What to Write

Someone asked me to provide them with an original story idea.

I acknowledge that there is some difficulty in avoiding clichés given the wide range of perspectives that have already been written and rewritten into the ground. Nevertheless, it should not be too difficult to come up with a novel plot.

First, what to avoid:
Human in Equestia (HiE) — Almost universally terrible. Usually self-insert. Only thing worse is Brony in Equestria.
Alicorn OC — Usually Mary Sue. Does not bode well for your creativity. An element- or weapon-based name makes it worse.
Soldiers — Unless you've served in a military capacity, do not presume to understand how soldiers handle conflict. CoD does not fucking count.

Next, some good examples:
Alternate Universe (AU) — The "What if?" genre. Change something and roll with it. See Night's Favoured Child or Sunshine and Fire.
Create your own — Invent your own characters, your own history, your own rules for magic. See Starlight Over Detrot: A Noir Tale or The Immortal Game.
Celestia — She gets her own category because there's so much to write about an ancient benevolent ruler. Consider comedy (Whom the Princesses Would Destroy...) or sad (Just Words).
Comedy — If all else fails, use puns (Shipping Sickness) or straight-up parody (The Saga of Dark Demon King Ravenblood Nightblade, Interior Design Alicorn).

If this really doesn't give you any ideas, then write about, uh:
Twilight's latest spell and how it does not go quite as intended
Rarity's foray into high society and political intrigue
Rainbow's explorations beyond the borders of Equestria
Fluttershy's experiences with carnivores
Applejack's experiments with Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, and grafting
Pinkie's use of Pinkie Sense in the world of kickboxing

Be original. Be different. Be remarkable.

Comments

[EricKilla]

Rainbow's explorations beyond the borders of Equestria

*cough* Austraeoh *cough*