Do you have to be afraid that somebody will steal your concepts? No, and right here's why
Can you steal ideas from other stories? What if someone steals your ideas? Are your ideas good enough at all? If you have ever asked such questions, I have good news for you.
A common chorus I hear from authors is that they have an idea, but it's too much like ___________ (fill in the blank with a book, movie, or show that you like). Or writers hear ideas like a dragon sitting on gold and convinced that someone will steal it. As a writer, you violate both beliefs because they are based on fear.
What if someone steals my idea?
Sometimes writers keep their ideas top secret and wait for the right moment to write them. They hoard their ideas to keep others from "stealing" them. Can an idea be stolen? Yes and no.
I recently came across a Reddit thread that compared stories or films with similar storylines that were carried out on completely different stories.
Action: "Tom Hanks' flight is not going well."
Stories: Apollo 13, Lost, terminal, and Extremely loud and incredibly close. (Source: Reddit, Golfandpie)
Action: "Careful, single father finds himself in dangerous situations in search of a kidnapped child."
Stories: Find Nemo and Taken. (Source: Reddit, AndySocks)
And my favorite:
Action: "Stole a loaf of bread, went to jail, got wealth from someone, got a political position, took part in the rebellion against the government, had a longstanding feud with a certain government official, ultimately influencing that enemy towards himself defeat."
Stories: Aladdin and Les Miserables. (Source: Reddit, zninjazero)
Have these premises been stolen? * gasp! * The idea is ridiculous. Nobody entered the writing room Taken and said, "You know, let's write Find Nemo as an action film! "
But even if they did, they would have created something completely different for a completely new audience. All of these storylines can be transformed into unique stories depending on their character, attitude and voice.
Some even argue that there are only a handful of properties. (See The three basic patterns of action of Foster-Harris, Vonnegut's story forms, Booker's The Seven Basic Plots or the twenty masterplots of Ronald Tobias.) The originality is not in the core plot – it lies in the unique, specific execution of this plot, the journey of this character.
The point is this: an idea cannot be stolen. A finished book can be stolen in whole or in part – this is called plagiarism or theft (see the current scandals for copying and pasting). But an idea you're talking about? One that has not yet been developed or completed? That cannot be stolen.
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An idea cannot be stolen. Two authors who start with the same idea will create two very different stories.
I'm just asking if it's good
Too often, once an author has gone through the hoarding phase and starts sharing ideas, they do so only to get approval. My students sometimes come in or send me an email: “I have this idea. Can you tell me if it's good "Some authors do the same and send ideas and half-finished chapters to authors they love for feedback (please stop).
My answer: who knows? Who knows until you run it completely?
In my early days as an apprentice, I probably would have given writers ideas that I thought were “more worthy”, but since then I've realized that I'm not the goalkeeper of good ideas. This frustrates the students to the extreme.
"Just tell me if it's good!" they say upset.
I tell them, “If you came to me ten years ago and said you wanted to write a story about tornadoes and sharks, I would have told you to choose either sharks or tornadoes. Now there are six (YES, SIX!) Sharknado films. Execution is everything. Who knows if it will find an audience until you write and try it out? "
Elizabeth Acevedo, author of The poet X., spoke openly about her frustration to a professor in her MFA program who wrote a poem about nature. She comes from New York City and has decided to write about rats.
Her professor said her rats were not noble. That they weren't a good idea. Then she wrote one amazing poem that captured her unique point of view and voice. She published a bestseller book and electrified the audience with her poetry and prose.
Stop waiting for someone to tell you that an idea is "good". If it's something you've been thinking about for a while, something you can't get out of your head, write it down and quit. Only then can you assess where there is a lack of originality, and then you can revise.
The same, but different
There are whole books on how real artists build and adapt from ideas that already exist in the world (see Austin Kleon's book Steal like an artistor the entire Shakespeare canon). When you find other ideas in the work that draw your attention and keep you awake at night? Turn it in your own direction, in your own voice.
You can start in the same place as another writer, but you'll likely end up in a different place because of your unique perspective.
Genre fiction is based on the whole principle of "same but different". Anyone who takes up a romance expects two people to meet, experience setbacks and complications, and ultimately accept that they are in love. The romances that rise to the top tend to meet these expectations in unexpected or fresh ways.
So don't worry about similarities anymore if you know that you are not copying and pasting someone else's work. I would argue that most developing writers mimic their favorite authors anyway, and this is a natural part of growth. Try different voices and discard the voices you grow out of. It will help you find your own voice.
It is unproductive to remain paralyzed because you fear that your idea will be stolen or that it is too similar to something else. Stop letting these excuses stop you from writing your story.
What ideas you hoarded or worried were too much like something else to try? Share if you dare in the comments.
WORK OUT
It is your turn to "steal" an idea. Rotate a new version using any of the above movie representations by adding characters, settings, or voices to create a unique premise.
Or do you have an idea that you saved and that you were too afraid of? Start now. Write the first paragraph or the first page.
Take fifteen minutes to write. When you're done, share your writing in the comments and leave feedback for your co-writers!
Sue Weems
