It is my firm conviction that authors do not ‘invent’ stories. I have been thinking about this for years. It seems to me that authors rather ‘discover’ stories, perhaps even ‘uncover’ them.
Some things become apparent right from the start. Much remains uncharted territory, as on an expedition. At a certain point, plots and plot twists come together; these are the blank spots on the map that we previously didn’t know how to fill in. They fit in organically, as if these missing fragments had always been there, but we simply hadn’t realised it until now.
Writing is a journey. Not only in the realm of creative writing, where we encounter new characters who accompany us right to the end – and beyond; journeys on which we get to know the quirks, potential and desires of our companions more closely. Journeys on which a place was left empty, often without us realising it.
Even when writing some articles, we come across a thought in the course of writing that was previously unknown to us, and which suddenly becomes the defining theme.
When I say that I am convinced that everything has already been written, this is not a discouraging thought. Dante does not fail because of Virgil; he invites him to join him on his journey. The pressure to be original is lessened when we are certain that we already have everything. We simply have to uncover it. There are still plenty of variations and facets that remain unknown to us. The great themes endure.
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