For the LW category

[JAFCritic3]

LW has a rather limited amount of variations on the theme of the loving wife. I often wonder where authors find their inspiration to write a new story from.

I recently joined more social media platforms, something I have been loath to do for a long time. Recently I’ve been looking at Reddit. I’m curious if anyone here goes to the various subreddits that are about infidelity, cheating, reconciliation, etc and use those for their own works?

For example, some are telling the story about finding out how they were cheated on, others about suspicions and looking for advice, still more about getting past their betrayal, mistakes, or how to make amends.

So does anyone go to places like this for ideas and is that wrong?

 

[Rob_Royale]

So does anyone go to places like this for ideas and is that wrong?

Dude, take inspiration where you find it. There is no wrong place. If you read someone else's story and wonder, "If they had done it this way, how would the story have ended?" that's fine. Inspired by a sexy movie or reading a first-hand account on Reddit, it's all good. As long as you're not blatantly plagiarizing.

 

[GlennJenko]

If you read someone else's story and wonder, "If they had done it this way, how would the story have ended?" that's fine.

This is how I got my first erotica story idea (my current WIP). Coincidentally, it is also a story that involves cheating.

I remember being really frustrated because the premise was really good, I just didn't think it was executed well or went in the direction I think it should've.

As long as you're not blatantly plagiarizing

But yeah, this is the main thing. I've tried to make my story its own thing and taking nuggets or bits of ideas you've seen elsewhere is a really good way of thinking up your own ideas and letting your thoughts run wild to what you think is hot and erotic.

 

[CuttingEdge]

LW has a rather limited amount of variations on the theme of the loving wife. I often wonder where authors find their inspiration to write a new story from.

I recently joined more social media platforms, something I have been loath to do for a long time. Recently I’ve been looking at Reddit. I’m curious if anyone here goes to the various subreddits that are about infidelity, cheating, reconciliation, etc and use those for their own works?

For example, some are telling the story about finding out how they were cheated on, others about suspicions and looking for advice, still more about getting past their betrayal, mistakes, or how to make amends.

So does anyone go to places like this for ideas and is that wrong?

I believe the saying goes: Take an idea from one author and it is plagiarism, take ideas from many and it is considered research.

But I will expand even further on that. If you really like one author, and yet feel as strongly about plagiarism being as bad as I consider it to be, then every day read a paragraph or two from your favorite author, then without looking at what they wrote, write down that paragraph you read in your own words. In a few weeks time your writing style will be similar to theirs, but yet you will have your own "voice" as it is called in writing. That is the best way to mimic a writer's style without plagiarizing them.

As for why I hate plagiarism so much: one well-known plagerist was Mark Twain who stole a story my Great Great Great Uncle published back in 1909. But Mark Twain plagerized MANY writers unfortunately, and not just my great, great, great Uncle.

 

[Rob_Royale]

I believe the saying goes: Take an idea from one author and it is plagiarism,

I don't agree with this. An idea, is a singular thing, something tiny. Imagine someone reads about the Green Lantern hero in a comic book and thinks, "Hmm... a ring of power." Two weeks later the seeds of Lord of the Rings are germinating in a young man's brain. That's not how it happened by any stretch, but it could have been. Actually, the Hobbit predates the Alan Scott GL by three years. But you see my point.

An idea is a single point of light and it can end up anywhere. But steal a lot of ideas, a character, a plot, a timeline, an ending, and suddenly you'll find yourself needing a lawyer.

Edge, I'm sorry as hell about your GGG Uncle. Which story was it?

 

[alohadave]

I don't agree with this. An idea, is a singular thing, something tiny. Imagine someone reads about the Green Lantern hero in a comic book and thinks, "Hmm... a ring of power." Two weeks later the seeds of Lord of the Rings are germinating in a young man's brain. That's not how it happened by any stretch, but it could have been. Actually, the Hobbit predates the Alan Scott GL by three years. But you see my point.

This is why you frequently see two or three movies with the same basic premise come out within months of each other in Hollywood. Scripts get shopped around and instead of buying it, some will decide to make their own spin on the idea.

 

[Rob_Royale]

This is why you frequently see two or three movies with the same basic premise come out within months of each other in Hollywood. Scripts get shopped around and instead of buying it, some will decide to make their own spin on the idea.

Yes, the plethora of apocalyptical disaster films of the late 90's was the perfect example of that. And there's nothing wrong with it. Take an idea and make it your own. Just be aware that if the idea becomes too popular, someone will eventually make a bad parody of it and ruin everything.

 

[CuttingEdge]

I don't agree with this. An idea, is a singular thing, something tiny. Imagine someone reads about the Green Lantern hero in a comic book and thinks, "Hmm... a ring of power." Two weeks later the seeds of Lord of the Rings are germinating in a young man's brain. That's not how it happened by any stretch, but it could have been. Actually, the Hobbit predates the Alan Scott GL by three years. But you see my point.

An idea is a single point of light and it can end up anywhere. But steal a lot of ideas, a character, a plot, a timeline, an ending, and suddenly you'll find yourself needing a lawyer.

Edge, I'm sorry as hell about your GGG Uncle. Which story was it?

You misunderstood what I was saying, or perhaps I did not word it right.

Taking multiple ideas of the same thing IS plagiarism, but when you take multiple ideas of different people's writings, then it becomes research. A case in point might be in using Stephen Crane's use of color depictions, Frank Norris's use of dialogue, and Mark Twain's unique settings. In totality what you get is a writing style that mimics that of Literary Naturalism which those writers were known for. I chose them because I write in that style, but while my latest novel is about the same setting of floating down the Mississippi River, it is NOT plagiarism because my story of a tugboat meeting with a drillship in the Gulf of Mexico is FAR DIFFERENT than Mark Twain's story of Huck Finn. In that, it is not wrong for me to read Huck Finn and see how Mark Twain described Huck's adventure on the same river, but that is research and not plagiarism.

As for story idea germination, that is what makes us writers and like asking why you married your wife. It is so personal it should not even be asked.

Myself: I never plagiarize because I have a 12 point template that every story of mine follows. Danielle Steele has her template, as well as other writers. Granted, my first novel is nothing like my latest novel in progress, but it follows along the same 12 points. The who, what, when, where and why's all change, making it a unique story.

 

[CuttingEdge]

Back in the early 1900's, a writers bread and butter was not novels but short stories written for newspapers and weekly magazines. Mark Twain was no different. Because he had a problem with alcoholism, he often struggled to meet deadlines and often stole ideas from others. As he gained notoriety, he also realized he could away with more and more. How he did that was reading newspapers from all over the english speaking world.

My great Uncle wrote a autobiography that included some crazy events that happened on the way to the goldfields of California in 1849. That was published in 3 parts in 1909, and in 1912 Mark Twain used the same story for a short story he did. My uncle was hardly alone in being plagiarized by Mark Twain, he did that to many, many people.

It is really sad because the ability to craft a story of significance from nothing, is what makes us the writers that we are. To steal that makes us NOTHING.

 

[CuttingEdge]

Just to clarify, I don't think Mark Twain stole everything he wrote about. I think he had some great novels, and I love his writing style. I just think as he aged, and alcoholism overtook him, he struggled more and more with deadlines and creativity. Ultimately, he caved into plagiarism, but that is how life works. When something like alcoholism consumes a person, it becomes first and foremost in a person's life and destroys what they love.

It is a shame because it clouded an otherwise stellar writing career. In that, as writers we should look at what can happen.

 

[Andreas_Kreuz]

Stealing from many is now called AI.

 

[OnlyHappyEndings]

I've read quite a few of those reddit cheating spouse stories. Pretty sure most of them are fiction. A lot of overlap with LW section here, with the over-the-top revenge fantasies. I especially like the ones where a son observes his mother cheating with one of his friends, or more than one. On reddit you can almost believe it really happened.

 

[Cagivagurl]

LW has a rather limited amount of variations on the theme of the loving wife. I often wonder where authors find their inspiration to write a new story from.

I recently joined more social media platforms, something I have been loath to do for a long time. Recently I’ve been looking at Reddit. I’m curious if anyone here goes to the various subreddits that are about infidelity, cheating, reconciliation, etc and use those for their own works?

For example, some are telling the story about finding out how they were cheated on, others about suspicions and looking for advice, still more about getting past their betrayal, mistakes, or how to make amends.

So does anyone go to places like this for ideas and is that wrong?

I'm sorry but I disagree.
In my opinion, which aligns with the category description. It's not always about cheating. It's about extramarital sexual adventures. It can be consensual. A married couple experimenting with an open marriage.
It can be anything you want it to be.
I feel like the LW category has been misconstrued.
Writers have barely scratched the surface of possibilities.

Cagivagurl

 

[Richard_Hunter]

LW has a rather limited amount of variations on the theme of the loving wife. I often wonder where authors find their inspiration to write a new story from.

I recently joined more social media platforms, something I have been loath to do for a long time. Recently I’ve been looking at Reddit. I’m curious if anyone here goes to the various subreddits that are about infidelity, cheating, reconciliation, etc and use those for their own works?

For example, some are telling the story about finding out how they were cheated on, others about suspicions and looking for advice, still more about getting past their betrayal, mistakes, or how to make amends.

So does anyone go to places like this for ideas and is that wrong?

LW has a rather limited amount of variations on the theme of loving wife because of its readers. There are plenty of stories in there that suitably fit the theme, that fall under that category as arranged by the site admin but the readers hammer ratings and comments, use the 'provide anon. feedback via e-mail' link to sham, ridicule and abuse the author of a story THEY have decided do not fit there.

The actions of the readers lead to some authors to not bother anything new, different or a variation from the 'same-old, same-old' because doing so gets the pitchforks out from the angry lynch-mob that is the LW category readers.