"Dissecting Inspiration" by Kiley Parker

Image Credit: Filmnation Entertainment

I recently watched Conclave (2024), a film directed by Edward Berger and based on the book of the same name by Robert Harris. I enjoyed it quite a bit—and with any story I enjoy, I try to dissect its parts and figure out what I liked about it so much. 

Dissecting stories is a key skill to any writer. No idea is truly original; everyone dissects stories, taking parts they like and revamping them into something new. Taking parts of another and injecting them into your own can help your work blossom. Dissecting doesn’t mean plagiarism; you can’t just copy and paste the game from Squid Game (2021) into your novel—no rules or details changed—and call it a day. Not only is that copyright infringement, but it’s just the same thing again. When you take inspiration from other stories, you need to understand why you like it so much, and that goes beyond recycling character’s names, plot points, and story structure. 

My favorite characters from Conclave are Cardinal Lawerence (Ralph Fienes) and Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehtz.) It would be plagiarism to just take these two characters, change their name, and insert them into one of my stories, with little details included. Instead, I need to dissect further. Why do I like Lawerence or Benitez? Well, I like Lawerence because he’s ostensibly a middle manager in a sea of old, seemingly wise, but deeply immature, old men. I like Benitez because unlike his colleagues he is kind and straightforward, and has a deeper connection to the world than the rest of them. 

I dissect further. Why do I like Lawrence as the papacy’s middle manager? Why do I connect with Benitez’s kindness, without feeling that it’s first? Most critically, how do these characters interact on a grander narrative setting? What ideas unite them? What sets them apart? 

I can’t answer these questions without spoiling Conclave, which is good enough that I don’t want to spoil it. But if you choose to take inspiration from other sources, it’s important to think beyond “I like x because of y.” As a writer, try thinking about what “y” is, or how it relates to “x.” Dissecting involves dissection, and you can’t just take a rudimentary look at a frog and decide how its body works, without actually cutting it open. 

(And also, watch Conclave, because it’s really good.)