Undertow
My Mail is Forwarded Here
- Messages
- 3,126
- Location
- Des Moines, IA, US
lol Yes! I know this feeling! I wish it wasn't part of my writing process either, but it's definitely helped scrap three books and really built a wedge between two more.
I often watch movies, too, just to get my mind back on track. I already read alot of non-fiction, but it's typically topics of interest rather than anything related to my project (although I think I will try that now!)
Pompidou, I can't recall the quote, but a mentor of mine once told me that as long as you're staying true to what you're writing, and as long as you're honestly coming up with your material, you needn't worry about plagirism (because I, too, have this worry at times). Basically, he went on to say that writers take in tons of information, retain much of what we experience, and we filter this info into stories to put back into the pool. Occassionally, we unintentionally reimagine something, or put a spin to an already existing story we've never read. It's all part of that filtering process.
Consider that there are artists (painters and such) who are part of a "movement" in art, like post-modern etc. who aren't purposely trying to paint one way or another, yet much of their work looks similar to other artists of their time.
One solid example I have is Norwegian/Swedish Black Metal. There was a movement in the late 80's and early 90's in which Norwegian and Swedish musicians were tapping a blend of punk, thrash and heavy metal. These musicians weren't consciously copying one another, but their music is very similar in performance and structure. After the arrest and jail term of Burzum founder Varg Vikernes, Black Metal was thrown out into the international population and thereby opened up to all sorts of emulators and money makers. The same thing happened with American Death Metal, when bands like Cannibal Corpse were first seen as just another post-Slayer metal band, but eventually helped lay the bedrock for the Death Metal scene as it is today. They had no idea they were a pioneering act, but only history would tell. They could have easily been accused of plagarism then, but you can be assured they didn't steal anything.
My point is you must only write what you want to write. If you're true to yourself and you're writing via inspiration (as opposed to emulation), you needn't worry about plagarism.
I often watch movies, too, just to get my mind back on track. I already read alot of non-fiction, but it's typically topics of interest rather than anything related to my project (although I think I will try that now!)
Pompidou, I can't recall the quote, but a mentor of mine once told me that as long as you're staying true to what you're writing, and as long as you're honestly coming up with your material, you needn't worry about plagirism (because I, too, have this worry at times). Basically, he went on to say that writers take in tons of information, retain much of what we experience, and we filter this info into stories to put back into the pool. Occassionally, we unintentionally reimagine something, or put a spin to an already existing story we've never read. It's all part of that filtering process.
Consider that there are artists (painters and such) who are part of a "movement" in art, like post-modern etc. who aren't purposely trying to paint one way or another, yet much of their work looks similar to other artists of their time.
One solid example I have is Norwegian/Swedish Black Metal. There was a movement in the late 80's and early 90's in which Norwegian and Swedish musicians were tapping a blend of punk, thrash and heavy metal. These musicians weren't consciously copying one another, but their music is very similar in performance and structure. After the arrest and jail term of Burzum founder Varg Vikernes, Black Metal was thrown out into the international population and thereby opened up to all sorts of emulators and money makers. The same thing happened with American Death Metal, when bands like Cannibal Corpse were first seen as just another post-Slayer metal band, but eventually helped lay the bedrock for the Death Metal scene as it is today. They had no idea they were a pioneering act, but only history would tell. They could have easily been accused of plagarism then, but you can be assured they didn't steal anything.
My point is you must only write what you want to write. If you're true to yourself and you're writing via inspiration (as opposed to emulation), you needn't worry about plagarism.
