One of the biggest reasons a person never becomes a writer besides a lack of confidence (something I suffer from quite a lot surprisingly) is a lack of inspiration.  The reason for this issue varies from person to person.  Some people have this issue due to a lack of knowledge towards more than a few exclusive genres they prefer over others.  A person in this position will be stubbornly stuck  for example to the genre of fantasy or romance, not branching out once in a while to have a taste from other writing genres, which could spark some much needed inspiration.  Some people have this issue because of a side effect during the transition away from fan fiction.  While writing a fan fiction once in a while is fine, only writing fan fiction can stop the flow of ideas that could get published outside of the internet.  This problem is a real one a few friends I have in real life suffer from, despite the fact that their material is really well thought out.  Some people even have this issue because they feel like their ideas are not developed enough to be a story.  However, the most common reason for a lack of inspiration for story ideas is because of the ideology that every kind of story has already been written.

  Due to the influx of fads in the writing world, such as the mass explosion of the supernatural romance genre after the release of Twilight in 2006, books have seemed to become formulaic to the common reader.  Nothing memorable like the plunge into the Dust Bowl ridden southern United States in John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath or the exploration of what makes us human in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus seems to be in existence anymore.  The conclusion these readers make as a result of looking only at an overused fad is that every original story idea has been written.  There will never be a truly revolutionary novel again, at least in the minds of these people.  They spread this conclusion through word of mouth, accidentally scaring away many potential authors who do not want to commit accidental plagiarism or have dull story ideas that no one will read about.  The idea that every story idea has already been created is an extremely flawed one, especially if you look past whatever literary fad is going on.

  Underneath the flow of unoriginal content are books that can compete against the old classics.  In 2012, the literary reading world was introduced to The Fault in Our Stars, written by the acclaimed author John Green.  Previously, he had gained recognition in the writing world for another novel known as Looking for Alaska, which focused on the main subjects of depression and finding our true purpose in life.  The Fault in Our Stars was another classic written by the same author, which went into the controversial subject matter of cancer and those who suffer from the disease.  Half a wake-up call for those uninformed about the pain cancer patients go through and half a tragic romance, the book was a rare freshness that millions enjoyed.  Alongside John Green's classic were other books that can be deemed modern classics; Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney, and Under the Dome by Stephen King.  It is through these examples, ranging in release from the 1980's all the way to the early 2010's, that proves that every story idea has not been done before by someone else. 

  Additionally, there are many untold stories that can even be related through real events of world history.  When I picked up a World History textbook back in my Junior year of high school, I could not believe how much potential story ideas were inside.  The history behind the richest ruler to ever live, Mansa Musa, was one that has been hidden behind much more well known about events such as The Hundred's Year War.  Easily, his tale of spreading riches all across his route to Mecca could be adapted into a story fused with The Midas Touch and Robin Hood, with an ounce of an imaginative fantasy realm.  The knowledge that most human conflicts in history such as the fall of the Roman Empire and The French Revolution were all started because of a shortage of bread could be great fodder as to creating a well thought out reason why a bunch of normal citizens living in a magical realm ruled by wizards would rebel.  There is even the possibility of creating well fleshed out characters based on the real life non-sugarcoated versions of Christopher Columbus, Queen Elizabeth, Joan of Arc, Thomas Edison, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.  In history alone could millions of stories be created for the general public.

  It is through the above mentioned modern classical books and my discoveries in World History class that I conclude that the idea of every story plot being already taken to be a complete cliché.  There are numerous story lines out there that are completely unwritten that someone like you may discover.  This trend will continue as long as fictional writing in any form exists.  There are endless possibilities you have with writing the story you desire.  Hopefully with this in mind, maybe more people will come out of their shells and become beloved writers.