Similar Stories, and what do you do?

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CoffeeWithMonkeys

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So I'm trying to finish up my Halloween story today, a day later than I planned but yesterday was crazy busy so I didn't have time.

Anyway I was sitting here a little lost, blank mind, not sure where my people were going in the story so I thought, I'll read some of the other entries and see what everyone else is writing about.
And there it is, a story so similar to what I've already written now I'm wondering if I should just forget about the whole thing.

I mean the stories are a lot alike.
In both the protagonist is reluctantly going to a Halloween party at their friends urging after recent breakups.
And yeah I know it's a Halloween themed story so a lot of things might be similar, but I don't want anyone to think I read this other story and just reworked the story.
I started mine on September 24th and had most of the idea then, I'm just stuck on how to get there right now.

Meh. Not sure if I want to finish or not.
 
Put a note at the start of your story saying that while your story is similar to story X, you wrote most of it before story X was published. If you're using the text box to submit your story, put "<i>" before your note and "</i>" after your note.
 
For what its worth,

When I'm stumped I sleep on it, and a good solution comes along fairly soon. That is, I wait for Providence to help me out. And it never fails.

That said, the end of my Green E story took 5 full years to come, and its a simple ending, but perfect.
 
Put a note at the start of your story saying that while your story is similar to story X, you wrote most of it before story X was published. If you're using the text box to submit your story, put "<i>" before your note and "</i>" after your note.

This ^. Also, since you're stuck and are worried about writing the same story as the other writer, why not give it a unique twist? See what the other writer did at the point that you got stuck and go in the complete opposite direction.

And if you're really stuck but want to continue writing the story, send me a PM and I'll give you a mail address that you can send the work in progress to. I'll try to come up with some directions to take the story in.
 
Anyway I was sitting here a little lost, blank mind, not sure where my people were going in the story so I thought, I'll read some of the other entries and see what everyone else is writing about.
And there it is, a story so similar to what I've already written now I'm wondering if I should just forget about the whole thing.

Meh. Not sure if I want to finish or not.

Lucky you! :cattail:

That way you can see exactly where the other story falls short and make your own ending not only different but also purrfect! This plus what 8letters said should see you submit a very strong entry.
 
I'm not sure I would ever write a Halloween story myself. But I have written a ghost story:)People already assume I play dress up year round. I'd hate to give them nightmares of imagining me in guy clothes on Halloween - 🙀 scary!
👠👠👠Kant

The rule of thumb is go with your gut instincts if you are going to submit the story:)
 
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...When I'm stumped I sleep on it, and a good solution comes along fairly soon. That is, I wait for Providence to help me out. And it never fails.
...

^This^

And - give it a unique ending. Something dramatic and very different.
 
You know, it's happened to me a couple of times. And once, I posted a story, and someone sent me a pm saying that they've written a similar story which will also be posted in a few days.

It happens.

Just finish yours. The odds of someone complaining are minimal.

Also, I had written a mother/son story about 1 or 2 months ago for the contest, then a week ago, someone had posted a similar concept (hiding in a closet). It happens.
 
You know, it's happened to me a couple of times. And once, I posted a story, and someone sent me a pm saying that they've written a similar story which will also be posted in a few days.

I agree, sending a PM to the other author to let her\him know in advance would be the way to go.
 
I agree, sending a PM to the other author to let her\him know in advance would be the way to go.
I wrote from a Story Ideas bunny and so did another. Mine posted first by a couple weeks. A reader complained that I'd plagiarized, and the other story was better. Then the other other author commented that I was indeed first and mine was better. Whatcha gonna do?
 
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I wrote a story, submitted it and he day it went live some clown accused me of plagiarizing some guy I never heard of who has a story so similar to mine that he thought I stole it.

The next comment was from someone who had read both and told the first guy to go soak his head. That although they were similar the style of the writing was nothing alike.

Goes to show you...there are the same four cords in every popular rock 'n roll song ever written.
 
Put a note at the start of your story saying that while your story is similar to story X, you wrote most of it before story X was published. If you're using the text box to submit your story, put "<i>" before your note and "</i>" after your note.

I disagree with this, its like an apology and makes it sound like "Please don't think I ripped someone off" just submit it and if people think its kind of like X well...

First who cares? Second, you know how many times the same basic premise has been done on this site? Try ad infinitum and ad naseum.

And the readers love it. Give them ten stories about a son who accidentally fucks his mother because she is wearing the mask his girlfriend was supposed to wear and the readers will go "Ohhh" over all ten.

Redundancy is very acceptable here, its why the same damn things are written all the time and people just want more.
 
I disagree with this, its like an apology and makes it sound like "Please don't think I ripped someone off" just submit it and if people think its kind of like X well...

First who cares? Second, you know how many times the same basic premise has been done on this site? Try ad infinitum and ad naseum.

And the readers love it. Give them ten stories about a son who accidentally fucks his mother because she is wearing the mask his girlfriend was supposed to wear and the readers will go "Ohhh" over all ten.

Redundancy is very acceptable here, its why the same damn things are written all the time and people just want more.

This is what I was thinking. It's like I feel I did something wrong and I'm apologizing before someone realizes what I did.

I'm going to finish with what I was going to write, and submit it. Wanted it to be finished already but life keeps getting in the way.
 

And a high-profile court case just declared that Led Zeppelin did not steal Spirit's "Taurus" as a basis for "Stairway To Heaven", because so many songs (in so many genres) share limited chord sequences.

That said, OMG that YouTube video is excellent! Thanks for posting it. 'Course there are TONS of excellent rock pieces that don't depend on just 4 chords, but they tend to appeal to limited and more sophisticated audiences.

Sorry - didn't mean to hijack the thread.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming...
 
I don't read LIT stories, mostly because of the cookie-cutter sameness the site encourages. LIT reminds me of USO dances I attended 50 years ago. Tame and lame.
 
I don't read LIT stories, mostly because of the cookie-cutter sameness the site encourages. LIT reminds me of USO dances I attended 50 years ago. Tame and lame.

How do you know if you don't read stories here? Who do you think you're fooling, JBJ. You're just being a sour old man who craves attention.
 
A few years ago, I attended a seminar for film script writers at which one of the ‘experts’ told us that there are really only ten story plots. (Or is it 12? I can’t remember.) To support this claim, he then listed a couple of dozen well-known variations on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. ‘And that’s just the tip of the iceberg,’ he said.

‘Don’t fret about being original. Put your effort into being engaging and entertaining. People don’t care that they already know how the story ends. They just want to be involved in the journey. Originality is very over-rated.’
 
A few years ago, I attended a seminar for film script writers at which one of the ‘experts’ told us that there are really only ten story plots. (Or is it 12? I can’t remember.) To support this claim, he then listed a couple of dozen well-known variations on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. ‘And that’s just the tip of the iceberg,’ he said.

‘Don’t fret about being original. Put your effort into being engaging and entertaining. People don’t care that they already know how the story ends. They just want to be involved in the journey. Originality is very over-rated.’
Which returns us to the canonical four or seven or fifteen or thirtyone basic plots of fiction. Writers find that certain formulae work. Boy meets girl; boy fucks girl; girl fucks someone else; tension ensues; boy wins girl, happy ever after (nervously). Within that framework can twist many vines. Tell the story with new faces and places and tentacles.

For an original story, try where nothing happens, but gloriously. Shine it up.
 
I mean the stories are a lot alike.
In both the protagonist is reluctantly going to a Halloween party at their friends urging after recent breakups.

Is that the only thing making the stories similar? If so, I'd say you're worried over nothing.

Even if there's more to it than that, you should write the story. Whenever you have a dilemma between writing or not writing, you should be writing. I wouldn't even bother with the disclaimer up front. (Disclaimers are always, always buzzkills.) Just write.
 
Which returns us to the canonical four or seven or fifteen or thirtyone basic plots of fiction. Writers find that certain formulae work. Boy meets girl; boy fucks girl; girl fucks someone else; tension ensues; boy wins girl, happy ever after (nervously). Within that framework can twist many vines. Tell the story with new faces and places and tentacles.

For an original story, try where nothing happens, but gloriously. Shine it up.

Hey, since most of mine are boy meets/etc. boy, I must have a lock on canonical basic plots sixteen through thirty-two. :D
 
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