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So, a character who is haunted by a ghost of a dead relative - that is a cliche, right? Can't remember where I read that.
Haunted character
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Pffft. I think if the story is well written you can get away with almost anything. If you're worried - make it a dead step-cousin twice removed.
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Thanks, Wyntermoon - however it cannot be a step cousin. It will have to be a sibling, probably a twin.
The only thing coming to my mind is Margaret Mahy's The Haunting, in which... oh noes, cannot spoiler it. Anyway, it's not a cliche I've seen, if it is a cliche. I wouldn't sweat it 
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Nothing is original. I'm with wyntermmoon, write it and play with it.
If I didn't write because my ideas were clichéd, I wouldn't write at all.
Anyway, lets see where you go with it; I haven't read any decent ghost stories in a while. *hint hint*
If I didn't write because my ideas were clichéd, I wouldn't write at all.
Anyway, lets see where you go with it; I haven't read any decent ghost stories in a while. *hint hint*
I have a YA novel in mind, in which one of the MC's is taunted (yes, taunted) by the ghost of his dead cousin.
Anyway, lets see where you go with it; I haven't read any decent ghost stories in a while. *hint hint*
Patience, grasshoppah. Only a few more chapters to go!
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Thanks so much for your responses, folks!
In my novel, let's see. Obi-Wan? Maybe a very minor character, but it's a very big stretch. Belgarath? Nope. Dumbledore? Nope. Gandalf? Nope. Merlin? Nope. BTW how are those five different from each other? They are all wise teachers (donor figures, according to folklore theory); Obi-Wan is a warrior but it is the same archetype.
If I could spin yarn like the bard, I would not be asking advice on those forums, I would be busy spinning my yarn.
I disagree about originality. If you look, for example, at GRR Martin's work, you would see that his characters are not as archetypal, or even not at all archetypal. He is not the only one. Vlad's Taltos novels and Bujold's Chalion come to mind (they always come to my mind, do they?) my protagonists are an unlikely bunch, and yeah, it is pretty important for me not to write cliches if I do not have to.
This sounds great, please write it. Please.
I decided it would be wrong for this character, and anyway he is not in this book, he is in the sequel, I figured out (wow, there's a sequel? I am getting Napoleonic). But maybe, speaking of Napoleonic, I'll write a short story.Nothing is original. I'm with wyntermmoon, write it and play with it.
If I didn't write because my ideas were clichéd, I wouldn't write at all.
Anyway, lets see where you go with it; I haven't read any decent ghost stories in a while. *hint hint*
In my novel, let's see. Obi-Wan? Maybe a very minor character, but it's a very big stretch. Belgarath? Nope. Dumbledore? Nope. Gandalf? Nope. Merlin? Nope. BTW how are those five different from each other? They are all wise teachers (donor figures, according to folklore theory); Obi-Wan is a warrior but it is the same archetype.
If I could spin yarn like the bard, I would not be asking advice on those forums, I would be busy spinning my yarn.
I disagree about originality. If you look, for example, at GRR Martin's work, you would see that his characters are not as archetypal, or even not at all archetypal. He is not the only one. Vlad's Taltos novels and Bujold's Chalion come to mind (they always come to my mind, do they?) my protagonists are an unlikely bunch, and yeah, it is pretty important for me not to write cliches if I do not have to.
I have a YA novel in mind, in which one of the MC's is taunted (yes, taunted) by the ghost of his dead cousin.
This sounds great, please write it. Please.
if you set it in the right state it could be a dead cousin and wife at the same time.
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I agree! That's the kind of twisted stuff I read sci-fi for. If you're looking for a beta reader or someone to bounce a story outline off of, do tell!
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In the Bone Doll trilogy, Lynn Flewellyn did an amazing job of illustrating the haunting of the MC by the MC's twin.
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There are no wise wizards in my WIP. There's no mentor figure at all. The heroine has to figure it all out on her own. Goodbye, hero's journey!
That caught my interest too!
That caught my interest too!
MDSchafer
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Just because the idea has been done before doesn't mean that you can't tell a good story with it.
Look at Rescue Me, its about a firefighter who's haunted by the ghost of his dead cousin, who often taunts him, and its one of the best shows on television.
Look at Rescue Me, its about a firefighter who's haunted by the ghost of his dead cousin, who often taunts him, and its one of the best shows on television.
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Ghosts haunt. That's kinda what they do. It's what you DO with that staple of ghost life (or afterlife) that makes it cliched or not.
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I *like* that.
Edit: Looks like the ghost question as been cleared up, but just to chime in, I agree that it matters what you do with it. ^^
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I think its important for stories to be original. The real question is what does that mean? We've all heard that nothing really is new, but that doesn't keep anyone from pointing out poor copies of a more successful work and yelling, "Ripoff!"
I think when people say "original" what they actually mean is "fresh". Does it look at things in a different way? Does it take us to new places?
Take the notion of vampires. In Dracula, the vampire was portrayed as being an exotic, evil noble. He was charming, powerful, lonely, and epic. In Nosferatu, the vampire couldn't be more different, we see him as a pathetic creature, who has more in common with rats then with people. When you see the vampire in terms of Ann Rice, he's become powerful and not necessarily evil at all. The first book at least, is much more focused on the idea of living forever. Each takes us to new ground, but using a figure from lore we are all familiar with.
A ghost haunting a family member is a basic sketch of an idea. The freshness comes into where you will take us that we haven't been before. What if the ghost is basically Hunter S Thompson, and he's only sticking around cause he wants to live vicariously through the MC (drugs, crazy adventures,etc)? Maybe ghosts somehow eat other ghosts, and the MCs family member is just looking for a place to hide? Maybe the MC is a Philip Marlowe like detective, and deals with ghosts as contacts and clients. I'm sure none these ideas are what you had in mind, and they are all probably fatally flawed in some way. At the very least, stories built from them wouldn't look alike.
If you are still nervous about it, ask yourself if the movie Ghost is a ripoff of Hamlet, just because they have revenge seeking spirits
I think when people say "original" what they actually mean is "fresh". Does it look at things in a different way? Does it take us to new places?
Take the notion of vampires. In Dracula, the vampire was portrayed as being an exotic, evil noble. He was charming, powerful, lonely, and epic. In Nosferatu, the vampire couldn't be more different, we see him as a pathetic creature, who has more in common with rats then with people. When you see the vampire in terms of Ann Rice, he's become powerful and not necessarily evil at all. The first book at least, is much more focused on the idea of living forever. Each takes us to new ground, but using a figure from lore we are all familiar with.
A ghost haunting a family member is a basic sketch of an idea. The freshness comes into where you will take us that we haven't been before. What if the ghost is basically Hunter S Thompson, and he's only sticking around cause he wants to live vicariously through the MC (drugs, crazy adventures,etc)? Maybe ghosts somehow eat other ghosts, and the MCs family member is just looking for a place to hide? Maybe the MC is a Philip Marlowe like detective, and deals with ghosts as contacts and clients. I'm sure none these ideas are what you had in mind, and they are all probably fatally flawed in some way. At the very least, stories built from them wouldn't look alike.
If you are still nervous about it, ask yourself if the movie Ghost is a ripoff of Hamlet, just because they have revenge seeking spirits
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