Finishing stories by others

[supergirlfan]

Anyone have thoughts on:

http://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=1589862&page=submissions

This author is taking it upon himself to finish stories that he deems "abandoned" or just stories that he'd like a different ending to.

I'm not sure if Literotica has a policy on this, but it is something that I feel could prevent people from leaving from leaving their stories posted here.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Anyone have thoughts on:

http://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=1589862&page=submissions

This author is taking it upon himself to finish stories that he deems "abandoned" or just stories that he'd like a different ending to.

I'm not sure if Literotica has a policy on this, but it is something that I feel could prevent people from leaving from leaving their stories posted here.

Plenty of pros wrote Philip Marlowe stories after Raymond Chandler died. Plenty of artists continue comic strips after the creators die.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Hey supergirlfan.

Welcome to the board! It's a lot of fun here although it can sometimes be a rough ride. Don't feed the trolls!


I think the person ought to try and contact the authors first to ask if they are willing to have their stories finished off! I get the impression there are a number of stories which have been abandoned without being finally drawn to a conclusion, and that's a real shame. However some authors are also just slower to produce their next chapter. It could be that a message to an author asking about the ending will make them feel their writing is appreciated and that they ought to get the next chapter out.

 

[supergirlfan]

Yes

Plenty of pros wrote Philip Marlowe stories after Raymond Chandler died. Plenty of artists continue comic strips after the creators die.

Yes, with permission, not just because they deemed it incomplete.

 

[damppanties]

The guy does have a very substantial bio in which he explains which stories he considers abandoned (not added to in 3+ years). He also says that he will take the story down if the original author doesn't like it. He says he tried contacting the original authors. So ... *shrug* I guess he can go ahead and write endings if he's gone to all those measures.

Now, in terms of stealing or such, it's not quite the case because he's making up entirely new stories, even if as a continuation. Legally, not sure where it stands though.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Yes, with permission, not just because they deemed it incomplete.

No. People do parodies and sequels all the time. I mean, strictly speaking theyre new creations. I think you confuse trademark with copyright.

 

[NaokoSmith]

The guy does have a very substantial bio in which he explains which stories he considers abandoned (not added to in 3+ years). He also says that he will take the story down if the original author doesn't like it. He says he tried contacting the original authors. So ... *shrug* I guess he can go ahead and write endings if he's gone to all those measures.

Now, in terms of stealing or such, it's not quite the case because he's making up entirely new stories, even if as a continuation. Legally, not sure where it stands though.

There - see how good you are at research? I was so lazy I never even bothered to go and look. (*yawn*, pass the Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque, will you?)

Fanfiction is legal, as long as you are not making money from it. And what this guy is doing is sort of similar.

In fact if he asked around and did his best, I think he is doing a good thing because it must be frustrating to readers when - sometimes probably owing to very understandable life situations - authors end up leaving a story unfinished.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

No. People do parodies and sequels all the time. I mean, strictly speaking theyre new creations. I think you confuse trademark with copyright.

No. The rights are owned by the author, his estate (if dead), or anyone to whom he sold a license. A sequel is a "derivative work" the rights to which are retained by the copyright owner. Any sequel can only be published by the owner of the rights at the time of publication.

Parodies are different. Parody is generally considered "fair use", and does not violate copyright. That may not last much longer, however.

 

[robertreams]

Are these unfinished stries that have been accepted on Lit.?

If these stories are published as his/hers it is called plagiarism.

If the circumstances, names, locations remain the same, this is called plagiarism.

However, he/she says they have permission, if that is true, what right have we to say aught?

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Are these unfinished stries that have been accepted on Lit.?

If these stories are published as his/hers it is called plagiarism.

If the circumstances, names, locations remain the same, this is called plagiarism.

However, he/she says they have permission, if that is true, what right have we to say aught?

Huh? A new story, with characters of the same name as the old is not, repeat not, plagiarism. There is no copyright of names. You can trademark a name, but not copyright it. John Smith is just a name. Ironman is a trademark.

And he can finish any of mine he thinks are unfinished, except that I did finish them and publish them at Smashwords. But, if he wants to put a different spin on them, more power to him.

 

[BSSHD]

Fanfiction is a pretty big grey area. It is technically illegal to use the same names and "universe" of another writer without permission but often this is not enforced if no money is being made and, as Fifty Shades has taught us, even that is okay if you slap some different names on it.

But either way I think it's safe to say most Lit authors don't have the money to hire lawyers to chase up fanfic writers in the first place.

Personally I would consider it an honour if someone actually wanted to take it upon themselves to continue a story I wrote.

 

[SecondCircle]

As far as it's concerned here at Lit, I don't see a big problem with it. No one is making any money off the stories here, and besides the guy is attempting to acquire permission first. The stories he's pursuing are years old and dormant, by authors who have been inactive for a long time, at least several years.

The only bad thing I could see coming from this, is if someone doing this got carried away. I mean this is a big thing to trust someone to do. What's to keep someone from taking off with stories that aren't dormant? I mean a lot of you are saying "no sequels and parodies are okay, you can't copyright names, etc." So what happens when someone actually writes a story that is obviously your brainchild?

Yeah, yeah, report him Lit will interfere at that point, copyright your story, blah blah. I would just wish that hassle on no person.

 

[PennLady]

The guy does have a very substantial bio in which he explains which stories he considers abandoned (not added to in 3+ years). He also says that he will take the story down if the original author doesn't like it. He says he tried contacting the original authors. So ... *shrug* I guess he can go ahead and write endings if he's gone to all those measures.

Now, in terms of stealing or such, it's not quite the case because he's making up entirely new stories, even if as a continuation. Legally, not sure where it stands though.

Legally I doubt there's much the original author (OA) could do in any case, unless he has formal copyright. Even then, the fact that he put the stuff out there for free would likely not work in his favor. I doubt this would be worth anyone's time in going to court, for example.

He is stealing, to a degree -- even if he is finishing the story, and those ideas are his original work, he is still using characters, settings and plots that someone else invented. You could term it fanfiction, and I realize the legal area there is fuzzy, but that doesn't make it less stealing.

As far as it's concerned here at Lit, I don't see a big problem with it. No one is making any money off the stories here, and besides the guy is attempting to acquire permission first. The stories he's pursuing are years old and dormant, by authors who have been inactive for a long time, at least several years.

No, I don't think Manu or Laurel would care, this is true. Or probably most readers. It's good that he's attempted to acquire permission, that's at least a plus for effort.

The only bad thing I could see coming from this, is if someone doing this got carried away. I mean this is a big thing to trust someone to do. What's to keep someone from taking off with stories that aren't dormant? I mean a lot of you are saying "no sequels and parodies are okay, you can't copyright names, etc." So what happens when someone actually writes a story that is obviously your brainchild?

Well, the same thing that would happen with the dormant stories, which is to say, not much. Very few of us here have filed for formal copyright, I'm sure, so you don't have much to fall back on except, "Hey, I wrote that first! You can't do that!"

Your only real protection against something like this is to file for formal copyright, publish via a publisher (or maybe self-publishing) and not to a free site.

Now I tend to think that if someone hasn't finished or added to a story in two or three years, then they probably don't care about it anymore. Maybe they've even forgotten. So no one will really care.

 

[RoyceConnors]

As far as t goes, all stories published here are owned by the author and are copyrighted. Doing a parody or FanFic is okay, as long as it goes in the Celeb category. If the writer gets written permission from the original author, he is free and clear to write what he wants then.
Doing it without consent could result in the story being pulled if complaints are made. If I don't finish a story, it's my business, not his. I created the story and characters, as well as the storyline, making it my property. I would be opposed to anyone trying to finish a story I started, no matter how long it sat idle.

 

[PennLady]

As far as t goes, all stories published here are owned by the author and are copyrighted.

This is true, but as has been debated in other threads, that won't get you too far in any kind of court case or anything, not that I think anyone here would go to those lengths. It just isn't worth the effort. If you don't have formal copyright - filed with the gov't - then you just won't get far.

I agree that I'd prefer no one else finished my story -- because then it's not my story -- but I'd also say the best defense against that is to finish a story, or not post it until it's finished so you can post all the parts.

 

[SecondCircle]

As far as t goes, all stories published here are owned by the author and are copyrighted. Doing a parody or FanFic is okay, as long as it goes in the Celeb category. If the writer gets written permission from the original author, he is free and clear to write what he wants then.
Doing it without consent could result in the story being pulled if complaints are made. If I don't finish a story, it's my business, not his. I created the story and characters, as well as the storyline, making it my property. I would be opposed to anyone trying to finish a story I started, no matter how long it sat idle.

I would be opposed to it as well. No matter what happens with my story, it's still my story. I wouldn't mind giving someone permission if they were enthusiastic about it, I mean I wouldn't be a douche about it. But honestly, my creations are mine. Every writer has his or her own flavor, and this flavor is why the readers read a particular author's work. Mix the flavors too much and you have something that tastes entirely different.

I guess that's the reason I wouldn't approve of it. My works are mine, my failures are mine, and my successes are mine. For the purposes of Lit and its readers, this ain't a bad idea, or not a huge deal anyway. It'd be the equivalent of finishing a picture someone had drawn on a wall in some alley. (Not to say Lit is just some alley, but I don't think authors that have been MIA for several years are gonna raise a fuss.)

 

[sr71plt]

I doubt that P.D. James got anyone's permission to continue Pride and Prejudice by writing Death Comes to Pemberley. There's a literary tradition backing that up.

I don't see that as in the same realm as continuing a Literotica story that someone has abandoned. I see that as parasitic and sleazy. But that's just me. I don't really care what the legal ramifications of doing so are.

 

[RoyceConnors]

I don't see that as in the same realm as continuing a Literotica story that someone has abandoned. I see that as parasitic and sleazy. But that's just me. I don't really care what the legal ramifications of doing so are.[/QUOTE]

That, I totally agree with. Write your own story and do what you want with it. Leave mine alone. People complain about writer's block all the time and maybe it stalls for 3 years or more, who cares, it's still my story. Someone takes it upon themselves to finish it and what an I supposed to do as the author, if I want to finish it differently?

Laws and courts aside, I'd have Laurel remove it and do what I want with my story. It would be akin to me parking my bike for 3 years and somebody takes it and rides it because it's just been sitting there all that time.

 

[damppanties]

That, I totally agree with. Write your own story and do what you want with it. Leave mine alone. People complain about writer's block all the time and maybe it stalls for 3 years or more, who cares, it's still my story. Someone takes it upon themselves to finish it and what an I supposed to do as the author, if I want to finish it differently?

Laws and courts aside, I'd have Laurel remove it and do what I want with my story. It would be akin to me parking my bike for 3 years and somebody takes it and rides it because it's just been sitting there all that time.

No, it wouldn't. It would be more like someone building a sidecar to your bike. Your story is your story. No one is taking that.

In answer to, "Someone takes it upon themselves to finish it and what an I supposed to do as the author, if I want to finish it differently?" - Do it. No one's stopping you.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

I doubt that P.D. James got anyone's permission to continue Pride and Prejudice by writing Death Comes to Pemberley. There's a literary tradition backing that up.

That's because the copyright had expired almost 200 years earlier. Copyright protection is not open-ended.

 

[SecondCircle]

Either way, the profile is created. The dude is doing it, so those that love the idea will be overjoyed, and those that hate it will... like... probably just ignore it or report a story or something.

I don't really agree with it totally, but as long as he's being a bit tactful about it and not just blatantly jumping on people's stories and riding off into the sunset with them when they don't want him too, I don't guess its too big a deal.

You know what would suck? Finding a long lost story of yours and saying "Hey! Someone wrote and ending to this!"

Then reading it and finding that its better than what you wrote to begin with. Self mutilation ensues....

 

[sr71plt]

That's because the copyright had expired almost 200 years earlier. Copyright protection is not open-ended.

The whole discussion of using plotlines and characters in relationship to copyright is off, I think. Copyright is about word passages, not characters and plotlines. Trademark is about characters and plotlines--and there's very little that is trademarked.

Beyond that, as PennLady noted, it's pretty much "so what?" in Literotica terms on talking copyright at all on this issue. You have no leverage on copyright in the states (where this Web site is registered) without holding a formal copyright, and I snort at the suggestion that Literotica writers are filing for formal copyright. So, as far as I'm concerned, bringing copyright into this discussion is irrelevant.

I'll stick with what makes me think is sleazy practice.

 

[FinishTheDamnStory]

Hi, it's me.

Interesting thread.


Yes, I'm the guy writing the continuation stories, and has been rightly pointed out, I have a process for picking them out.

1. Abandoned for 3 years
2. No writer activity for 2 years
3. Repeated failed attempts to contact the author
4. Worthwhile to finish (IMHO)

Any author who has an issue with their story only has to contact me and I will remove it.

I have gotten through to a couple of 'abandoned' story authors, and in both cases I was given permission. Oddly enough, I've also been contacted by a couple of authors who asked me if I'd consider writing sequels for their work. I'm working on one of them.


In addition to the rules specified above, I may go ahead and contact an active author, and ask permission to work with their material. I have done this successfully twice already, and stories by those authors will be going up soon. Goldeniangel was the first to agree. She was very gracious. I specified the two stories I was interesting in writing a sequel to. She approved, and asked that I contact her with any others, since there were several that she wanted to continue herself.

I also will continue stories that are open invitations to do so. Like the hansbwl story that went up today. In his case, I contacted him anyway, because I know he's not a fan of my work, and wouldn't want to do anything with his characters that he was unhappy with. He did give me his permission, suggested I read some of the other continuations of his story (h20wader, Ohio), which I did.


I'm hardly the first on the site to continue a story. I think I may be the first one to blatantly come out and say it's my intention, although I've seen several authors whose work is mainly continuation.

Interestingly, the feedback has been overwhelming, the vast majority of it positive. I've had about 40 stories suggested so far for continuation. Sadly, some of these are probably beyond my capability to advance the story well, such as Sophia by CastleStone, which begs continuation, but I don't think my skills are up to it, in order to do it justice. About half the suggestions don't meet my requirement for continuing. An example would be Fighting For Broken Trust, by FinalStand. I have had multiple requests for this story, but it's only a year old, and the author is very active. Not going to touch that one with a 10' pole. Maybe 20% of all requests are to continue Just Plain Bob stories.

My favorites list contains many of the stories I've written sequels to, or am considering.


I'm aware this is a gray area. I'm walking a tightrope, trying to do right by the authors, and providing something the readers have begged for. I'm happy to answer any questions on the subject.

 

[sr71plt]

Any author who has an issue with their story only has to contact me and I will remove it.

That's not the way it works, chum. It's your job to get the permissions unless you just want to be sleazy and parasitic.

What? No imagination of your own?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Interesting thread.


Yes, I'm the guy writing the continuation stories, and has been rightly pointed out, I have a process for picking them out.

1. Abandoned for 3 years
2. No writer activity for 2 years
3. Repeated failed attempts to contact the author
4. Worthwhile to finish (IMHO)

Any author who has an issue with their story only has to contact me and I will remove it.

I have gotten through to a couple of 'abandoned' story authors, and in both cases I was given permission. Oddly enough, I've also been contacted by a couple of authors who asked me if I'd consider writing sequels for their work. I'm working on one of them.


In addition to the rules specified above, I may go ahead and contact an active author, and ask permission to work with their material. I have done this successfully twice already, and stories by those authors will be going up soon. Goldeniangel was the first to agree. She was very gracious. I specified the two stories I was interesting in writing a sequel to. She approved, and asked that I contact her with any others, since there were several that she wanted to continue herself.

I also will continue stories that are open invitations to do so. Like the hansbwl story that went up today. In his case, I contacted him anyway, because I know he's not a fan of my work, and wouldn't want to do anything with his characters that he was unhappy with. He did give me his permission, suggested I read some of the other continuations of his story (h20wader, Ohio), which I did.


I'm hardly the first on the site to continue a story. I think I may be the first one to blatantly come out and say it's my intention, although I've seen several authors whose work is mainly continuation.

Interestingly, the feedback has been overwhelming, the vast majority of it positive. I've had about 40 stories suggested so far for continuation. Sadly, some of these are probably beyond my capability to advance the story well, such as Sophia by CastleStone, which begs continuation, but I don't think my skills are up to it, in order to do it justice. About half the suggestions don't meet my requirement for continuing. An example would be Fighting For Broken Trust, by FinalStand. I have had multiple requests for this story, but it's only a year old, and the author is very active. Not going to touch that one with a 10' pole. Maybe 20% of all requests are to continue Just Plain Bob stories.

My favorites list contains many of the stories I've written sequels to, or am considering.


I'm aware this is a gray area. I'm walking a tightrope, trying to do right by the authors, and providing something the readers have begged for. I'm happy to answer any questions on the subject.

Around here if someone gets a good idea first, theyre evil, and a hater, and prolly watch FOX.