‘There is nothing new under the sun.’ This proverb (from Ecclesiastes 1:9) is often quoted in writing circles with reference to plots in novels. Take a look at these plots:

1. The hero is destroyed by a fatal flaw.
2. The hero triumphs through virtue or standing firm.
3. A relationship is threatened because not everyone can have what they want.
4. Two people fall in love, but something gets in the way of their happy ending.
5. The hero goes on a quest to get or to deliver something valuable.
6. The hero is haunted by a secret from the past.
7. The hero goes through a difficult time but wins out over the bad guys.

No doubt these story lines sound familiar to you. Writers have been using these for a very long time; in fact, many writing tutors argue that it just isn’t possible to be original when it comes to the fundamentals of the story, and that all stories are based on these seven core plots (often combined).

Modern novels draw on these plots – some in original ways, but many taking inspiration from earlier writers’ interpretations. Have you ever read a romance novel and had the sense that it’s familiar somehow, and you find yourself thinking of Heathcliff or Mr Darcy? Sometimes, the link is obvious. Helen Fielding calls her hero Mr Darcy, after all, and so we can easily see the connection between Bridget Jones’s Diary and Pride and Prejudice.

Given that I have a degree in literature, I am certainly influenced as a writer by classic literature. In my new book Concerto, for example, the character of Rochester in Jane Eyre was an inspiration for my blind hero, Umberto, although the story of Concerto is by no means a retelling of Brontë’s book.

I also draw upon the core plots in my writing. The fourth plot is the foundation of the romance genre: two people falling in love, but finding their relationship thwarted (often by their own emotions). However, because I love mystery, I am also drawn to stories that incorporate the sixth plot: the hero (or heroine) haunted by a secret from the past. In Concerto, both Catriona and Umberto have a secret, and if they remain untold, those secrets will threaten their love.

Having written seven novels now, I am comfortable with my writing process. I know that each book I write is different and new, but also rooted in those two core plots and influenced by classic books (and plays, and music, and paintings, and so on). My writing is born of my reading, you could say, and that is the case for all writers.

Ultimately, a writer’s role is to find new ways to imagine and tell the stories that people have been telling for thousands of years, stories that are based on our reality. We strive, we struggle, we love – this is fact, not fiction.