One of the big challenges with public domain works is that most of the “canon” has already been adapted a hundred different ways. Pride and Prejudice, Dracula, Hamlet — they’ve been modernized, reimagined, and parodied so often that it can feel almost impossible to find a fresh angle. Sometimes, inventing something new seems easier than wrestling with the weight of history.

So how do you avoid that trap? A few approaches:

• Look past the canon. Dig into obscure, forgotten novels, pulp stories, or overlooked poems. Check out https://publicdomainreview.org/

• Shift perspectives. Tell the story through a side character or outsider. Example: Wide Sargasso Sea

• Play with genre. A noir Iliad, a cyberpunk Beowulf — the frame matters as much as the plot.

• Translate across time and culture. Drop a classic into a completely different context. — Example: 10 Things I Hate About You, Clueless

• Hybridize. Use the old as scaffolding, but let new plots and ideas take over. — Example: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters

But what if none of the works on the list “speak” to you? That’s common too. You might look inward for what you want to say and come up blank. That’s normal — and sometimes “what do I want to say?” is the wrong question.

Instead, try:

• Asking what fascinates you, annoys you, or lingers in your imagination.

• Lowering the stakes — experiment, remix, even be a little disrespectful to the source.

• Watching for sparks — an image, a line, or a situation that catches your attention.

• Starting small — rewrite a single scene or fragment just for fun.

You don’t have to know your grand “message” before you start. Often, you only discover what you want to say through the act of making.