What if your story idea has already been done?

[srebak]

To come right to the point; say that you have an idea for a novel (and/or book series) that you felt was good enough, but then you discover that another book (series) written by a professional published author has a similar if not the exact same premise?

 

[skip.knox]

Write your book. Don't worry about writing your idea because no one has ever written idea. We can only write books. Since your book won't be that other author's book, there's not really much to worry about.

Since the bag no longer holds the cat, would you mind saying what was your idea, as well as the professional author's premise? I'm curious to understand what someone views as being too similar. If you don't really want to go into details, that's fine. I'm merely curious.

 

[pmmg]

It would give me pause. Specially if it was a well known story. But then, dont all romances follow the same template?

I do agree with Skip, to a degree. I think i would try to salvage it a little by considering other directions i might take it. Or…move on to another idea.

 

[Diana Silver]

If you like the idea, don't let it stop you. Maybe you can let it encourage you to find an angle or twist that sets it apart from what's already been done. Or you just ignore the other work completely. By the time you finish the project, it'll have turned into something of your own, anyway.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

Do it any way, like there's a fair amount of literature going back thousands of years, true 'originality' is a mere formality for copyright protection at this point.

One of my sillier ideas probably has a web toon about it, but the way I'm planning on doing it is without the let's just say 'negative' side of it. It's just meant to be a fun / silly story involving something that likely has hundreds of internet comics about it. I'm making it with my own spin by having the (main) characters very self aware of the situation. And bullying my 'villain' by not having the curse work on her, because villains don't get what they want that easily lol (which is also a way of parodying this kind of content) She's not really a villain villain because it isn't that kind of story (bad guys vs good guys etc) but she's the closest thing to a villain the story has, unless you want to argue the curse is a villain because of the chaos that ensues.

And if it's been done before, so what, chances are nobody's done it with your particular take/characters/world. THAT is the originality you need to fuel and harness in your work.

 

[AlexS]

To come right to the point; say that you have an idea for a novel (and/or book series) that you felt was good enough, but then you discover that another book (series) written by a professional published author has a similar if not the exact same premise?

Everything has been done, but it hasn't been done by you.

It comes down to this: do you believe you are a unique individual, with a unique voice and a unique approach?
If so, go ahead and write it. Your way. With your own voice. Put your own stamp on it.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

This. ^^

Like everyone else, I've never had any success in finding an "original" idea. There are none, and that's actually a function of storytelling in a society - not to be original, but to strike cords and find commonality within the group. It's so we can sing the story of what it is like to be human, to be an animal, and just to be.

The only thing any of us brings to the table is us. We are each originals, and that's what makes our work unique.

 

[Karlin]

It depends what you mean by " original idea". Like an idea for a timec travel story. Well, time travel has been written many times. Has anybody had Abraham Lincoln time travel to Tang China ? I doubt it.

Were the mutant teenage ninja turtles an original Idea at the time? I would think so, and somebody had that idea.

 

[skip.knox]

Yes, this is why I asked about what the OP's idea was. I'm interested to hear on what authors (especially new ones) base their judgment of what is original and what is not.

 

[Penpilot]

Many-many years ago, my first book had an ending where the heroes were facing an army of the dead.

After watching a documentary on the Great Wall of China, I got the idea for my third book, which involved a great wall that guarded the known lands from mysterious creatures known as the the Others.

I was in the planning stages of the third book when a friend recommended that I should read this series of books that had just been turned into a TV show called Game of Thrones. After reading a good chunk of the first book, I paused to let out a Captain Kirk like scream reminiscent of the Wrath of Khan when I read it too had a great wall that guarded the known lands from mysterious creatures known as the Others. After I regained my senses, I shrugged and wrote the book anyways.

Are any of my books like Game of Thrones? Other than surface level elements, not even close. Though I claim superiority over GRRM because my stories are actually done.

*Knock-Knock*

Oh, who can that be at the door of my humble dwelling?

*Goes to open door*

Oh, hi George.



You don't seem too happy. What can I... umm... what's that in your hand?

 

[Prince of Spires]

Chances are, your idea has been done before. Almost all of them have. Nothing wrong with that. Just write your idea and call it a day.

One thing to keep in mind is that if I look at my personal writing at least, my stories never end up exactly like I imagine. I think I'll write story X, but along the way, things change, ideas don't work or work differently and I end up with story Y. You can't tell when you start, especially not as a beginning writer.

true 'originality' is a mere formality for copyright protection at this point.

Though I'm not a lawyer, I feel the need to point out that you can't copyright an idea. No matter how specific it is. The only thing you copyright is the specific execution of that idea. So I could write a story about a boy who's parents got killed by an evil wizard and who now lives with his mean uncle and aunt. He finds out at his 11th birthday that he's a wizard and goes to magical boarding school, where he learns that the big evil wizard is trying to return and take over the world by using a magical McGuffin that grants eternal life.

No one can stop my writing and publishing that story. However, what I can't do is call the boy Harry Potter and make him live under the stairs and all that. I can't copy the specifics of the story and call them my own.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

This. ^^

Like everyone else, I've never had any success in finding an "original" idea. There are none, and that's actually a function of storytelling in a society - not to be original, but to strike cords and find commonality within the group. It's so we can sing the story of what it is like to be human, to be an animal, and just to be.

The only thing any of us brings to the table is us. We are each originals, and that's what makes our work unique.

I think 'originality' in our stories is about like a fingerprint, maybe a snowflake.
It's true that we can't be 100% original, but what we bring to the table is what's important. Like the saying goes, the devils in the details.

Though I'm not a lawyer, I feel the need to point out that you can't copyright an idea. No matter how specific it is. The only thing you copyright is the specific execution of that idea. So I could write a story about a boy who's parents got killed by an evil wizard and who now lives with his mean uncle and aunt. He finds out at his 11th birthday that he's a wizard and goes to magical boarding school, where he learns that the big evil wizard is trying to return and take over the world by using a magical McGuffin that grants eternal life.

No one can stop my writing and publishing that story. However, what I can't do is call the boy Harry Potter and make him live under the stairs and all that. I can't copy the specifics of the story and call them my own.

I mean that makes sense, I can write a story about an alien with a monkey tail who's hair turns yellow and he gets stronk when he gets angy and base him off of Sun Wu Kong.

What I CAN'T do is put him in a Orange Karate Gi, give him a magical cloud called Nimbus, and call him Goku. Even if the character is a Parody of Goku. Calling them the actual thing would land me in hot water especially if he fails the squint test.

Believe it or not Nintendo is facing this exact issue with one of their IP's right now. You can read up on it if you're curious, very chaotic mess though.

They're 'attacking' a game called Pal World in literally every way they can to try to shut it down, because of it's glaring similarities to Pokemon.

But none of their arguments stick, because although the similarities are 'there' it doesn't fail the squint test. On top of that just about every 'angle' that Nintendo attacks them (Pal World) with is on a conceptual level. Like The Pokeballs, Nintendo can claim rights if the Device looks like and behaves like a pokeball, and is called that, but if the device is clearly different in many ways. One of those differences is that you can capture humans with it. Which I'm almost certain is a jab at pokemon because Pokeballs don't work on Humans.

 

[Prince of Spires]

What I CAN'T do is put him in a Orange Karate Gi, give him a magical cloud called Nimbus, and call him Goku. Even if the character is a Parody of Goku. Calling them the actual thing would land me in hot water especially if he fails the squint test.

Parodies are sort of their own separate thing in copyright law. They can be fair use, even if they copy a lot of the original. Which is why you can have a book like "Barry Trotter and the Unauthorized Parody".

Though not all parodies are fair use. So if you go that route, do your research.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

Parodies are sort of their own separate thing in copyright law. They can be fair use, even if they copy a lot of the original. Which is why you can have a book like "Barry Trotter and the Unauthorized Parody".

Though not all parodies are fair use. So if you go that route, do your research.

I think the defining thing that makes a parody not fair use is 'how much of the parody resembles the actual thing'
I could probably make a 60% or 70% clone of superman for the sake of parody, but the minute I put the 'superman' S on his skin tight uniform...

 

[pmmg]

Hmmm… i dont wish to pretend to know all things copyright, but the superman S is probably a trademark and not a copyright issue.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

Hmmm… i dont wish to pretend to know all things copyright, but the superman S is probably a trademark and not a copyright issue.

Fair point, still not a risk I'd be willing to take if my parody was that close to the thing I'm parodying ya know?
Plus if I was doing a parody of superman, I'd probably make the 's' logo something to match the parody.
Also yes, the 's' is in quotes because in Superman's Language it's not an S (Confirmed in many canons including the more recent movie)

 

[skip.knox]

If you think your idea is not original enough, then you're probably right. That's *you* being dissatisfied with what you have dreamed up. There's no sense in pursuing a story idea unless you are genuinely excited enough to endure the long slog ahead.

I dislike using second person in these kind of discussions, so I'll switch to me.

If I need to have someone else tell me before I can write that my idea is original, then I'm already on the wrong foot. In fact, I apply the more general rule (freely adapted from an essay by Hemingway), to wit: if I can be deterred or dissuaded from writing, then I'm not a writer. A writer writes, in the same way a painter paints or a musician plays music. There is no option not to. The plot may be clunky, the premise utterly unoriginal, the characters stereotypes, but I'm going to write the story because it's my story and it needs to get written. It's really that heartlessly simple.

 

[KATutin]

Personally, I find there's no such thing as an original idea anymore. Every idea has been done. What makes it original is how you tell it.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

If you think your idea is not original enough, then you're probably right. That's *you* being dissatisfied with what you have dreamed up. There's no sense in pursuing a story idea unless you are genuinely excited enough to endure the long slog ahead.

Hmm, what if one uses that dissatisfaction as fuel to hone/sharpen the idea to be more original/interesting? Some people are like that, I'm personally somewhere in the middleground. But to do that I have to really like the story idea enough to want to hone it to begin with.

I dislike using second person in these kind of discussions, so I'll switch to me.

If I need to have someone else tell me before I can write that my idea is original, then I'm already on the wrong foot. In fact, I apply the more general rule (freely adapted from an essay by Hemingway), to wit: if I can be deterred or dissuaded from writing, then I'm not a writer. A writer writes, in the same way a painter paints or a musician plays music. There is no option not to. The plot may be clunky, the premise utterly unoriginal, the characters stereotypes, but I'm going to write the story because it's my story and it needs to get written. It's really that heartlessly simple.

I like this example, often times we let under-confidence persuade us to ask for confirmation. If the idea isn't intriguing enough for one to write in the moment, jot some notes down and maybe tackle it later when you have more ideas for it and (hopefully) more confidence in it.

 

[pmmg]

I think there is still room for a story to show up that will surprise with its imagination, and uniqueness in the story telling world. Its just hard to imagine something that never been imagined before. But every once in a while...