September 29, 2007
What da ya think?
Written by Cindy Kirk in Jaunty PostI don’t want to plagerize myself….but I’d really like your opinion on this topic so….even though I did this blog on Friday for www.naughty-and-spice.com, I really want YOUR feedback so I’m repeating the blog here.
Here goes….
This week on a writer’s loop, a woman (we’ll call her Jane) mentioned how she liked to mentor unpublished writers. But Jane was concerned because someone she’d just starting helping—and didn’t know very well—was insisting her pages were perfect etc. In short, the mentoring wasn’t working out. Jane was thinking of cutting this woman loose but wanted to do it diplomatically. Jane wasn’t sure how this woman—who was acting a bit antagonistic—would react. One of the things I mentioned to Jane was the fact that many authors refuse to read unpublished material because they’re concerned about being accused of stealing an idea. Even if it wasn’t true, damage to the mentor’s reputation could still be done.
This got me to thinking….can you really steal someone’s idea? I use to think you couldn’t, because even if each of us got a brief story idea, we’d all develop it differently. And even if we got a detailed outline, our “voice” would be different and the way we’d write the scene would vary.
On the other hand, I think of Janet Evanovitch and how she researched the market before she came up with the idea of quirky bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. What if during this research phase Janet participated in a brainstorming session (that is so popular among writers)? What if she’d discussed her idea–maybe even took it a step further and outlined her vision for the book? What if another writer (who’d been in the brainstorming session) saw the possibilities and proposed that same story before Janet had a chance to go forward with her own proposal? To me that would definitely be theft of an idea.
I’m not overly paranoid, but if I had a great idea for a story that I hadn’t yet proposed to my editor, I don’t think I’d participate in a brainstorming session or even mention the idea to anyone other than my two critique partners (who I trust implicitly).
What da ya think? Can you really steal another writer’s story?
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Shana Says:
No, you can’t steal someone else’s idea . Ideas can’t be copyrighted. Even if I told someone my idea, if they wrote it, it would be different than mine. HOWEVER, I do keep ideas to myself most of the time because the industry can only support so many similar-type stories. So if I want to write about a vampire princess (which I don’t, so steal away) and someone else gets that same idea, an editor is probably only going to buy one vampire princess book. So that’s the concern.
Taryn Raye Says:
I agree with Shana. You can’t steal an idea, especially when it comes down to the general ‘idea plots’ that most everyone uses.
But now, if I were to share an entire outline with someone, with plot points laid out the way I would write it and then later that person put out a book almost exactly like it, I would feel betrayed, but there would really be nothing I could do about it, because even when that person writes, they write differently, their “voice” is different from mine and they might take it in another direction, therefore it wouldn’t “technically” be mine.
Just for the sake of saying so though, I rarely talk, in depth, about any of my novel ideas to anyone. I don’t have any critique partners and if I do share something I’ve written, say snippits on my blogs, I give those stories up to being my “blog novels” or “blog shorts” that I don’t intend to ever submit.
My actually ideas though, I tuck away deep down and only discuss them with my husband, my mom, my sister or very close friends who are interested in seeing me hopefully someday become a published writer.
Great topic. Really makes you think about things.
Taryn Raye Says:
oops- (MY ACTUAL- not my actually) LOL
Haven Rich Says:
I echo Shana!
I fully agree that you could share an entire outline, even chapters and other people would change it. Everyone has a different writing voice and that’s hard to duplicate.
I don’t mind sharing bits and pieces, but what I generally share is so “typical” anyone writing in my genre has wrote it millions of times already…it’s apart of the formula haha.
Just my 2 cents.
Kimberly Logan Says:
I agree that no one can actually steal an idea. However, I admit to being a bit leery about sharing mine with too many people, apart from my agent and editor. It just seems better to be cautious.
Margo Maguire Says:
Same here. I don’t share my ideas. I’m happy to talk about characters, conflicts, story arcs, etc. But nothing specific. Like Shane says - if an editor is only going to buy ONE vampire princess story, I want it to be mine.
I also don’t really read anyone else’s work. I don’t have a critique partner, and I don’t judge contests. I don’t ever want anyone to think I’ve taken their idea and gone somewhere with it!
Rainy Says:
Ditto. Ideas should probably stay in your head and wait until they are fleshed out on paper.
I personally have had some ideas that spend an uneventful life bandying about in my little pea brain and then one day while at a bookstore I’ll read an inside cover and OMIGOD!! My idea. Exactly. And it is more than just a “vampire falls in love” general theme but something specific. If I had mentioned that to others, I might suspect it had been stolen.
So I just curse myself for not writing that book instead of someone else!
Kate Diamond Says:
I agree with Shana and Rainy. While I don’t think you can steal an idea (specifically because they can’t be copyrighted), I would never tell anyone the ins and outs of an idea I’m working on. I’d stick to something general like, “Unsatisfied woman takes a month off from her ostensibly perfect life to reexamine priorities.” That’s been done so many times… and I’m doing it again because I know I can make it unique!
Cindy Kirk Says:
Sounds like we’re all on the same wavelength….
Stephanie R. Says:
I think this is a topic most people can agree on. Ideas can’t be stolen but the fleshed out project itself can. Its like if I took Julie Garwood’s “Guardian Angel” it’s an interesting story with little things the Pirate does that most stories about Pirates don’t do; that if I took that whole concept it could be argued that I have plagiarized her original work.