Is it better to tell an old story in a new way, or do we need new stories every time we write?

I mean what was the Great Gatsby but the story of money being unable to buy happiness? We all know that’s true.

What was the Moby Dick other than the story of obsession? Obsession—bad.

The Red Badge of Courage? War is bad also—very bad.

The Naked and the Dead? War is worse than even the Red Badge of Courage said it was.

So then, should telling old stories in the best possible way be the goal of the modern fiction writer? My definitive answer, after much thought and consideration is—I don’t know.

There are days when I’ll look at a morning’s writing and say, wow, that’s pretty good. Nothing shocking but very readable—and I walk away feeling proud. But there are other mornings when I’ll look at the same amount of work, again nothing shocking, and say “that’s been done a thousand times..today alone…and better.” Delete, start again.

Despite my own indecisiveness, I do believe there’s nothing new under the sun, or very little that’s new. It then becomes incumbent upon the writer—whether he is producing fiction or non-fiction, novels or essays, to convey what he wants for his reader in the best possible way for that particular genre. There is no blanket prescription.

That’s twice I’ve copped out, so let me explain. There are chapters in Moby Dick that are virtual how-to manuals for running a whaling ship. In Gatsby though, mystery surrounds the main character, and even if we wanted to use James Gatz as a role model, we wouldn’t know how.

We need to adapt a good deal when we tell a story—to be able to pull back before the reader says “get on with it” and be able to satisfy the reader who wants more. The more good literature we read, the better our chances of effecting that skill.

Near the end of Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter the narrator implores his reader to be true, be true, be true: such a simple philosophy may be the best advice for a writer also. Tell the truth…but if you can utter that truth in some new and imaginative way, all the better.