Tales of the unexpected
While I’m in the very enjoyable process of reading this year’s entries to various novel and short story competitions, I’m coming across plenty of writing that both surprises and delights me, especially when it features some inventive new takes on twists and turns I’ve seen before.
New takes on twists and turns I’ve seen before?
Yes, because writing almost any kind of fiction tends to be about reinventing, reworking and repurposing material already in the common domain, then making it look new again.
Greek myths, Celtic legends, Aesop’s fables, and , Bible stories, Shakespeare’s plays – most of which were themselves inspired by other people’s writing – they’ve all been grist to the mills of many contemporary authors, and I’m sure this trend will continue for all time.
