Do IDEAS come from writing HERE ???

small axe · Apr 19, 2007

Okay, I was just writing elsewhere, and had to go back and edit something ~~OUT~~ because ... well ... I had a good story idea, and then I realized ...

"Of all the places to type out a good story idea as it pops into your head, a forum full of Writers isn't the bestest place to do that"

So, far from suggesting anyone here would out-and-out STEAL someone else's ideas (I'm not; but I'll confess that one time here, I read what someone said, and thought "I could do that as a story" -- but it was THEIR story, so instantly I felt shame at even THINKING it, and vowed "I cannot touch that idea")

Okay, so we're all saints here (hey, one time, in Santa Monica, I found $20 outside a restaurant, and I actually went inside and asked a waiter "I found $20 right out by your door, did anyone in here complain about losing money?" I swear. Kids -- don't do drugs.)

But it got me wondering: How often have YOU gone back and erased an idea you wrote, just in a debate or something, because suddenly it hits you: "That could be a story. There's a character. Jeez, there's a piece of DIALOGUE" etc ???

And ... do you (anyone here) ever read what someone else has written and think ... hmmmmm. I could use that; they didn't say that like they were revealing a story, they said that like I hear two guys talking in a club and one says "Here's what I think --" and what follows is the greatest rant about Global Warming or 9/11 or tainted pet food I ever heard.

Of course, there's always the risk that X will say something, Y will think "oh baby, that's amazing, I can run with that and spin it into my next novel" ... and of course, X was just repeating it from the novel he just read off the NY TIMES best-sellers list!

Buzz.kill.

So ... erasing your own Muse-reap.

Being inspired by the thinkers and debaters at AW.

Does the thought of doing that bother you?

Does the thought that someone else may do it, bother you?

Just wondering if anyone cared to comment/discuss ....

Soccer Mom · Apr 19, 2007

I've seen ideas that I would LOVE to steal here, but I've never lifted anything.

OKAY! Except the PHENTERMINE, but PeeDee didn't need them and I did, so it doesn't count.

Other than THAT, I haven't lifted/stolen/taken/plagarized. I have gotten inspired with ideas, but in a roundabout way.

I confess that I have edited myself from revealing plotlines or basic ideas from unwritten scripts. Just cause.

Devil Ledbetter · Apr 19, 2007

I don't worry about my ideas getting stolen. It's one thing to post an idea or a snippet of dialogue, or even a few scenes: quite another to write a polished piece of fiction extending to 80,000 words or so and then sell it to a publisher.

And don't worry, Small-Axe, nothing you've written here so far strikes me as something I'd want in a work with my name on it.

Cath · Apr 19, 2007

No, I can't say I've ever deleted anything because someone else might get an idea from it.

I do the Sunday night Flash Fiction Challenge occasionally. Even though we all get the same prompt, I've never seen two stories exactly alike. Give two people the same information and they'll take something different from it. So letting other people see my ideas doesn't worry me.

And I do get inspiration from here as well. I wrote a story today loosely based on something I read in the Freelance Forum. It's not the same story, not even remotely close - but the theme is the same.

What I would never do is use someone elses idea for a story and write it the way they imagined. I'm a writer - part of that is coming up with the story ideas for myself.

kristie911 · Apr 19, 2007

I've never gotten ideas here...but boy, have I gotten some characters!

Devil Ledbetter · Apr 19, 2007

I did use a wonderful insult (douche nozzle) posted by Weatherfield, but she said her S/O wished someone would use it and she gave me a cred point when I posted it in a scene.

WildScribe · Apr 19, 2007

I have seen an idea for an article in someone's post, and I have suggested ideas to others. The difference in execution is so great that I would never worry about someone stealing a plot idea or something.

small axe · Apr 19, 2007

Devil Ledbetter said:
And don't worry, Small-Axe, nothing you've written here so far strikes me as something I'd want in a work with my name on it.

Far from 'worry' ... it puts me at eternal ease to know that we will never be confused with each other, you and I.

I knew we'd share a mutual feeling, sooner or later, comrade!

WildScribe said:
The difference in execution is so great that I would never worry about someone stealing a plot idea or something.

Well, yeah, usually I'd agree with that too, but if it's a killer hook, you gotta think about what other Writers could do with it, y'know ...
Though obviously, there are many possible stories that could end up with someone running and desperately yelling "It's a cook book !!!"

By the way, your FIRE story was the one I was talking about there ... I liked that one a lot. But yeah, I knew it was your story so it was off-limits!

One of my issues mentioned though above would be: what if someone merely mentioned the idea in passing? Say there's a thread about our phobias, and someone just tosses out "Well, when I was a little girl, I used to have nightmares about being Joan of Arc burning at the stake" etc ...

And somebody else goes -- whoa -- I just got my idea for the "porno for pyros" anthology :e2brows:

Is that a dilemma, or just fair-game inspiration?

Birol · Apr 19, 2007

I've gotten ideas from my posts, but I let the posts stand, because the article will be much more developed. I've also given ideas to others, just handed them over. I have no problem with it because what I do with an idea, especially if we're talking fiction here, is nothing like what anyone else would do with it and vice versa.

ETA: That said, I would never take another person's idea without their knowledge. It goes against my own personal ethics.

aka eraser · Apr 19, 2007

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If something I posted inspired someone to create something else, I'd be a lot more proud than pissed.

Jamesaritchie · Apr 20, 2007

Ideas

You can only steal something if someone owns it. No one owns an idea. Give ten writers the same idea, and you get ten very different stories in return.

This has been done many times. It's not at all uncommon for an editor to call several writers, give each the same idea, and then buy all the stories that result.

The last thing I worry about is another writer stealing one of my ideas. Shoot, I hope my ideas are taken and used. This in no way means I can't use them.

ChaosTitan · Apr 20, 2007

I'm with Cath and JAR. Ideas are out there, floating in the ether, presenting us with hundreds of possible uses. No two writers will take a single idea and create the same story. Cath's example of the Flash Fiction Challenge is a good one. One idea + twelve writers = twelve unique stories with a linking idea.

janetbellinger · Apr 20, 2007

It hasn't occurred to me lately. I'm not egotistical enough to think my ideas and writing are so great somebody would want to steal them. Scrupulous or not, what writer has the time, energy or interest for writing about somebody else's idea?

Jamesaritchie · Apr 20, 2007

Birol said:
ETA: That said, I would never take another person's idea without their knowledge. It goes against my own personal ethics.

My guess is you've never written anything that wasn't already someone else's idea. Ideas are a dime a dozen, they're a penny a billion, and not one of them is worth this much. Ideas are like air. We all breathe the same air, and we all use the same ideas.

Kate Thornton · Apr 20, 2007

I agree with JAR on this - I am interested and intrigued when I see a work with an idea I had - and I get ideas freely, using everything that flows through my mind, including this and other boards. If I mention an idea here, I expect someone to run with it, maybe. But we all run differently, so I don't worry about anything being "stolen" - you can't steal what is free, and ideas are always free.

But take my actual developed words - my story or character or phrasing - and you've got a problem.

Birol · Apr 20, 2007

Jamesaritchie said:
My guess is you've never written anything that wasn't already someone else's idea. Ideas are a dime a dozen, they're a penny a billion, and not one of them is worth this much. Ideas are like air. We all breathe the same air, and we all use the same ideas.

True enough. I've said much the same thing often before -- about ideas being very common -- which is why I have no problem sharing mine. What I was referring to was more SYW, where people are posting their work, or direct discussions about what everyone is working on in other parts of the board. I'm not -- and to the best of my knowledge no one is -- cruising through the boards looking to find what other people are writing so they can write it first.

FredCharles · Apr 20, 2007

The fact is, there are people out there who steal other peoples work. As much as we would like to believe otherwise, it happens. I would be careful about posting specific story ideas.

I'm sure that the majority of people who post here are upstanding citizens, but remember, you never now who is lurking out there. The internet is a big, big, big place. Just be careful!

Cath · Apr 20, 2007

That's the thing. It's not ideas that bother me. As many of us have said already - you can give two people the same idea and they'll come back with two completely different stories.

Now if someone used my exact words, that's a whole other matter.

Stew21 · Apr 20, 2007

I've posted things here that people have asked to use. They ask though, either through PM or in a thread. I even gave PeeDee permission to all of the creepy recurring nightmares I have because I didn't want them.

It's give and take. I get inspired by people and conversation. I never outright take something from someone but if it sets a spark in my brain I will fan the flame. I have never taken a complete idea from someone. I have always assumed that I write best about the things that I feel passionately about, and assume as well that the originator of the idea would be able to do it far better justice than I could. I prefer to write my own ideas.
But inspiration comes in all forms and from many places.

Judg · Apr 20, 2007

Somebody on the Sci Fi/Fantasy First Line game confessed to writing two short stories based on first lines other people posted. I'm not sure if he used the actual first lines.

small axe · Apr 20, 2007

slave to the logline ...

It's interesting hearing so many folks so confident with their ideas here. I guess I'm instinctively more protective (or tight-wound

) about ideas, and wondered if others were too. But many of you seem less worried.

I guess I'm conditioned to thinking in (spec) screenwriter terms, where the one and two sentence logline can be the difference between selling the deal or not? Where there are several steps from pitching the idea to the finished screenplay where your originality can be trashed or taken from you (and even your "finished" work will then be given to a Director and Actors who may change and mutilate words and ideas at whim or will)

So ... interesting to hear others' thoughts about it. Certainly I wasn't meaning to frame it as anyone "stealing" others' stories or ideas here ... just wondering how others approached inspiration and ideas.

Thanks for the comments!

Sohia Rose · Apr 20, 2007

I don’t mind sharing ideas. I’ve dumped a few book ideas online because I’m simply too busy to start another book (I have about four WIP). If I were a full-time (non-fiction) author, I’d write at least two books per year.

Birol · Apr 20, 2007

Small axe, look up the old Absolute Idol competition. I'm not certain how it is set up, but also check out some of the writing challenges on the board. Many such things are based on the concept that an idea is posted for everyone involved to use. The stories which are spun out do not often resemble one another.

Do IDEAS come from writing HERE ???

memento mori

Crypto-fascist

Come on you stranger, you legend,

The mean one

Happy to be here

Come on you stranger, you legend,

Slave to the Wordcount

memento mori

Around and About

Fish Whisperer

Around

Still Happy to be Here. Or Anywhere

Around and About

The mean one

DISENCHANTED coming soon

memento mori

Will write for coffee

Around and About