I have an idea, which came to me in a dream, for a short story. I have the complete scenario in my mind, so don't need any input before I start. I've done a search for some keywords, none came up in a story, one thread in the board from several years ago, am I safe to proceed? I don't want to plagiarise anyone else here.

well if your original work even if its a already written about scene or scenario then i dont think you could call it plagiarising.. There are many stories in the archive that are in a similar subject and storyline..

Please proceed. When one thinks about it, there are probably about 4 basic plot lines in most all stories. Just work a variation on a theme.

HairyHarry (imported) wrote: Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:52 pm I have an idea, which came to me in a dream, for a short story. I have the complete scenario in my mind, so don't need any input before I start. I've done a search for some keywords, none came up in a story, one thread in the board from several years ago, am I safe to proceed? I don't want to plagiarise anyone else here.

My English teachers in college drilled us on Plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs when the writer fails to give proper credit to the original author. It also occurs when someone claims the work of another is from his/her hands.

On the other hand Plagiarism does not occur when you are witting your own story.

An example: If i were to write a story about a orphan boy who finds out he is a wizard then send him off to wizard school, and then becomes friends with a girl and an ugly boy I would be plagiarizing the story of Harry Potter and subject to lawsuit. .

However, If i write about a boy that learns he is a wizard, and then write about how he falls in love with another boy in some type of wizard school...that is not Plagiarism! However, I could still get taken to court for plagiarizing, but since my wizard is gay and harry potter is straight my case would be easy to defend.

If you think of it just about every word and story combination has been used in a story in mankind's history, so if Plagiarism is using the same words there would never be another story written.

IbPervert (imported) wrote: Tue Sep 11, 2007 12:48 am An example: If i were to write a story about a orphan boy who finds out he is a wizard then send him off to wizard school, and then becomes friends with a girl and an ugly boy I would be plagiarizing the story of Harry Potter and subject to lawsuit. .

However, If i write about a boy that learns he is a wizard, and then write about how he falls in love with another boy in some type of wizard school...that is not Plagiarism! However, I could still get taken to court for plagiarizing, but since my wizard is gay and harry potter is straight my case would be easy to defend.

A rather grandiose and over-simplified example of the issue. The first would not indicate plagiarism, save for a direct wholsale theft of story content. If your vision of the issue were correct, there'd be 700 lawsuits in the US alone for all the knock offs that are rather obvious. As long as original charcters and plots are not used, you're basically fine.

Basically, write your story and be damned to JK Rowling or other or whoever, who is a pretty poor quality writer anyway, who had a good story line, and got damn lucky to find the right connection in the right time.

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IbPervert (imported) wrote: Tue Sep 11, 2007 12:48 am If you think of it just about every word and story combination has been used in a story in mankind's history, so if Plagiarism is using the same words there would never be another story written.

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IbPervert"

There is another problem.... My advancing mind sometimes tricks me and when I think I'm composing, I become concerned that I am repeating (or outlining) something I read long ago....

And even if I think I'm creating, I probably am re-weaving recollections....

hw

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IbPervert (imported) wrote: Tue Sep 11, 2007 12:48 am If you think of it just about every word and story combination has been used in a story in mankind's history, so if Plagiarism is using the same w

buffalo_gal (imported) wrote: Tue Sep 11, 2007 7:59 am ords there would never be another story written.

__________________

IbPervert"

There is another problem.... My advancing mind sometimes tricks me and when I think I'm composing, I become concerned that I am repeating (or outlining) something I read long ago....

And even if I think I'm

creating, I probably am re-weaving recollections....

hw

Happens all the time, unfortunately. Hopefully you are just using your own words to re-write.

Vladimir Props, sometime ago, wrote a book called Morphology of the Folktale, in which he studied the same story over and over and over again...turns out, every story is the same one over and over...

The plot is relatively simple:

Tragic young hero, usually a boy, usually orphaned, finds out his childhood life has been "false" and that he is a "chosen one" or something - possessed of fantastic powers, destined to save the world. He must go on a long journey, even a quest, make new friends, bond with his companions, bond with a father-figure who usually gets killed, and eventually beat the bad guys and get the girl.

Sound familiar yet?

Using similar plots and themes from another story is not considered plagiarism, so long as you are writing in your own words.

One last question. Does an author, who submits a story to the archive, retain copyright?