My Life As A Refrigerator

14. Genre is a platform for originality (We resist because it feels like a box)

Genre can easily short circuit our creative impulse. It feels constraining, almost as though we’re eager to be a hack.

Check out this interview with Lin-Manuel Miranda.

[INTERVIEW HERE]

It’s understood that Hamilton is the most breathtakingly original Broadway hit in a generation. There’s almost no measure of creative impact that Hamilton failed to achieve. Regardless of whether your goal is critical acclaim, box office or widespread cultural impact, Hamilton is a fine role model.

And yet…

It’s all about genre.

It combines several (how many can you list?) and does it in important and original ways.

And Miranda knows genre better than most.

Prompt: What would it take for you to see what he sees? How deep can you go in understanding where your work lives, what it sits next to, who it pays homage to?

Once you see genre, you now have a platform on which to be original.

Do you see it more clearly now?

From the official wikipedia page: Isekai (Japanese: 異世界, transl. “different world” or “otherworld”) is an “accidental travel” genre of light novels, manga, anime and video games that revolve around a normal person from Earth being transported to, reborn or otherwise trapped in a parallel universe or fantasy world.

The Base: being transported from the real world into a [spinning the wheel of originality here :ferris_wheel: ]->

[virtual world, and if you die in the game you die in real life] [you will also see this poster in my background during zoom calls! :grin: ] image

[fantasy world, and if you can’t avoid your death you will be forced to repeat it endlessly, or until your soul finally collapses]

[fantasy world, and you turn into an spooky skeleton hell-bent on destroying the human world, for no better reason than why not?]

[fantasy world, and you turn into an invincible blob that gains knowledge through absorption and creates racial equality through both an empathetic and forceful rule]

[fantasy world, and you turn into a vending machine because… you liked vending machines in your previous life… :thinking: ]

Coming Soon: My Life As A Refrigerator [a completely original idea by ME] [the hero transforms into a refrigerator that can duplicate any food stored inside of itself, which causes a great war as opposing factions utilize everything they can to claim the legendary fridge for themselves]

Turns out you can literally go anywhere and be anything as long as your not on earth! What are some fun ideas you can churn out on the spot?