I had a kick in the guts yesterday.
I am usually a very happy content person, but this really bothers me.
I am a working journalist in a particular trade. Let's call it ranching.
I wrote a mystery/adventure novel based in the industry some years ago, but never really made a serious effort to get published.
Yesterday a very good old pal who is also a former ranch hand informed me that his very first novel, a murder mystery set on regional ranch land is to be published this autumn.
I've been meaning to get back into that genre as this trade journalism is getting old. But I've learned a lot and have a very good background for setting and characters, etc.
The trouble is that I live in a particular region and I am worried that if I come up with a similar character in a similar region (ie. a ranch hand becomes an amateur sleuth in this region) that I am stealing the idea from my friend.
I guess it's okay if you are talking about a police procedural in a big city, but picking a niche in the mystery genre and being the only one in that niche are a big plus for getting published.
So have I lost the horse out of the barn and can't catch it now?
I am usually a very happy content person, but this really bothers me.
I am a working journalist in a particular trade. Let's call it ranching.
I wrote a mystery/adventure novel based in the industry some years ago, but never really made a serious effort to get published.
Yesterday a very good old pal who is also a former ranch hand informed me that his very first novel, a murder mystery set on regional ranch land is to be published this autumn.
I've been meaning to get back into that genre as this trade journalism is getting old. But I've learned a lot and have a very good background for setting and characters, etc.
The trouble is that I live in a particular region and I am worried that if I come up with a similar character in a similar region (ie. a ranch hand becomes an amateur sleuth in this region) that I am stealing the idea from my friend.
I guess it's okay if you are talking about a police procedural in a big city, but picking a niche in the mystery genre and being the only one in that niche are a big plus for getting published.
So have I lost the horse out of the barn and can't catch it now?