Hooded

Hi everyone! Welcome back to Too Many Books to Count! I’m glad you stopped by. It’s nice to know you’re around.

All month long, we’ve been talking about myths, legends, and themes that are used (almost to the point of being overused) in a lot of fiction throughout the world. From films to television shows to short stories to movies, we’ve all heard of these things being used and reused—and there’s a reason for it. That’s what we’ve been talking about this month. Those things that everyone knows and loves, that we writers can use to our advantage when it comes to our writing.

#7: Robin Hood

Now, some of you might counter that Robin Hood is far overdone in modern fiction, and I’d say that in some senses, you’re right. But I don’t necessarily mean using Robin Hood himself. No, what I mean is taking a character who is essentially good, labeling him as the bad guy, and having him go around doing good for the people around him. People love a story like this. They’re drawn to it, which is why Robin Hood is such a popular legend to begin with.

Let’s use that to our advantage, shall we?

The Robin Hood theme can be used in any genre, in any number of ways. I literally cannot count the number of ways I’ve seen the idea of Robin Hood, of the good guy labeled as a bad one, done in writing, television, and film. It can be done in a modern setting, with a protagonist who steals from those who’ve swindled others, only to get the money back to whom it belongs. Or it can be done in a fantasy setting, with a protagonist who rights wrongs caused by others.

Point is, no matter what genre you write in, Robin Hood is one of those themes you can take and tweak into your story—and it’s one that we know people will love.

True, some people don’t like the Robin Hood tales. True, some people would say it’s been done a million times before and they don’t want to see it again. True, there’ve been so many actual Robin Hood stories made into film and television that sometimes it really is overwhelming. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t people out there who love it all.

Robin Hood is a popular enough legend that it’s safe to remold into something that suits your writing. Both in style and in genre.

Of course, I know not everyone wants to play it safe—but that’s when you take the themes of Robin Hood and mold them into something completely new. Maybe your protagonist isn’t even the Robin Hood character, but is instead the Sheriff of Nottingham. There are a million ways you can play it to make it into something amazing, something no one’s seen before, something readers won’t even realize was initially based off Robin Hood.

I’d love to see you try. Send me links or excerpts if you do!

[love]

{Rani Divine}