- Joined
- Feb 8, 2008
- Messages
- 526
- Reaction score
- 113
I have a friend who we'll call "Nick". We swap stories sometimes, critique them, etc. Lately, he's been producing stories eerily similar to mine. Most recent has been a version of a short story I wrote. For comparison:
My Version
1. Humorous tone
2. Some dialect
3. Ambiguous setting
4. Fantasy creatures
5. Science fiction elements.
Nick's Version:
1. Serious, almost dark, tone
2. Almost perfect language
3. Painstakingly-detailed setting
4. Non-speculative, could be realistic fiction, really
I've told Nick that this isn't ethical and may even be plagiarism. He tells me it's not. I've poked around the internet and in textbooks a bit and can't find anything definitive. Even my teachers aren't sure, because Nick doesn't copy my exact words, or even my exact characters. Just the basic plot. If I write about a mad scientist who blows up Earth, Nick might write a story about a clumsy technician who blows up Saturn.
I've stopped swapping stories with him and now he tells everyone who'll listen that I'm a jerk. I really don't know what to do. Do I call him out as a plagiarist? Give him a good kick in the groin?Someone please recommend that last one so I can take the advice and do it.
He just screams at me when I ask him what the hell is going on.
My Version
1. Humorous tone
2. Some dialect
3. Ambiguous setting
4. Fantasy creatures
5. Science fiction elements.
Nick's Version:
1. Serious, almost dark, tone
2. Almost perfect language
3. Painstakingly-detailed setting
4. Non-speculative, could be realistic fiction, really
I've told Nick that this isn't ethical and may even be plagiarism. He tells me it's not. I've poked around the internet and in textbooks a bit and can't find anything definitive. Even my teachers aren't sure, because Nick doesn't copy my exact words, or even my exact characters. Just the basic plot. If I write about a mad scientist who blows up Earth, Nick might write a story about a clumsy technician who blows up Saturn.
I've stopped swapping stories with him and now he tells everyone who'll listen that I'm a jerk. I really don't know what to do. Do I call him out as a plagiarist? Give him a good kick in the groin?
He just screams at me when I ask him what the hell is going on.