Sunday, March 20, 2011

In Which I Have a Field Day With Tropes

Roughly 2,500 words into "The Monster of Dewsberry Drink" and I'm finding some weird similarities with "Troll Wife".

Troll Wife is a story where a young female troll discovers that part of her job description as “tooth fairy” is stopping a deadly monster before it kills more children.

The Monster of Dewsberry Drink is about a boy that discovers a monster in the local lake, and is determined to save him before the lake is destroyed by a local developer.

At first glance, they don't seem to have that much in common. Female non-human lead vs male human lead, for example.

But on closer examination:
They're both Urban Fantasies.
They're both set in Southern California.
They both have weird issues with names. (Troll Wife hasn't earned a name yet. In MoDD, "Sape" goes by that nickname and would die of shame if anyone learned his real name. Plus, he names the monster, Monster.)
They're both about Outsiders trying to find a way to fit in.
A hand print appears in both stories, as a significant "you're not alone" moment.

People reading these are going to start thinking I have issues. (Ok, Bill and Kim already know I have issues.)
Posted by Touch of Ink at 12:56 PM
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4 comments:

  1. icountwordsMarch 20, 2011 at 4:22 PM

    Lots and lots of issues...As it comes from the same brain there are bound to be similarities, but those are theme things and dont sound like HUGE things (except the window hand thing, which can be fix post drafting)

    Also Suzi is a nice name! At least it's not Kim which is always the name of the dirty mistress or stripper.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Touch of InkMarch 20, 2011 at 7:03 PM

    Lol! As far as I know, I have no issues with my name. Though it is a family tradition to have a "hidden" name, so maybe that's where it comes from?

    I've never met any dirty mistress or stripper Kims. I guess I need to get out more :)

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  3. DebbieMarch 20, 2011 at 8:16 PM

    I think it may be common for similarities to appear in different stories. I have to agree with Kim -- themes may be close, but the stories sound very different.

    As for names, try Debbie. People expect the eternal cheerleader even when you're pushing 60 years old!

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  4. Touch of InkMarch 21, 2011 at 10:26 AM

    Hi Debbie,

    Lol! Think of it as a way to be "forever young"

    Thank you for commenting :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for posting a comment! I know that sounds a little needy, and maybe it is. I mean, I don't need comment validation to know that I exist, right? But I like to know that someone else (maybe you?) has read what I wrote and felt moved enough to reply. So, thank you.

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