Beware of Poachers

By mugen shiyo · Apr 17, 2011 · 649 · 2
  1. I have a dragons mentality. The dragons of antiquity, I mean; Tolkien, St. George, yada yada...I have a treasure and this treasure I guard day and night. I don't like visitors, especially unwelcome ones, and I tend to sit on my treasure and enjoy simply having it rather than actually putting it to any practical use. What's my treasure...ideas. New ideas.

    One of the things that will make your story more interesting than most is that you have new ideas; a new look or perspective on something, or just something so mind-blowingly new and intriguing your idea becomes the modus operandi of a number of pop-cults- if not the new emotional center of your reader. New ideas fascinate. To put it another way, anybody can administer Facebook, but very few would have been able to come up with the ideas that made it successful. In writing...in the market...new ideas are gold.

    So as I am getting psyched to finally be able to post some of my work online and share a piece of mua with the world, I stop and think.

    Hey dummy. What's to prevent someone who comes across your writing from...borrowing...your idea.

    Hmmm...I don't know, self. Copyright is nice and all but I don't think that is offered here and even if it were, it's TOO easy to sidestep that. A person sees your idea and becomes inspired by induction. They reuse your idea and now it is no longer your idea, but the person who is able to market it first. Seeing as though I actually want to be a writer with something new to bring to the table, I think it best no to leave all my new on the table.

    This is not to stoke or promote any paranoia in the site. It's just my kind of common sense. You don't leave cash sitting out in public and you don't leave your diary on the table at school. Therefore, the work I would like to get feedback for the most is the one I cannot post because the hopefully good qualities I hope will bring attention to my story I don't want to become the good qualities of another.

    Writing lesson number two...be wise as the serpent, and just as sly.

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  1. Cogito
    Writing ideas are rarely of any intrinsic value. It's what you do to develop those ideas that is of value. You will develop them differently than anyone else would.

    Of course, if you do choose to keep some of your ideas to yourself - very wise. Only you know what portion of your ideas are dearest to you.

    I'm working on two novels. One I have spoken of here freely, although I certainly haven;t revealed everything I have in mind. The other, I have never even revealed my working title or premise, nor do I intend to until it is finished and accepted for publication.

    So what do I post? Short stories and snippets that I don't plan to publish. Not throwaway work, just writing that is designed to stretch my skills. In some ways, theyt are more ambitious than the writing for publication. I will take risks in the experimental writing that I would not take in writing for the market - at least not until I know it works well.

    So yes, keep your secrets. Not out of paranoia, because the truth is, there's not much that is worth stealing, and worth the risk of getting blackballed by every major publisher. No, you keep your work close to your chest because that is what a professional writer does. He or she does not need constant encouragement, but will work alone on the book until it is ready to submit.
    Cogito, Apr 17, 2011
  2. mugen shiyo
    :) all good thoughts and good advice.

    I like the part about writing to improve. Though it is common sense, I never thought about it until I was reading about a famous comic who drew everyday to practice.

    Good luck with your books. It would be cool to actually read the work of someone that has started from this site.
    mugen shiyo, Apr 19, 2011
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