Hello, everybody. I'm posting here because a friend of mine asked me to write the plot for a manga she wishes to draw. It's my first attempt in doing so, so I thought I would use as a base a story from manga I read. The problem is I do not want for the plot to look too much alike the original. So I wished to ask whether using the same theme but varying the plot elements would be considered as stealing others' work? Oh, but maybe this isn't the right place to ask. If this is the case kindly tell me if I should post this kind of thread elsewhere in the forum.
No, it wouldn't be stealing his work (I think) but it might end up considerably similar and some people might suspect. My opinion is that you come up with something original, think about what kind of story you would like to draw, do you like supernatural stories? Humorous stories? Maybe some romance? Also consider the ability of your friend to draw, it's kind hard to draw buildings every panel or a large cast. Or, you could also start by thinking up the character and make the story character-driven instead of plot-driven. What kind of characters do you think would be interesting? What kind of friends would they have? Or enemies? What would their home-life be like? Maybe they have powers? How would those powers affect their life?
using a similar theme is fine, but if you use existing characters or major parts of existing plots, it would be plagiarism and definitely illegal... go here for the official rules 'n regs: www.copyright.gov characters and names/titles can also be trademark protected, so be sure you don't get in trouble there, either... for info on trademarks: www.uspto.gov
Thanks! I think the idea is just that of keeping the theme and build on it a totally different story, with totally different, original characters I'm gonna create on my own. Also I would like to keep it simple for her to draw, since it's her first attempt and she's not really used to the kind of style required for drawing a manga. So, I was wondering if I should start by placing the story and characters in our everyday world or in a totally different, imaginary world. Also I have my own likings and dislikings to consider. I really like supernatural and stuff and all I've written up until now are sci-fi/fantasy stories. So I thought I would remain in this field too, but I don't want for the plot to become too difficult for her to draw on. But I'm a little troubled as whether too simple a plot would result too plain or boring to read.
no one can help you with that... you have to write it, so you have to decide what to write and how... that said, it must be only the readers you two must consider here... what is her target market?... what age range?... that's what must determine how simple/complex a plot you come up with... and the complexity of the plot has absolutely nothing to do with the ability of the artist, or the quality of what she draws... why would it be any harder drawing pictures for a complex plot, than it would be for a simple one?... the only difference would be the number of illustrations needed for a longer story vs. a shorter one... the content of the frames doesn't change... as for fantasy vs. reality, the same thing applies... if you're capable of describing the scene to her, she should be able to draw it, right?... shouldn't matter if it's sci-fi, fantasy, or real life... a picture is a picture, is a picture, to paraphrase gertrude stein... love and hugs, maia
You should read 'Beauty is the Beast' then. It's the most simple plot and story line with the most simple characters, and yet, I found it to be pretty enjoyable. In the end you can write about whatever you want, but since it's a joint effort you should check that your friend enjoys the story too. Ask her what kind of story would she like, maybe that can give you an idea about what to make the story about.
Yeah, all of you, you're absolutely right. I should speak with my friend first and we should decide together which kind of story we should come up with. I'm gonna talk with her right away when she's back from vacation. Thanks for your tips anyway, they helped me clear some of the confusion inside my mind.
