I know, I said the forbidden word: plagiarism.
It's haunting, the fear of writing something, spending hours on it and then realizing your idea wasn't so original once you sit and re-read the whole thing after the zillionth edit. A horrible feeling, guys. Gut-Wrenching.
But sometimes, plagiarism isn't so bad. Not when you use it as a creative writing exercise, anyway. That's what my professor taught me. Some of the best-known books in literature are a reinvention of some classic story or myth.
For example, in Dramatic English Literature, the concept of Lively Turning is quite popular, as well as among Shakespearean actors. It consists on re-writing, re-thinking or re-interpreting Greek Classics. Shakespeare did this: Antony and Cleopatra's plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives. Then, we have the example of Romeo and Juliet, as well as Othello, which are based on old Italian tales.
To be fair, Occidental Literature relies on Arabian tales that are even older than Latin Literature itself. Actually, the myth of originality among writers (and in general) was born with Romanticism, in the XIX Century (rather a young concept, wouldn't you say?).
So if you're one of those writers that worries at their nails whenever they sit to write because they have 'no original ideas', don't worry mate, you're not the only one. I'd even urge you to take your favorite stories, Classics, Myths and fairytales and turn them into something new. Believe me, it's fun. And freeing. Knowing that you're actively altering plot lines and characters lifts a weigh from your shoulders, and gives you ample space to jus be creative.
Just imagine all the possibilities. So many AUs. You can do whatever you want, turn any story into something completely different. I'll list all of the advantages I've found in Creative Plagiarism:
- You don't have to worry about plot-holes. Everything's done for you. Just give it a twist so you have something new, something fresh, something witty or funny or heart-warming or heart-wrenching. Whatever floats your boat.
- You don't have to worry about characterization. The characters are already there. When you know a character's personality, you can work on the way you characterize them. Are they funny? Are they strong or weak? Are they expressive? Do they like Mondays? Do they enjoy summer or winter? Are they clever? How can I show all of these things? How do characters interact with each other? What would a knew character do to this world? Sit, analyze, and write. Write, write, write.
- You can work on your word-choosing. When the major plot and the characters are already on your mind, grammar, syntax, and wording are things you can play around with as much as you want. Shorten paragraphs, lengthen others, eliminate sentences you think are superficial... It's just you and your literary genius!
- Working on your literary devices. Why not turn a play into a novel? Why not turning a tale in third-person into a second-person one? Why don't you write a myth as a poem? Taking a whole paragraph and turning it into a three-word metaphor? Finding as many allegories as you can? Using metonymies? Changing the mood? Anything that comes to your mind can be possible, and literary devices can change a literary work completely.
- Any kind of practice is good practice. How do you become a writer? By writing. Reading as many book as you can and gaining the skill to know which resources, literary devices and creative weapons you can use is very important too, but knowledge is nothing without practice, at least when it comes to writing. So, to get things flowing, start writing, editing and transforming, and there'll come a time when writing will feel as easy as breathing (an apparently easy thing for those who don't know how it actually works!)
And to show you that this actually works, here you have a link to a re-telling of Andersen's The Little Mermaid I wrote for my class. Just click on the image! Below the photo you'll find an extract from my story.
"There’s a sailor that piques her interest more than any other one. He’s young, but he doesn’t seem inexperienced. His hands are as calloused as galley slave’s; his skin, as brown and battered as the oldest sea dog’s. His steps are nimble at the bowsprit, and he never loses his smile while working.
She dreams about the feeling of his hands dancing over her scales."
images source: (x) and (x)
