn't been created under a specific direction, context or with a certain set of characters. Is to:
A) Take various elements from different genres and fuse them together.
B) Take character archetypes and throw them into an unconventional situation or setting.
C) Subvert the plot and completely change it's direction, to something less conventional.
All of these techniques offers the creator a useful platform to effectively create something that is original, especially if the creator chooses to employ these techniques, in conjunction with each other.
The rest comes down to the handling of these techniques, which is essentially making these elements work congruently and naturally with each other and the greater narrative. And ensuring no one aspect of the story over-powers the other.
The Anime Vision of Escaflowne, for example managed to pull all three of these techniques off quite nicely, fusing the mecha genre with medieval fantasy and even elements of the shoujo genre.
Escaflowne achieved this by allowing each element: the characters, the multiple genres, the subversion to develop naturally as a separate aspect, as well as being the ingredients of the overarching narrative.
I hope this helps you in your creative endeavors,
-Pablo, Author of INTERMINUTE