Wednesday, August 5, 2015

IWSG Post – Fear of being accused of copying another writer

With a cousin’s wedding last week and entertaining guests at home, I had completely forgotten about the IWSG post for August. When I visited Ninja Captain Alex J Cavanaugh’s blog on Monday, his reminder jolted my memory. Trust Super Alex (once again Super A proves his omniscience) to come to our help. He is simply adorable.

For those who are unaware of IWSG, I want to tell you that IWSG is an online group for writers. We post on the first Wednesday of every month. This awesome and inspiring group was started by Alex Cavanaugh – Author of Amazon bestsellers: CassaStar, CassaStorm, CassaFire and Dragon of the Stars. In our IWSG posts, we discuss everything related to our writing: from the taxing first draft to the breezy revisions, from the heart-breaking query process to the jubiliation of finishing the 100th draft. In between venting out all our writing frustrations, anxieties and insecurities, we also support and encourage each other. Don’t forget to check out the IWSG website for awesome writing tips.

This month my insecurity is being accused of copying another writer. The reason this insecurity surfaced in my mind is, because a few years back, I had started a Middle Grade trilogy. When I narrated the concept to a writing friend, she immediately told me that the concept of souls in my story reminded her of the Horcruxes in Potter. Though this conversation took place during a FB chat, my over-excited brain immediately closed its doors to this story. I abandoned that story and moved on to other ones.

But, from last week my mind has often strayed to that story. I am quite keen to read whatever I have written and see it with new eyes. And also make sure that there are no resemblances to the horcruxes in my story in any way.

It’s not just me, but deep down every writer fears being accused of copying another writer. Infact, it’s my biggest fear. I would love it if someone compares my work to another writer in a favourable way, but when the comparision is anything but favourable it can be quite disheartening.

Is this one of your insecurities too? How do you avoid falling into this trap? Aren’t comparisions with other writers inevitable?


35 comments:

  1. I think they are inevitable. The Vanished Knight and The Heir's Choice gets compared to Game of Thrones (although I can't say I can really see more than a surface resemblance.)

    Also, I realized recently that there's no point to worrying about it, because critics will nail you for doing something completely different with the genre too.

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    1. Misha, I agree about critics nailing us writers for doing something completely different with our genre. And comparisions are inevitable :(

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  2. I used to fear copying, then I realized that, no matter how hard we all try to be original, most ideas have already been done before and the best we can do is reimagine them in a new, fascinating and unique light.

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    1. Randi, I am trying to reimagine my story in a new and unique way, so that there are no comparisions with another writer or story!

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  3. After finishing a manuscript, I might stumble on a book similar to mines. I don't worry about it too much, because any resemblance will be on the surface. At a conference I went to a speaker said she doesn't worry about being copied, because there's no way that the other person will write in her style and match the nuances of her plot and characterization.

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    1. Medeia, every writer will have their unique voice and style and there will always be a big difference in how we tackle our plots and characterization. And this differentiates one story from another.

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  4. Yes, that is something I think we all worry about. But I agree with Medeia that if it is a surface similarity, it should be okay.

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    1. Natalie, I am hoping that it is just a surface similarity, that is the concept of souls. I am thinking hard on how my story can be different.

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  5. I'm adorable? Now I'm blushing...
    There are no new ideas, just new ways to present them. You should go back to that story. I bet it's far more fresh than you give it credit.

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    1. Alex, yep, you are very adorable. Wish I could see the blushing Alex. I am definitely going back to that story.

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  6. Only you can tell your story the way it wants to, needs to, be told. :)

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    1. Madeline, will sit down and rethink the story line to give it a new twist :)

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  7. I think there will always be comparisons. "If you liked Harry Potter, you'll love this book..." And there really are no truly original stories. It's the unique voice you bring to the story and the way you tell it that matters.

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    1. Stephanie, am trying to bring my unique voice into the story. I know that there will always be comparisions.

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  8. Somebody famous once said there are no more original ideas, and I think that's true (to a point). You can still write about an idea or concept that's been done before, but so long as it's yours, so long as you put your own original spin on it, it's fine. Trust the story.

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    1. Bob, I feel the story is calling me and like you said I need to trust the story and give it a original spin.

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  9. I think plagiarism is when you take the whole story line. But if someone's book inspired you to a similar idea, it will still be different. I don't think you need to worry. You are conscientious enough not to let plagiarism happen.

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    1. Elizabeth, I am super conscientious where this story is concerned. Even if there is a whiff of a similarity I will rewrite that portion.

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  10. It's so hard not to include things from all the books you've ever read in your lifetime. Even Tolkien said he used ideas from books he had read:) Always make your novels yours uniquely by being new and fresh! Don't sweat it too much:)

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    1. Jennifer, I hope I can make it unique and fresh. Trying not to sweat too much over it :)

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  11. I agree with others that your voice will make the story your own. I hope you will return to that ms.

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    1. Julia, am planning to return to that manuscript sometime in the third week of August :)

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  12. It is definitely a concern, but give ten writers the same idea and they will write ten very different stories. We all pull from what we've read, seen, experience. There are bound to be similarities.

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    1. Cherie, yes, ten writers can give ten different spins to a single idea. While writing many things subconsciously inspire us. It could even be a book we have read. Similarities are inevitable.

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  13. I swear the hardest part of writing is coming up with an idea no one's used. The bestselling writers seem to have no trouble doing this. The most I can do is to try to put a different spin on something. I hope your old ms gets updated to new & shiny!

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    1. Lexa, trying to come up with an idea no one has used isn't easy. I feel if the idea is so unique, then the editors are hesitant to accept the manuscript. Best thing would be to put a different spin on an idea and present it in a fresh way.

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  14. First of all Rachna, never worry... ideas are universal. We all spin our ideas from things we read or experience in life. JK Rowling herself has many ideas stemmed from books from Tolken and other fantasy writers. I've seen the similar themes in her books.But it is our UNIQUE spin that makes them ours, even though they may seem like someone else's.

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    1. Michael, I agree with you that its our unique spin that makes a story our own and makes it stand out from other books on the bookshelves.

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  15. I even hate the thought of using the same plot idea, even if my treatment characters are very different. We want to be recognized for our own brilliance, I guess, and never be accused of ripping off another author's cleverness.

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  16. Not everything that J.K. wrote was original. She used myths and fantasy ideas from other works. You're going to have similarities to some other work. Why not make it one of the best? Keep writing, and worry about that later.
    Play off the Page

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  17. Not everything that J.K. wrote was original. She used myths and fantasy ideas from other works. You're going to have similarities to some other work. Why not make it one of the best? Keep writing, and worry about that later.
    Play off the Page

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  18. Oh, that's nothing really. I sometimes take 'inspirations' from movies ;)

    Destination Infinity

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  19. We all "borrow" bits from others; it's part of the synergy. But you're right about it being a worry. I've caught myself naming a character, then remembering I'd just read a book with a character by that same name.

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  20. I always worry about that. When I was in 10th grade English, my teacher accused me of plagiarism. It stuck with me all these years later!

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