1. The Piper

    The Piper Contributor Contributor

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    Anyone seen this before?

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by The Piper, Dec 29, 2019.

    Hi!

    Got a half-idea for a new horror short but I'm concerned it's not my idea. Normally I know it's not an issue to borrow/steal/"be inspired" etc but since the plot would be so streamlined and so simple, I worry I'm subconsciously ripping it off of something I've seen or heard of before. The plot is basically this:

    Man moves to new home, obsesses over a certain patch of lawn in the garden and starts to dig, firstly in his spare time then obsessively, not sleeping, tensions with wife, calling in sick etc to get deeper then finding "something" right at the bottom once he's lost everything. And of course the something is hugely horrible but not the focus of the whole thing.

    Does anyone recognise this? I've got a niggling feeling it's not just popped out of nowhere, but it's hard to Google something jeopardy-style.

    Thanks everyone!
     
  2. SethLoki

    SethLoki Retired Autodidact Contributor

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    You're not subconsciously recalling the 'Mole Man of Hackney' are you? Was in the news a few years back.
     
  3. Dogberry's Watch

    Dogberry's Watch Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2023 Contest Winner 2022

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    If you write it, it will be your story.

    I haven't heard of anything like that, but I'd be interested to know what he found at the bottom of the well dug hole.
     
  4. cosmic lights

    cosmic lights Contributor Contributor

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    Something similar has probably been done before maybe slightly differently, but only someone extremely well read might know it. This question has reminded me of a conversation I had a while back with a young Hunger Game's fan. She said she liked the book because it was unique - the idea of children being forced to kill one another and gave great conflict. I said have you ever heard of Battle Royale? She said no. She though HG was unique because she'd never read anything like it. To me it was very similar to BR. Unique is very dependent on the person and what they've seen/read in their life. I honestly wouldn't concern myself with it, I don't think any two tales are exactly alike.
     
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  5. Lemie

    Lemie Contributor Contributor

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    I know I heard a story just like that back when I listened to a creepy pasta-pod. It was written from the sons point of view, though and either that son or the brother took after the obsession.

    A lot of the stories on the pod were translated (and usually Swede-fied) from stories from Reddit, but might've been written by a listener, so not sure if it's online or not.
     
  6. Richach

    Richach Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    It is human nature to make sense of things. This is just our lazy way of understanding things. We usually do this by comparison.

    For instance, 'Isn't she just like her mom or dad!' Now that is actually a human being with her own thoughts, worries, ambitions and fears that is being compared in this example. Just easier for people to label things/people and put them in a box and move on to the next thing. We all do it.

    Write your story that you have outlined and make it your own. The characters will be distinct as will every other aspect of your story. It may well evolve into something different anyway.

    BTW the outline sounds like it has legs.
     
  7. Steve Rivers

    Steve Rivers Contributor Contributor

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    You shouldn't go about worrying if something is unique or not, because, as a good few folks above mention - it probably won't be.
    There are loads of stories that do extremely well and -seem- unique to you but aren't - just because that's the first time you've seen/read it. It's just they did their own version/twist on it, (or they themselves didn't know it had been done before) and made it appeal to folks, either in a fresh way or with a different set of circumstances that made it successful. Did they go out to re-hash someone else's work? No, of course not. But it's the convergent evolution of thoughts. There's 8 billion people on this planet, that's a lot of odds to come up with a unique idea.

    With my current novel, I can name you at least two other stories that are along the same lines as mine - but I've got different overall themes, different plots and subplots, and a different take that I think makes mine worth telling, and, I hope, sets it apart.
    I didn't begin writing it for the longest time because I thought it was going to be a derivative of those other works, but I eventually realized that, at the end of the day, you shouldn't let that bother you if you believe your story is -good-.
     
  8. The Piper

    The Piper Contributor Contributor

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    Thanks everyone, sounds like I ought to just get this one written and worry about it later - I think I worried because it seemed such a simple plot that if there was anything remotely similar it might come across as a direct rip off, but I think I could even work it so there's something a little more complex in there if need be. Thanks again!
     
    Steve Rivers likes this.

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