You've worked on your book for a year. Maybe two. Maybe three. Heck, maybe even four or five. To you, it's brilliant ... original ... kick butt ... perfect ... AMAZING ... and you can't wait to get it out to the masses.
But wait ...
Did you just see a commercial about a T.V. show with a similar idea?
Did you just see a book at the bookstore with the same plot?
A movie?
A musical?
A play?
Something?
ACK!
*heart attack ensues*
*world caves in*
WHAT DO YOU DO?
Well, it's not good news. At all. Unfortunately this happens quiet a bit (so I've heard). A writer, writing THEIR own idea, finishes their book, only to find out that something (a movie/T.V. show/book/whatev) has just come out with a similar thing. And according to The Editor, you (the writer) has wasted those years of your life because what you have you will not be able to sell now.
Well, that sucks. But it's the truth. I had a similar thing happen to me last year. I was almost done with my YA Horror/Urban Fantasy thing (which has since be shelved) when I was watching T.V. with the hubs. On came this recently released move Percy Jackson, The Lightening Thief. I watched it ... in awe. And anger.
Now, my book isn't 100% percent like the movie. But some of the elements where weirdly similar. The Gods. The special powers. This kid saving the world from rogue Gods. It was enough to stop and give me pause and make me wonder if I'd just wasted a year of my life. And it wasn't a good feeling. Now, the only thing that saved me (and my book) where a few key elements that were WAY different. Mine borders on horror. It's a lot darker. And the overall story arc is different. You know, the journey, the trials, the struggles, blah, blah, blah. But I still know how close I was to having to forever shelve one of my creations. I've done that before and it didn't feel good.
So, the bad news is bad. If you've got a book that is like another idea that came out in another format (a movie, etc), then you have indeed wasted your time. And I know it hurts. But hey, if this happens to you, keep your chin up. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is your writing career. The more you write the better you'll get ... so keep writing.
~JD
But wait ...
Did you just see a commercial about a T.V. show with a similar idea?
Did you just see a book at the bookstore with the same plot?
A movie?
A musical?
A play?
Something?
ACK!
The offspring can't believe it!!!
*world caves in*
WHAT DO YOU DO?
Well, it's not good news. At all. Unfortunately this happens quiet a bit (so I've heard). A writer, writing THEIR own idea, finishes their book, only to find out that something (a movie/T.V. show/book/whatev) has just come out with a similar thing. And according to The Editor, you (the writer) has wasted those years of your life because what you have you will not be able to sell now.
Well, that sucks. But it's the truth. I had a similar thing happen to me last year. I was almost done with my YA Horror/Urban Fantasy thing (which has since be shelved) when I was watching T.V. with the hubs. On came this recently released move Percy Jackson, The Lightening Thief. I watched it ... in awe. And anger.
Now, my book isn't 100% percent like the movie. But some of the elements where weirdly similar. The Gods. The special powers. This kid saving the world from rogue Gods. It was enough to stop and give me pause and make me wonder if I'd just wasted a year of my life. And it wasn't a good feeling. Now, the only thing that saved me (and my book) where a few key elements that were WAY different. Mine borders on horror. It's a lot darker. And the overall story arc is different. You know, the journey, the trials, the struggles, blah, blah, blah. But I still know how close I was to having to forever shelve one of my creations. I've done that before and it didn't feel good.
So, the bad news is bad. If you've got a book that is like another idea that came out in another format (a movie, etc), then you have indeed wasted your time. And I know it hurts. But hey, if this happens to you, keep your chin up. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is your writing career. The more you write the better you'll get ... so keep writing.
~JD
7 comments:
True, just keep writing. But a writer can also take that same work and add a new/unique element to the plot, making the work totally different. It takes time to think of the right element, but thinking where writing is concerned is never a bad thing. lol
I didn't know you had that experience! But yeah, I think it happens a lot. Mostly because we're all feeding off the same tropes and mythologies, for the most part. Hard to think of a new one. Execution matters very much, of course, as do original twists, but you're right--sometimes the similarity is too great. :(
You save it for a time when it will sound fresh and new again! Everything goes in cycles.
Oh noes!! Aww your poor child - the horror!!
Aww but great advice JD!! Keep writing indeed! take care
Take care
x
That stinks, but often it is possible to rework your story to emphasize the differences. And as difficult as it might be, I'd recommend reading those other books to see how close it *really* is to yours. Often the blurb on the back does not accurately reflect the story within...you could be freaking out over nothing.
ohman! my oldest son loves percy jackson, shoot! he loves everything that rick riordan ever wrote! such a fanboy!
but-- yikes! that really is a scary thing.
especially if you're really tapped into cultural zeitgeist. i think ideas can be similar and still unique, but then there always is the danger of seeming like a knock-off of someone else's work.
it's like for a while i had heard of the vampire diaries being a knock-off of twilight. then i learned that the vampire diaries were written BEFORE twilight. and it's just a very strange thing to see how similar some of the concepts and characters were... but then they developed and individuated and all that... but still.
scary, scary stuff for sure!
and i'm SO SORRY you had it happen to you!!!
Just because the concept has already been used, doesn't mean that yours can't be better! :)
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