Steal Like an Artist, by Austin Kleon

The art of removing the stigma from drawing inspiration from others.

1. What is originality? Undetected plagiarism?

We’ve all been overwhelmed at some point by the idea that there’s nothing new left to create. As a Twenty One Pilots song goes:

“I wish I found some better sounds no one’s ever heard.”

The reality is that completely original ideas are rare. If you analyze most stories, you’ll find very similar core structures and concepts. The difference isn’t so much in what you tell, but in how you tell it.

Your personal story, your context, your background, your identity, your way of looking at the world — that’s what transforms an idea into something your own. That’s where true originality appears: in the execution.

2. Get outside

Many of the things that really matter happen away from the screen, with your hands away from the keyboard. Writing only from what you’ve read can end up producing an inbred work, fed only by stories that already exist.

Go out. Visit exhibitions, talk with friends, travel, observe people. There are stories happening constantly out there. All of that not only nourishes you as a person, but as a writer too.

Creative writing goes far beyond grammar or prose — it’s built from experience. Your identity is also written by living.

3. The craft

Contrary to what many believe, the hardest part of creating isn’t having the idea, but facing the blank page and making that idea exist.

Make use of even the gray days. Resist the temptation to avoid that uncomfortable space where nothing exists yet. Because in the end, there’s something deeply comforting about sitting down — perhaps with something warm in your hands — and simply writing.