As editors, we love originality. A story that feels fresh and imaginative will always get our attention, while reading a submission that seems like a rehash of old tropes is very likely to turn us off. And as writers (because we're all writers, too), we strive to make our stories feel unique, creative, and special.

But can the quest for originality end up doing more harm than good?

We've seen it happen. A writer has an idea for a story, but then throws it away because they discover another author has already explored that idea. "It's already been done," they say, and the unspoken part is often: "It's already been done better than I could manage." And then they give up.

Sound familiar?

Without dipping into the dubious (and frankly pernicious) school of thought that claims all stories have been written and everything is derivative, let's explore three reasons why "It's already been done" shouldn't stop you:

1. No author sits down at their desk to stop you from writing stories. Stephen King isn't here to prevent you from writing horror, George R. R. Martin isn't trying to claim high fantasy as his personal playground, and Margaret Atwood doesn't want to keep you from exploring real-world issues through speculative fiction. Just the opposite: writers seek to inspire.

   Let yourself be provoked and challenged by your favorite authors, by all means--but if you allow yourself to be intimidated into silence by their work, you're rejecting the most valuable gift they're trying to share.

2. Great writers revisit old stories all the time. Vampire fiction has been written since the 1740s, from authors like Lord Byron and Bram Stoker to Anne Rice and Octavia Butler--and the stories still captivate us. One author we especially enjoy is T. Kingfisher, who thrives on creating her own versions of faerie tales (as in her Hugo/Locus/Nebula Award winner, Nettle and Bone) and classic horror (such as What Moves the Dead, a fungus-heavy reworking of The Fall of the House of Usher.)

   Bringing new life to an old story can happen in so many ways, like setting an old tale in a different time period, adding a new plot twist to a beloved mystery, or redefining an archetypal hero's inner struggle. Your choices are limitless. And most importantly, they're your choices.

   Which brings us to...

3. Many story concepts have, indeed, "already been done." But they haven't been done by you.

   Stories come to life as a collaboration between the writer and the reader. If you're thinking about writing your version of a story that's already been done, think about what that story meant to you. Which characters did you relate to? What about the tale enthralled you? Or, even, what would you have done differently from the original author? Even if you're starting with a tried-and-true foundation, your unique perspective will give rise to an untold story.

When we select stories for Electric Spec from the hundreds of submissions we receive each issue, originality is indeed a high priority. But that doesn't mean we reject plots, settings, characters, or themes that we've seen explored by other authors. What originality means to us is a fresh perspective written with skill and heart by an author who has their own story to tell--even if it's similar to something we know and love.

We invite you to read the stories from this issue to see what we mean. Some of these stories fit into mythical settings hundreds of years old, while others explore compelling ideas about our present and our future--but to us, they're all scintillating and original. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

And keep being original!