When Is It OK to Repeat Yourself?

Following a most civilised debate on Social Media, I was prompted to consider the repurposing of written work i.e. is re-using your own material an economical use of time, or, is it plain lazy? And, what constitutes an original idea anyway?

I was always told if it ain't broke, don't fix it. In other words, if something works, why not make good use of it? 

Surely it makes sense if a piece is well written, and was previously well received, to give it another airing from time to time, and let people enjoy it once more? It's a bit like me dusting off my late grandmother's cake stand when it comes to family birthdays. It is always a familiar and welcome addition to the tea table. But only if I put some actual cake on it, of course. In this bonkers world, a bit of continuity is something in which we all find comfort.

The constant drive for new and original content must be so completely exhausting to sustain. As long as an idea was good in the first place, it still is good today. That is why we will always quote Seneca, Shakespeare, and Churchill. 

It is the very reason museums still exist, and we enjoy looking at old photographs, or sing along to the music of our youth with gusto in our cars on road trips. (Ok, maybe that's just me.) It is why we gorge on familiar comfort food when we need a little bit of pampering, or reach for a particular pair of shoes, because they are worn in, and more comfortable than the more attractive and shinier new ones. It is why we return to see plays, and favourite bands, and can recite most of The Life of Brian, and The Rocky Horror Show. (Oh gosh, is that just me again?)

Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad and massively successful entrepreneur, reads Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich each and every year. He claims he always finds something new in the re-reading of it. 

A friend of mine, who I see far too little of, often speaks about re-purposing material. Your content, if originally delivered as a good talk, should also stand up well as a written piece, provided it is well edited, and vice versa. If you took time and worked hard to produce something of worth in the first place, it should not be consigned to Room 101, just because it's already had an outing, like some over-indulged socialite, who couldn't possibly wear the same frock twice. Anything of quality, be it a good coat, or an excellent essay, should be lovingly taken care of, and it will stand the test of time. With coats, this may mean a change of buttons; with prose, this may mean a re-edit, but the gist remains the same. 

So why has my Social Media Friend come to the conclusion that we should not re-use our blogs or articles? Well, in his defence and in his world, he is correct. In certain industries, anything more than a month old does indeed become outdated. Consider most internet based business, social media, SEO, and financial trading advice, the list goes on. 

But the sort of pieces I write have very little to do with the cut and thrust of the technology world. The mere fact I use social media to promote my material is simply a by-product of our time. In truth, some of the social observations are current, but like a well cut suit, will last a good few years, if handled with care.

The Bible (another very well worn and often repurposed text) tells us "There is nothing new under the sun," (Ecclesiastes 1:4:11) and that was written quite some time ago, but I doubt very much has changed. It is often said that there are only seven stories in the world, just different ways of telling them. However, Aristotle said there are only two; comedy and tragedy. How simple and elegant. I think I'll stay with that.

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