: Re: How can a "rip-off" still be good? This time, I'm not really talking about the legal side (that has already been covered a few times here), but more about what the readers and the critics

I am not convinced the Wizard's school is necessarily 'new' any more than any other story. Rowling acknowledges the Chronicles of Narnia as an influence, and the 'boarding school trope' is (was) a staple in British literature, it fell out of favor in the 1960s according to the link.

Perhaps she mashed these together in a new way, but it never seemed so to me.

Narnia itself is also derived - from the story of Christ. Much in the Bible is likewise built on previous works, such as Genesis being a creation myth patterned after others that came before it.

I was surprised elsewhere on the inter webs at the idea of a historical story of a vampire that did not wish to be made so, and how he lives to exact revenge on the vampire who made him. This idea and discussion was seemingly unaware of Anne Rice and LeStat (and Louis.)

Why do stories re-cycle?

These observations lead me to speculate that we resurrect our mythologies anew for each generation. (Zombies and vampires are now fading, because we just 'did those.')

How can you be successful?

Write a story about a discotheque, and a flash dancer, and a chorus line. :) Mash up all the dance stories that were en vogue in the 1970s and 1980s. They need to be trotted out again, for the next generation.

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: How to communicate character desire? As mentioned elsewhere, it has been a stumbling block for my readers to understand what drives my characters. I had thought I had communicated character desires

@Rivera824

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: What constitutes a 'hook?' I intuit that hooks are things that hook. (I'm quite astute in this way.) They can be good prose, relatable characters, rich settings. Books must start with a 'hook.'

@Rivera824

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: Still struggling with character desire, positive vs. negative, hooking readers Apologies for the difficulties I've been having, and leaning for help here. Every step seems to be its own stumbling

@Rivera824

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: Words we may believe are neutral yet have restricted connotations Edit: Perhaps a list of words prone to mis-use would serve the need, here. Is anyone aware of a resource that lists

: Re: How can a "rip-off" still be good? This time, I'm not really talking about the legal side (that has already been covered a few times here), but more about what the readers and the critics

More posts by @Rivera824

: How to communicate character desire? As mentioned elsewhere, it has been a stumbling block for my readers to understand what drives my characters. I had thought I had communicated character desires

: What constitutes a 'hook?' I intuit that hooks are things that hook. (I'm quite astute in this way.) They can be good prose, relatable characters, rich settings. Books must start with a 'hook.'

: Still struggling with character desire, positive vs. negative, hooking readers Apologies for the difficulties I've been having, and leaning for help here. Every step seems to be its own stumbling

: Words we may believe are neutral yet have restricted connotations Edit: Perhaps a list of words prone to mis-use would serve the need, here. Is anyone aware of a resource that lists

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