Comments on: Hers or Mine? http://writerunboxed.com/2007/04/26/hers-or-mine/ About the craft and business of genre fiction Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:33:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: cherilyn http://writerunboxed.com/2007/04/26/hers-or-mine/#comment-63404 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:52:25 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2007/04/26/hers-or-mine/#comment-63404 As a reader, coming across scenes recognized from other stories isn't disappointing unless the "new" one doesn't live up to the expectation of the "original." I'd probably flee madly from anything I wrote that had any hint of Dunnett: She was too good at what she did. I did come across an author that lifted the midnight feast straight from Mary Stewart's Nine Coaches Waiting within, I swear, the first chapter of the book when the characters knew nothing of each other. It did not live up to expectation, and I lost patience with the story before it even really began. Result: Book in trash, not even donated to local book sale. As a reader, coming across scenes recognized from other stories isn’t disappointing unless the “new” one doesn’t live up to the expectation of the “original.” I’d probably flee madly from anything I wrote that had any hint of Dunnett: She was too good at what she did.

I did come across an author that lifted the midnight feast straight from Mary Stewart’s Nine Coaches Waiting within, I swear, the first chapter of the book when the characters knew nothing of each other. It did not live up to expectation, and I lost patience with the story before it even really began. Result: Book in trash, not even donated to local book sale.

]]> by: Satima Flavell http://writerunboxed.com/2007/04/26/hers-or-mine/#comment-9885 Thu, 03 May 2007 09:14:42 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2007/04/26/hers-or-mine/#comment-9885 Nothing new under any sun, eh? But I'm almost ashamed to admit that I haven't been able to get into Dunnett's work. Why? I simply don't like her MC. He's an anti-hero par excellence, but me, I like the regular good-guy variety:-) Nothing new under any sun, eh? But I’m almost ashamed to admit that I haven’t been able to get into Dunnett’s work. Why? I simply don’t like her MC. He’s an anti-hero par excellence, but me, I like the regular good-guy variety:-)

]]> by: Juliet http://writerunboxed.com/2007/04/26/hers-or-mine/#comment-9348 Sat, 28 Apr 2007 03:14:01 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2007/04/26/hers-or-mine/#comment-9348 I guess there's a difference between plagiarism (as in, writing almost exactly what someone else wrote) and borrowing a general idea from someone else's work, which is what I found myself doing. Legally, I could have got away with the scene in question, though readers who knew Dunnett would have been unimpressed. But I would have felt bad about it. It's a murky area, I reckon - how close is too close? I think most of us have an inbuilt detection system for these things, so the scene or passage will niggle away at us until we remember its origins. I've generally found it hard to believe writers who are caught lifting whole passages from someone else's work and who use the defence it was completely unconscious. 'I have a photographic memory.' Yeah, right. Can we really say anything is original? I guess not - we can only draw on our own experience as the raw material of our writing, and human experience has been going on for a long time ... However each writer is unique and has a unique way of telling her story, so in that sense the old becomes new. I reckon. I guess there’s a difference between plagiarism (as in, writing almost exactly what someone else wrote) and borrowing a general idea from someone else’s work, which is what I found myself doing. Legally, I could have got away with the scene in question, though readers who knew Dunnett would have been unimpressed. But I would have felt bad about it.

It’s a murky area, I reckon - how close is too close? I think most of us have an inbuilt detection system for these things, so the scene or passage will niggle away at us until we remember its origins. I’ve generally found it hard to believe writers who are caught lifting whole passages from someone else’s work and who use the defence it was completely unconscious. ‘I have a photographic memory.’ Yeah, right.

Can we really say anything is original? I guess not - we can only draw on our own experience as the raw material of our writing, and human experience has been going on for a long time … However each writer is unique and has a unique way of telling her story, so in that sense the old becomes new. I reckon.

]]> by: Nienke http://writerunboxed.com/2007/04/26/hers-or-mine/#comment-9297 Fri, 27 Apr 2007 14:35:03 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2007/04/26/hers-or-mine/#comment-9297 This frightens me. What if we never catch it? Can we really say anything is original? This (plagiarism) is something that comes up fairly frequently in the news. This frightens me. What if we never catch it? Can we really say anything is original?
This (plagiarism) is something that comes up fairly frequently in the news.

]]> by: thea http://writerunboxed.com/2007/04/26/hers-or-mine/#comment-9204 Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:50:48 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2007/04/26/hers-or-mine/#comment-9204 an excellent reminder - esp. in the romance genre where many tales are oft repeated, much to the reader's dismay an excellent reminder - esp. in the romance genre where many tales are oft repeated, much to the reader’s dismay

]]> by: Therese Walsh http://writerunboxed.com/2007/04/26/hers-or-mine/#comment-9200 Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:11:55 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2007/04/26/hers-or-mine/#comment-9200 This has happened to me the other way too. I have what I believe to be a unique hook for a scene, and then shortly thereafter I pick up a new book, and there's my concept. Drat. Not so unique after all! This has happened to me the other way too. I have what I believe to be a unique hook for a scene, and then shortly thereafter I pick up a new book, and there’s my concept.

Drat. Not so unique after all!

]]> by: Kathleen Bolton http://writerunboxed.com/2007/04/26/hers-or-mine/#comment-9198 Thu, 26 Apr 2007 14:45:17 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2007/04/26/hers-or-mine/#comment-9198 Ah yes, I've had this happen to me too. I seem to recall an early effort where I'd gotten my characters into a violent quarrel that sounded just like the one Heathcliff and Cathy had on her deathbed. Good thing that one will never see the light of day. ;-0 Ah, Dorothy Dunnett. I must start a glom on her. Another good historical novelist is Mary Renault. She leaves me breathless. Ah yes, I’ve had this happen to me too. I seem to recall an early effort where I’d gotten my characters into a violent quarrel that sounded just like the one Heathcliff and Cathy had on her deathbed. Good thing that one will never see the light of day. ;-0

Ah, Dorothy Dunnett. I must start a glom on her. Another good historical novelist is Mary Renault. She leaves me breathless.

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