Some professional authors are so intrigued by someone else’s novel that they feel compelled to write a sequel. Of course, legally, you can’t do that unless you get permission. One way around this is through fan fiction, once again, only if permitted. Fan fiction doesn’t pay last I checked!
Another way around this is through public domain, that is,
the work is free to use. This is very complicated. You can visit https://copyright.cornel.edu/publicdomain
or other sites to learn more.
The other way might feel like cheating. You tell a story
different enough not to infringe. It’s not cheating. Authors do this all the
time especially in pieces. They’re called tropes. Sometimes the work is a whole
cloth rendering. For instance, my story, The Wolf of Sherwood Forest, is
all about new adults, Robin and Marion. Toss in real wolves, Richard the
Lionhearted etc. simmer until the story is fully cooked.
For a more current story you need look no further than the
Hollywood remakes. Of course, the studio lawyers tend to that. Let’s use a book
as an example. Name any book, you can change the names, the town(s), the adventures,
and produce something with the same emotive force. It has been said that all
the (basic) stories have been told. You are just borrowing, some more, some
less. For instance, in my new release through The Wild Rose Press, Cinnamon
& Sugar, I was inspired by, and used the road trip and the walls of
Jericho as shown in It Happened One Night. Except, my couple are on the
run for different reasons, and travel, spooning, on one Harley Davidson.
Don’t feel bad if you can’t think of anything unique. Forget
unique, there is no unique. Only your style is unique.
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