Habits

[Anton25]

Wondering about your habits, authors... if you have an idea for a story, do you check before you write it? Someone might have the idea before you?
One other thing, do you read other stories on L, while you are writing? Or are you focusses entirely on your story?

 

[Elayne_Hawke]

Been working on a story for a while, but I never started submitting it until recently. And I definitely doubt anyone's written a story like mine lol.

I occasionally read other stories, just so I don't burn myself out. I've even started writing another but it's a modern day one.

 

[lovecraft68]

If you have an idea, odds are someone has had a very similar idea. If people only wrote what's never been written there'd be a lot less material here and everywhere else. Trick is to use your style and spin to make it your version of the idea.

I don't read anything while I'm writing, won't even watch TV because I don't want anything in my head except my own words and visions.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

My ideas, and thus the stories that they spawn are all unique, so I never check to see if there is something similar in existence.

One can't avoid certain similarities in the story arc when writing about human emotions, relationships, and life. But, these are inconsequential to the uniqueness of most literature. Rags to riches, enemies to lovers, betrayal by a spouse... you name it and its been done. It shouldn't hinder or discourage new takes on established arcs.

 

[StillStunned]

Every tale has already been told, but each story is unique.

 

[Trionyx]

With over half a million stories here, you can bet the general theme has already been published. Be forewarned that someone will have read it and chide you for publishing an old idea.

 

[AchtungNight]

I read and enjoy a lot of stories here, writing or not. All my stories are my original ideas, even the fanfics.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Wondering about your habits, authors... if you have an idea for a story, do you check before you write it? Someone might have the idea before you?
One other thing, do you read other stories on L, while you are writing? Or are you focusses entirely on your story?

As with others, I don’t check. I have gone and checked if there is a story with the same title, but that’s just to spoof the likely URL.

Even if my idea is not original, what I write will be. I do alpha and beta reading while writing, it helps my sub conscious to think about other stuff. But I seldom read published works while writing, unless I am totally stuck and need a break.

Emily

 

[SimonDoom]

I don't worry about whether someone's written a story with a similar idea. Ideas in fiction are not proprietary. You're perfectly free to take the ideas of others and turn them into your own unique story. I feel confident that my particular spin on an idea will be original enough that I can justifiably call the story my own.

I will sometimes check whether someone has used the same title. I prefer not to entirely duplicate another's title, although it happens quite often here. Story titles also are not proprietary.

 

[KeithD]

I rarely read a story here, so nothing I write is playing off any story here. What can happen, though, is that some event played in public might inspire others as well as me to write similarly grounded stories.

 

[Anton25]

With over half a million stories here, you can bet the general theme has already been published. Be forewarned that someone will have read it and chide you for publishing an old idea.

So….one story has a one in half a million chance to be read..?!

 

[BobbyBrandt]

With over half a million stories here, you can bet the general theme has already been published. Be forewarned that someone will have read it and chide you for publishing an old idea.

Admittedly, I don't read as much here as others, but I have never seen a comment on any story stating anything along the lines of what you mentioned.

 

[StillStunned]

So….one story has a one in half a million chance to be read..?!

That depends on the category. In SF/F, it sometimes feels like one in half a million.

 

[Anton25]

Wow.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

if you have an idea for a story, do you check before you write it? Someone might have the idea before you?

Haha, I explicitly steal other people's ideas. Half my 750s were rewrites of other stories where I liked the basic concept but disagreed with some detail of the execution.

 

[SimonDoom]

So….one story has a one in half a million chance to be read..?!

No, it doesn't work like that, since readers read more than one story and there are far more than a half million readers. All stories get at least some reads. Some stories get millions of views.

 

[alohadave]

So….one story has a one in half a million chance to be read..?!

Not at all. It's competing against the other submissions on the new list for whatever category for the first week.

Readers will see stories there first unless they are specifically searching for something.

 

[Anton25]

Not at all. It's competing against the other submissions on the new list for whatever category for the first week.

Readers will see stories there first unless they are specifically searching for something.

Fascinating

 

[Anton25]

Not at all. It's competing against the other submissions on the new list for whatever category for the first week.

Readers will see stories there first unless they are specifically searching for something.

Oh well!

 

[MillieDynamite]

When I write, my reading is usually only research. I wouldn't read another writer's take on a genre or subgenre while I am writing. The only exception to that would be if I'm mimicking some other writer's style. Before I wrote The Case of the Richman's Wife, I read stories by Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Walter Mosley, and, of course, Mickey Spillane.

 

[intim8]

do you check before you write it? Someone might have the idea before you?

Ideas count for nothing. Zero, zip, nada. How your write them is what counts.

Abstract an idea far enough, and every witing idea is: somebody overcomes obstacles and conflicts.

Idea: couple goes on a nudist cruise. I bet there's dozens of those on here. But who are the couple? What are their issues? How do they handle the nudity? Do they have sex in public? With other people? Why, and what are the consequences?

Your answers to those questions are all but guaranteed to be unique.

 

[StillStunned]

Idea: couple goes on a nudist cruise. I bet there's dozens of those on here. But who are the couple? What are their issues? How do they handle the nudity? Do they have sex in public? With other people? Why, and what are the consequences?

More importantly: how silly do they look during the mandatory lifeboat drill, when everyone has to stand around for 20 minutes with their life jacket on? I mean, yes, opportunities for some hanky-panky, but who'd want to with someone swaddled in a giant orange vest?

 

[intim8]

Every tale has already been told, but each story is unique.

I'm going to steal that.

 

[intim8]

More importantly: how silly do they look during the mandatory lifeboat drill

I've never been on a cruise, so I wouldn't know to include that scene. Too bad, I can see ways to make it... interesting.

 

[Trionyx]

Admittedly, I don't read as much here as others, but I have never seen a comment on any story stating anything along the lines of what you mentioned.

On one of my recent stories:

“Is this a repost? I’m sure that I have read almost the exact same story before”

So it does happen. BTW, I had thought up the theme on my own but apparently someone else had published a similar story previously.