Question #47: Reduced, Reused or Recycled

[Faye]

Tell me if this sounds familiar:

A long-haired teenage brunette in smalltown USA narrowly escapes a life threatening injury because of spontaneous intervention by a dark and mysterious high school boy. The intervention requires a supernatural ability. Even though there are many others there, only the girl witnesses the use of special powers. Additionally, he can read her mind. She finds out he isn't human and she easily decides to protect him and his family by keeping his secret...


Did you guess Twilight? Yeah it is, but it's also season 1 of Roswell, a TV show from 1999.

I'm not saying Stephenie ever saw it, but I would like to know where else you've experienced plots reduced, reused or recycled - perhaps knowingly, perhaps not?

[Donna]

Yes, apparently there are no new ideas... And I always know when I'm seeing it, but remember, that's another story.
My favorite, and it's an intentional recycle, is Alice Hoffman's "Here on Earth". It's "Wuthering Heights" only better. Please, no calling me out for this -I know I'm in the minority- I HATED "Wuthering Heights". There wasn't a character I didn't want to smack the stupid out of. March Murray is no Cathy-thank God! The writing is beautiful, the characters enthralling.

[Faye]

Donna wrote: "Yes, apparently there are no new ideas... And I always know when I'm seeing it, but remember, that's another story.
My favorite, and it's an intentional recycle, is Alice Hoffman's "Here on Earth"..."

LOL. I'm tempted to read "Here on Earth" now. My reading list is getting so long!

[Sherry]

Faye wrote: "Tell me if this sounds familiar:

A long-haired teenage brunette in smalltown USA narrowly escapes a life threatening injury because of spontaneous intervention by a dark and mysterious high sch..."
Aristotle claims there are only 12 plots -- and everything is a version of those 12.

[Faye]

Sherry wrote: "Faye wrote: "Tell me if this sounds familiar:

A long-haired teenage brunette in smalltown USA narrowly escapes a life threatening injury because of spontaneous intervention by a dark and mysteri..."

I've heard something like this before and I believe that recycling is necessary. I'm going to try and find Aristotle's plots online and see if I can categorize my reads.

[Faye]

Sherry wrote: "Faye wrote: "Tell me if this sounds familiar:

A long-haired teenage brunette in smalltown USA narrowly escapes a life threatening injury because of spontaneous intervention by a dark and mysteri..."

A quick google search of aristotle and 12 doesn't yield much. Anyone know where we can find out what the plots are?

Are these the Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Man, etc. plots?

[Sherry]

Faye wrote: "Sherry wrote: "Faye wrote: "Tell me if this sounds familiar:

A long-haired teenage brunette in smalltown USA narrowly escapes a life threatening injury because of spontaneous intervention by a d..."

This book lines out the ones used in contemporary literature in particular. A really great book. Mine is dogeared from so much reading.

[Connie]

Donna wrote: "Yes, apparently there are no new ideas... And I always know when I'm seeing it, but remember, that's another story.
My favorite, and it's an intentional recycle, is Alice Hoffman's "Here on Earth"..."

I hated "Wuthering Heights" too!

[Donna]

Well, thank god it's not just me.

[Ivy Sarah]

I don't know if the plot is the most important detail- plots need to be relatable to the extent that they're understandable. The power of stories is to interpret how we feel, how we are in our souls, or our essenses, or whatever you like to call our deepest selves. Rip-offs certainly exist, but I don't think that they are any time a story is similar. We don't all have the same favorite love song, but most of us have A favorite love song.