Six Easy Ways to Re-use Your Story Ideas

Six Easy Ways to Re-use Your Story Ideas If you believe all my published stories, Ive done everything from stitching on a shirt button to jumping off a cliff while tied to another human being. I may not have been born with such a multitude of talents as hitting the bulls-eye on a dart board, winning swimming competitions, and staging childrens theatre, but I have been blessed with a quirky imagination and a flair for language. These Ive put to good use 1. Vary the audience Target readers of different profiles, like teenagers, working mothers, or retired grandparents, 2. Vary the subject Target readers of different niche fields Character tries to learn a new skill encounters challenges - is offered help This template can work in nearly all scenarios, whether the skill is sailing a ship or baking a cake. Each new story thus created will fit with a magazine catering to that particular market, viz. sailors or bakers. Offshoots of this can be exploited, too. For example, 3. Vary the setting Mundane story lines can be enriched with the addition of uncommon locales and elaborate back-stories of each character. So even if the essential plot is good-boy-overcomes-scary-villain, a light-fantastic childrens setting can make it a Harry Potter, a complex interweave of fantasy worlds can turn it into a Lord of the Rings, an everyday urban setting in ye olde England can turn it into Richmal Cromptons William, and a science fiction setting can morph it into a Star Wars. Similarly, a different approach can turn a rags-to-riches story from an Oliver Twist into a Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. Revived tales from Aesops Fables, cultural mythlore, even the Bible can serve for inspiration. 4. Vary the region Tie in larger national journalistic stories to a smaller region 5. Vary the format Short story, essay, memoir, poem, cartoon, infographic, audio podcast, interview QA, blog post, bullet-point list you get the idea! Diversify your media. 6. Vary the frequency A newsy story about finding the right childcare is as valid two years from now as it is today. Evergreen stories, for example those around Christmas gift ideas or Independence Day celebrations, can be reprinted endlessly. Think fresh slant, timeless topics, and age-old problems. Recycling story ideas eliminates the effort required to start from scratch. As long as you steer away from plagiarism, it can be lucrative and a great re-turn on investment!