T-Rex becomes ace pilot to fend off Reptilian Alien Armada. Galga meets Jurassic Park. As silly as this sounds, someone made a comic like this years ago. There is nothing new under the sun is one of the dumbest writing adages espoused. No shit, there’s only so many ways to configure a story in a manner that it doesn’t collapse under its narrative weight. Genius advice, thanks!
Snark aside, there is some truth to this adage. Storytelling is a crucial part of how humans developed over the millennia. We tell stories to give meaning to our lives, our culture, our governments, why are dogs fart, etc. It’s these stories that become a part of our historic identities. Have you ever noticed how a lot of legends have similar plots, motifs, and even character types? The details are region flavored. If you can understand the foundation, you can understand how to make the details contextualize that particular story.
X Meets Y is a typical Hollywood/TV medium pitch. It’s Die Hard meets Blade Runner. It’s Lost Roman Legion meets Pokemon. It’s Gotterdammerung meets Berserk. It’s the reason why stories often incorporate motifs, elements, and storytelling techniques from older stories. Obviously you don’t want to rip off the entire concept of an older, obscure story (although it happens). When creating a story, you start with a simple x meets y, and build from there. The more obscure/off beat, the harder that story might be to write. But writing is about discovering what you like. What motifs, themes, and elements you like to use/rearrange/play house with gives you your toolbox to shape your own unique story.
X Meets Y is a useful foundational tool. It can help you when you’re stumped or unsure what to write. Try it when you can’t think of something new.
This Life is Hijacked 