What Writers Can Learn from "A Christmas Carol"

It’s Christmas time, and that means the Schopfer home is filled with the signs of the season. A tree that has taken over the stairwell, holiday music echoing from several rooms at once, and evening showings of all our favorite Christmas movies. It was while watching one of these old favorites that I started to muse over what is perhaps the most popular Christmas tale of all time, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”

I heard somewhere that this short book has been adapted to film more times than any other work of fiction, and I don’t think anyone who knows the story would be surprised by that. The universal themes of guilt, love, and redemption are personified by this powerful little plot, and everyone seems to want to present their personal vision of the story. This abundance of adaptations doesn’t even take into account all of the stories that are clearly influenced by Scrooge’s emotional journey. From “It’s a Wonderful Life” to “One Magic Christmas”, tales of divine intervention on behalf of a lost soul are part of the cultural fabric of this special time of year.

So what can writers learn from this? So often I’ll hear students and peers who express concern over writing a similar plot to something else they’ve seen. “I had to give up on that story,” they say sadly, “someone else had already written it.” Don’t think that! Even if your plot is identical to someone else’s story, only you can tell that story in your own way.

Look at “A Christmas Carol” again. How many different Scrooges have you seen? How many Jacob Marleys, or Bob Cratchits? How many times have you heard the lines “God bless us, everyone!” and “Humbug!” Are any of the various adaptations lessened by their peers? Perhaps, but keep in mind that many of those adaptations would have likely still been sub-par even without superior versions to compare them to. On the other hand, think of the various adaptations that are all wonderful and all different from each other despite having nearly identical plots. Like a song that’s been sung by a variety of artists, a good story can become great as each artist puts their distinctive mark on the piece.

My personal favorite is the “Muppet Christmas Carol”. I’ve always been a huge fan of Jim Henson (I dedicated one of my short stories to him) and this movie was the first major Muppet project after his passing. The usual silliness of the characters was subdued in favor of a warmer, gentler adaptation of the familiar story, tinged with the grief and loss of Jim as well as longtime Muppeteer Richard Hunt. There’s a scene where Kermit (now played by Steven Whitmire and portraying the character of Bob Cratchit) speaks to his family about the death of Tiny Tim. It’s clear that Kermit’s words are as much meant for the rest of the Muppet family as it is for the Cratchit family, and I always cry at the sweet sincerity of that moment.

So remember, writers, that it doesn’t matter if your story has a similar plot to something else that’s already been done. The story may have been told, but only you can tell it with your voice. Trust in the power of your storytelling ability, and perhaps your story will one day be a treasured classic for your fans.

Merry Christmas!