Ethics of Jumping Into an Existing Story?

[lawndarts]

There is a series here that I enjoy quite a bit; the author hasn't written a new chapter in over five months now, and nothing at all since December. What I would like to do is to post the existing chapters in an edited form, incorporating some of my own ideas into the existing framework, then add new chapters to the story.

Is this acceptable? In no way am I intending to pass off the original author's work as my own. I reached out to the author around a month ago but haven't received a reply.

It's a great premise the author built and I'd like to play in that world.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Five months is nothing. Keep trying.
And no it would not be acceptable, without permission. The writer owns the copyright of his work. Legally you cannot use any of it.

 

[ElectricBlue]

There is a series here that I enjoy quite a bit; the author hasn't written a new chapter in over five months now, and nothing at all since December. What I would like to do is to post the existing chapters in an edited form, incorporating some of my own ideas into the existing framework, then add new chapters to the story.

Is this acceptable? In no way am I intending to pass off the original author's work as my own. I reached out to the author around a month ago but haven't received a reply.

It's a great premise the author built and I'd like to play in that world.

Not without explicit permission from the author. Without that, don't even think about doing what you describe - which is very presumptuous anyway.

There's nothing to stop you writing your own characters and storylines in the world, like a fan-fic, but don't use the other writer's content.

 

[lawndarts]

Not without explicit permission from the author. Without that, don't even think about doing what you describe - which is very presumptuous anyway.

There's nothing to stop you writing your own characters and storylines in the world, like a fan-fic, but don't use the other writer's content.

So, in your opinion, it would be okay to write a chapter four? (there are three existing chapters as of right now)

 

[KeithD]

This question pops up monthly. No, it's not acceptable to do anything with another author's work without permission, even if you've tried to get that and have failed. Use another's stories for inspiration, but from there do your own work unless to can get direct permission from the original author to give the existing story any treatment of your own.

This comes up monthly. Monthly the answer is no.

 

[RelentlessOnanism]

Someone asked me recently if they could 'pick up' a story of mine and write a sequel. I'm afraid I told them to sod off.

 

[ElectricBlue]

So, in your opinion, it would be okay to write a chapter four? (there are three existing chapters as of right now)

No, I'm not saying write a chapter four. I'm saying write your own story, new characters, a new storyline, but set it in the other writer's world, if you must. But don't use any of the other writer's content, not one word of it. You can use an idea, but to take someone else's characters and story line without their permission is theft. Don't do that. Be inspired by the other story, but don't steal it.

 

[orangecurious]

I started a series in 2005 and it 'ended' in 2006.... then I wrote the real conclusion a few months ago and I am writing stand alone episodes about the characters from the 'lost' years, so five months is nothing.

Unless the original author says it's ok, then leave it.

 

[AlinaX]

It might be nice if there was a checkbox or two on the submission page that let authors opt in to allowing derivative works.
◉ No derivative works allowed without permission of the author.
◎ CC BY-NC-SA: Derivative works are permitted provided they are non-commercial, this source is acknowledged and they are made available under the same terms.

 

[ElectricBlue]

It might be nice if there was a checkbox or two on the submission page that let authors opt in to allowing derivative works.
◉ No derivative works allowed without permission of the author.
◎ CC BY-NC-SA: Derivative works are permitted provided they are non-commercial, this source is acknowledged and they are made available under the same terms.

That's not a bad idea - @Manu to consider?

 

[SensualFan]

I understand your situation. I read, and reread several times, a series here that I loved. I contacted the author and we exchanged a couple of emails. I told him I hoped he would write more. After about a year of no followup, I tried to contact him again asking if I could take a couple of his characters and answer the questions I had from his stories. I offered to write a story and send it to him to use, alter or discard. I heard nothing back. I even wrote the beginnings of a story in case he said yes. I never once considered pubishing without his permission, though it was frustrating. I had my ideas of where that story should go.

Finally, late last year, I tried to write a story of my of own. Same genre. Different spin. I credited the author with inspring my story and urged people to read his stories. The feedback to my story was overwhelmingly positive. A couple of people commented and compared the two story lines, mine and his. Some liked mine better. Some his. My point is that he inspired me to write. I did not try to copy his style, nor try to disguise his characters for my own. I owe him a major debt of gratitude for opening my creative mind and having the courage to post here. I have my story to tell. He has his. Both coexist.

I am proud that I was able to produce something original that some people enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writiing. The reader response is still beyond the hopes I had. My advice. Don’t wait for someone else to write your story. Don’t try to write someone else’s story. Just as I commented wanting to know more about his characters and their story, I get comments from readers asking me for more. Some want a specific thread to be expanded. I have received good ideas I may or may not pursue. I would be horrified if someone else took the World I have created and the people I have created and have gotten to know and love and took them to places I would not. I suspect other authors have a similar personal relationship with their stories and characters. Go your own way. You will appreciate those who have inspired you and you will feel good about yourself, especially if it turns out that you have a story of your own to tell that people enjoy. Good stories inspire good stories. I encourage you to find and write yours.

 

[AchtungNight]

If you ask my prior permission and I like your work, I might gladly make it canon with my fictional universe. If you don’t ask, no dice.

 

[VerbalAbuse]

thing is, this is how stories spread. People retelling stories they've heard, always adding something of their own and leaving out something from the original. Not just stories, but any form of art: songs, images, 3d shapes.
Good stories was retold and retold, and spread and spread, and after a while there were hundreds of versions of the same story circulating in just one country -- European small country, not a continental size one.

 

[Whanmore]

There is a series here that I enjoy quite a bit; the author hasn't written a new chapter in over five months now, and nothing at all since December.

You not talking about me now are ya?

 

[gunhilltrain]

No, I'm not saying write a chapter four. I'm saying write your own story, new characters, a new storyline, but set it in the other writer's world, if you must. But don't use any of the other writer's content, not one word of it. You can use an idea, but to take someone else's characters and story line without their permission is theft. Don't do that. Be inspired by the other story, but don't steal it.

As an example, you can write a story about City College in the 1970's even you are only twenty-three years old and live in Thailand. Arguably if would be best if you researched how it looked, but I couldn't prove if you used my descriptions or not. (I probably could tell anyway.) But if you asked for permission to use my characters or plots, even if you changed the names, I would say no. I'm not a mean guy, but I suspect anybody else would make a mess of it. If you looked at something like this, than that is online for anybody to see:

https://www.planetminecraft.com/project/the-city-college-of-new-york-1952/

 

[AndersonsBiographer]

Five months is nothing. Keep trying.

I recently stumbled upon a 12 year-old "abandoned" series that recently had new additions added to it.

Yeah, on a website that dates back to the 90's, five years isn't even all that much time.

 

[Cagivagurl]

There is a series here that I enjoy quite a bit; the author hasn't written a new chapter in over five months now, and nothing at all since December. What I would like to do is to post the existing chapters in an edited form, incorporating some of my own ideas into the existing framework, then add new chapters to the story.

Is this acceptable? In no way am I intending to pass off the original author's work as my own. I reached out to the author around a month ago but haven't received a reply.

It's a great premise the author built and I'd like to play in that world.

In no way is it ever acceptable....
The story is the absolute property of the original writer...,.
No response to your inquiry is not granting permission....
Unless the writer grants you permission. The answer is NO!!!!!!!

Cagivagurl

 

[MediocreAuthor]

There is a series here that I enjoy quite a bit; the author hasn't written a new chapter in over five months now, and nothing at all since December. What I would like to do is to post the existing chapters in an edited form, incorporating some of my own ideas into the existing framework, then add new chapters to the story.

Is this acceptable? In no way am I intending to pass off the original author's work as my own. I reached out to the author around a month ago but haven't received a reply.

It's a great premise the author built and I'd like to play in that world.

For some reason, a lot of independent authors lose their fucking minds at the idea that someone might write a fanfiction based on one of their works without their permission.

Honestly, I don't understand it... But the facts stand that:

1) You can't rewrite someone else's work and claim it as yours; that's plagiarism.
2) If you take an existing work, acknowledge that you're writing an unofficial sequel without permission, a large portion of that AH will act like you committed cold blooded murder. It's insane.

We all agree that it's impolite (at the very least) to write with someone else's characters without their consent.

So don't do it. Or, if you do, don't publish it.

 

[MediocreAuthor]

Someone asked me recently if they could 'pick up' a story of mine and write a sequel. I'm afraid I told them to sod off.

Out of curiosity, I looked up your bibliography, and was surprised to see that your profile picture is a copyrighted image of Batman's symbol

Doesn't that seem a bit hypocritical?

You borrow copyrighted stuff but tell people to sod off when they ask you to borrow yours?

 

[RelentlessOnanism]

Out of curiosity, I looked up your bibliography, and was surprised to see that your profile picture is a copyrighted image of Batman's symbol

Doesn't that seem a bit hypocritical?

You borrow copyrighted stuff but tell people to sod off when they ask you to borrow yours?

It's an interesting question, but I don't think it holds much water. There's a world of difference between using a single image that's available almost everywhere, that's owned by a huge corporate behemoth, and trying to use the existing work of an amateur writer, who has comparatively hardly any followers on a fairly marginal erotic fiction website.

And I didn't actually say sod off; I was far more polite than that.

 

[MediocreAuthor]

It's an interesting question, but I don't think it holds much water. There's a world of difference between using a single image that's available almost everywhere, that's owned by a huge corporate behemoth, and trying to use the existing work of an amateur writer, who has comparatively hardly any followers on a fairly marginal erotic fiction website.

And I didn't actually say sod off; I was far more polite than that.

Several people I've had this discussion with have drawn that same conclusion, saying that fan fiction is fine for large, popular intellectual properties but not for small independent works. I totally disagree.

Now, for the record, I was mostly teasing about the Batman emblem. I don't see any problem with what you've done, and I agree it was perfectly fine for you to tell a writer "No." when they asked to use your story.

But I've heard people in the AH claim that if you want to write a conclusion to a 20 year old dead story, and the author is nonresponsive, you should still abstain, and I think that's lunacy

(PS: I'm glad you didn't tell them to sod off. I really thought that anger in that situation was quite strange )