So I have a story idea. The only problem is that it seems very typical.


So far I've got it's about a photojournalist (and already the sighs) who obviously see's something he shouldn't then has to deal with the consuquences, yada yada yada. I've got a few subtle ways to make it unique (I hope), but for the most part it just seems like it would be a bland story.
the only realy reason I'm writing this is because of the character: he is anything but an action hero. He's not a dufus or the type who walks right past a falling piano whilst his attempted kidnappers meet it head on, all oblivious. No, he simply isn't meant to take on assassins and consperacies. He's good at his job, but can't handle the normal drudgeries of day-to-day tasks. His place is a mess, he never remembers peoples birthdays, his love life (which will be a joke throughout the story) is filled with pissed off ex's.
Hope I'm not ramballing too much, but if I am, well you're here so you must like to read. Anyhoo, the point: I was thinking of making it a futuristic kinda thing, but I don't know. Tips, advice, hi's, anything would be nice.


P.S. It's 1:25 am, I'm on two hours of sleep from last night, and my depressed cat won't leave me alone. Good day.

I'm not exactly sure what you're looking for - but avoid being cliche or "redundant." Make your story unique and you'll have a higher chance of success.

That's pretty much what I meant. What are some typical cliche's of that style?

Well you could still keep that character that you want to use, but in a different situation.

Try to make things less mundane, i.e. supernatural touches. Unless you want to keep the story all "real".

If so, perhaps you could have the protagonist have some connection to the conspiracies or whatever, like he was involved somehow in the past or triggered events that contributed to it. That would be at least more interesting than just having the guy be some random fella who happened to chance upon some villianous plot.


Like you said, the guy would be a photojournalist who can't organize his life and activities etc. I'm just throwing ideas at you here: he can't handle that stuff, but is adept at life-and-death situations, risky maneuvers, that sort. You could tie this in to how, in the past, he had involvement with the case in question.

P.S I don't advice futuristic unless you have a very clear idea of what you want and how you're going to do it.

In all honesty, I can't think of any cliches for that sort of topic. Be careful about want he saw that he shouldn't have.

My best advice is to not worry about cliches. If it's too much of a cliche, it will probably stand out to you at the time.

I think an unoriginal storyline is fine if you put a unique spin on it. I've read a book by Tami Hoag similar to what you've suggested and it was an enjoyable read. You just need a twist that separates the idea from every other crime/murder novel.

I think it's a promising idea :)