The reading and study of classic works
of literature is of key importance to helping writers create their plots.
The best popular
fiction is based on both classic literature and historical events. You
can take the plots of classic works such as The
Odyssey by Homer and turn it into plots for other kinds of work including
science fiction. Or you can make indirect use of historical events by
taking an actual military campaign of days gone by and then using it as a
template for a military novel of any genre that you choose to work in.
You do not need
to limit yourself to the Classical Period for inspiration and source
material.
If you do
choose to focus on the Classical Period, then perhaps the best author
is Ovid, who wrote love poetry. In writing novels, romance is a key
ingredient and studying Ovid should give you ideas on how to best incorporate
romance into your work. The most relevant works of Ovid to use are Amores and
the Metamorphoses.
Ovid's lines are witty. Ovid's poems are not merely
love poems, there are instead poems that are about love. They are
about such things as the courtship of a lady, losing her to another man after
getting drunk, seducing her maid and many similar episodes from the life of a
man who is dedicated to marrying a woman who is wealthier than himself.
This material
should help you with your fiction, and not just fiction that is about ancient
Rome. And yes, that includes action-adventure fiction as
well.
Ovid's narrative poetry easily serves
as the basis for the plots of entire novel, as many writers have demonstrated.
Studying Ovid
greatly helps one's understanding of mythology and its place in the ancient
world.
If you are
well versed in either fantasy or historical literature, you will be able to use
Ovid's works to greatly improve your writing.
Of course,
other classical works can be used for plotting. The various myths and
legends about Hercules, for instance, can be used for plotting everything from
historical fiction to space opera.
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