We can see many similar, almost identical stories with/without different identities of protagonists and antagonists, but the underlying pattern is the same. For example, there are countless novels about regression, cultivation, reincarnation, otome, teen romance, and other tropes written by thousands of authors.
From here, we need to think of story's premise which is interesting, authentic, original, and unique to narrate the story in a different way so that it can have a strong hook to engage readers and also serve as a competitive advantage for our novel compared to other novels in its segment.
Critical Note:
Seeking a competitive advantage isn't just about finding a market. It's more about surviving in a saturated market.
It's true that we can write thousands chapters of mainstream and clichéd stories with various popular tropes and quickly go viral. If our goal is simply to go viral (briefly), that's enough.
Clichéd stories might make readers easily catch on (because readers grasp the popular trope as a hook).
Meanwhile, a competitive advantage makes your story memorable (because readers grasp the story's originality as a hook).
In short, if you want to go viral quickly, writing a clichéd story is the right choice. However, if your story wants to be remembered long after as a pioneer/icon, then originality is key.
And perhaps the best story is a mainstream story with a distinctive originality (the popular and memorable story).
