Originality in fantasy Post-Tolkien

[Lhundulinwen]

I am a writer, and I began writing long before I read LOTR, but after reading it, I found that many of my short stories had Tolkien-ish elements when I revisited them. I hadn't read that much fantasy (especially fantasy written after Tolkien), but I had read classical stories such as The Odyssey and bits of Beowulf. Tolkien did borrow shamelessly, but he mixed these elements together in such a way that it made something so unique and different it is a classic work in its self.

I had to take a seriously long break in my novel after reading LOTR because I would unconsciously put an Aragorn or Gimli character into it. When a writer sits down to write, everything they've ever experienced, felt, read, or been around is game to be but down on paper (or screen). To consciously block anything out takes a lot of effort.

Yes, a lot of writers purposefully copy Tolkien. Brooks's Sword of Shannara is a good book, but it is really really close to being the same as LOTR. (If you love LOTR, please don't read the book; you may end up having a screaming arguement at the book!!!) Yes, there really aren't that many different plots, or for that matter, types of characters.

Most writers who have any self respect try their best to be original. But a lot of them, whether they know it or not, borrow from the same classical works as Tolkien did; or they may copy directly from Tolkien because LOTR is their favorite book, they just haven't read it in years or just forgot all the juicy details we all love.

Whether fantasy or not, all writer's try to be original and different; but with such a great epic work as Tolkien, in the last fifty years it has been hard to be original compared to the Master of Fantasy.