Public Domain: Playing in Someone Else’s Sandbox, Part 1

antoniolid
Apr 12
4 min read

Updated: Apr 13

Sam Spade, Betty Boop and Nancy Drew walk into a bar...

That's not the set-up for a joke. As of January 1, 2026, that’s a story anyone can write, courtesy of public domain, the great sandbox in the sky where music, art and literature go to frolic once copyright expires. And because of public domain, when Sam, Betty, and Nancy roll up to the club, they can kick it with the likes of Dracula, Alice, Cthulhu, Jane Eyre, Sherlock Holmes, and the Lost Boys. And so can you, if you opt to dip a toe in someone else's sandbox. In this series, I'll explore the benefits of playing in the public domain — as well as the pitfalls — and provide some tips based on my recent experience mucking about in Lovecraft's sandbox working on Miskatonic Monthly.

I like to start with the positives, so this post will focus on the benefits of writing in the public domain. If you’re an aspiring writer like me, grab your pail and bucket.

Here are a few reasons why you should consider honing your craft in someone else's sandbox:

Learn more about your craft by closely reading the works of another writer. When you read to mine the riches of a public domain work, you’ll find yourself reading with a different set of eyes — writers’ eyes. You’ll notice how a more experienced writer establishes mood, develops characters and worlds, modulates tension and suspense. That, in itself, is a masterclass in writing. As aspiring writers, we should always be searching for new tools to add to our repertoire. The lessons learned from a close study of another author will carry forward when working on developing your own original worlds and characters.
Focus on storytelling. Public domain characters arrive mostly/fully fleshed out; their world is already built; their lore is often rich and well established. This can allow you to focus your efforts on the nuts and bolts of storytelling (especially in comics, which has its own visual grammar) — the stuff you think you already know, but don't (and if you're anything like me, you'll come to discover that there's a big difference between knowing and understanding). Because a lot of the expository work has already been done, writing in the public domain allows you to devote a lot more attention to things like plot development, pacing, scene dynamics, and effective transitions. Let me be clear: spending time developing original characters and worlds is important to your growth as a writer; please continue to build amazing new worlds and flesh out compelling original characters. We desperately need them. But we also need them to exist in a story with a well-crafted plot, and the public domain is a good place to practice that crafting. At least it was for me. In any case, make sure your nuts and bolts are tight.
Tap into name recognition. Sorry to get into marketing practicalities, but if you're going to the effort of honing your craft and growing as a writer, you're probably going to want to share your work with readers. And here's a hard truth I learned in my journey so far: nobody knows who you are. Sure, your family and friends know you (and, I hope, love you, too) — and if you're writing just for them, that's great, you do you — but I would suspect, without an established track record as a writer in your medium, the general reading public is unaware of your existence. They don't know you and they don't know your totally amazing original protagonist. Yet. They will. Just not right now. But they sure as shit know Dracula. Or Hamlet. Or Betty-fuckin'-Boop. And from a "get your work out there, so people get to know you" perspective, there's a greater likelihood that someone will pick up your book if they have a pre-existing relationship with or interest in the characters or world inside. Additionally, many of these public domain works come wth a built-in fans. Get to know them. Share what you love about the characters they love. NOTE: As I said above — keep writing your original masterwork(s). When audiences find you, if they like what they find, they'll seek out more. And 70 years after you kick the bucket, a new generation of aspiring writers might come and muck about in your sandbox. The circle of life (a phrase which comes from a musical cartoon based on the public domain work, Hamlet)!

Those are just a few reasons why a new writer might want to explore the rich material of public domain. And if you do, you'd be in good company. Shakespeare did it: A Comedy of Errors (based on the work of Plautus, a Roman who based his plays on earlier Greek comedies), Julius Caesar (based on the writing of Plutarch), and a little play called Romeo and Juliet (based on Arthur Brooke's poem "The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet," based on a tale by Matteo Bandello), to name but a few. John Steinbeck did it: East of Eden (based on the story of Cain and Abel). Hell, Walt Disney built an empire with public domain characters (Insert favorite Disney movie here).

In comics, a few outstanding examples are (in no particular order):

Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (drawing on characters created by Stoker, Conan Doyle, Wells, Verne, Stevenson, and others)
Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham's Fables (drawing on the vast array of folk and fairy tale characters from around the globe)
Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora's Once & Future (drawing on Arthurian Legend)
Mike Mignola's Hellboy (drawing on world mythology, Milton, Lovecraft, and others)