To Paraphrase (badly) William Shakespeare, why would we ever try to compare ourselves to other authors? Do we compare vanilla ice cream to chocolate, or do we appreciate that both are ice cream and eat them with the same vigor? It has been said that all stories have been told, just not by you.

Ideas come and go. They take on proportions and nuances based upon the person who has the idea. I have read, numerous times, the fear in the author's mind that their story has already been told. Even a true story or a biography, factual stories and books, have been told before. Just look at the myriad textbooks to see this is true.

Does that mean the author of the new story has in some way plagiarized the original? Not at all! Your story is yours, whether you figured out a new way to write Romeo and Juliet, or "How to Bake a Cake." Your version of the other versions is unique to you.

Worrying about what has been done limits your potential to write your own. Take a deep breath, think about your story, and start writing, typing, dictating. However you put your words down, it is your story to tell.

Are you the only Mary, Jennifer, or George? Most definitely not. Are you like all the other Marys, Jennifers, or Georges? Most definitely not. 

You can even eat various versions of potato salad. 

A story, an idea, a plot, even characters' names have all been said before. Just not by you. 

Now, get in your writing space and plug out your very best LGBTQ/vampire/zombie/alien/dystopian/romance so the rest of us can see them unfold through your eyes.