Plagiarism? - Writers Forum

annahlotr · 06-23-2008, 12:31 PM

I have a question about what is and is not plagiarism. One of my favorite fantasy books is The Warrior Heir, by Cinda Williams Chima. She uses an idea I have never read anywhere else- there is a secret society of magic users set in the modern, "real" world. I would like to use the same idea in a story I'm writing. The plot is completely different, as are the types of magic users. Would this be plagiarism? The chances of the story being published are zero, but I would be upset if someone stole my ideas, and I don't want to steal the ideas of another writer.

kip · 06-23-2008, 12:42 PM

You're fine.

Sam Winchester · 06-23-2008, 12:51 PM

It's okay for me to write a novel about kids in a magic school. It's not okay if I call that school "Hogwarts". To my knowledge, an idea can't be plagiarised.

SoNickSays... · 06-23-2008, 01:07 PM

You're fine, although I have read a very similar fantasy book by a growing Russian author named Sergei Lukyanenko. a society of magic users named Others in the modern day. They have different types of Others also, and different 'grades' for the scale of their magical strength.

It's not well known, though, so I think you're safe.

NIck

Ilasir Maroa · 06-23-2008, 04:29 PM

As others are alluding to, there are many stories with that general plot. You're fine.

Zyphial · 06-23-2008, 06:14 PM

Are those aforementioned Other's watched over by the Nightwatch and Daywatch? I've been wanting to read that book after seeing the movie. The movie itself was a bit hokey, but it was a very unique idea and one I think can be better expressed in a book.

As to the OP, there's no fear in having similar elements. Actually most stories have similar elements, and you are not suddenly barred from using one of those elements because you've read a book that contained them. Like an above poster pointed out; one cannot plagiarize an idea. There's an in detail description of the differences somewhere in the Writer's 101 forum.

JosephB · 06-23-2008, 06:58 PM

Hey everyone, I have a question about what is and is not plagiarism. One of my favorite fantasy books is The Warrior Heir, by Cinda Williams Chima. She uses an idea I have never read anywhere else- there is a secret society of magic users set in the modern, "real" world. I would like to use the same idea in a story I'm writing. The plot is completely different, as are the types of magic users. Would this be plagiarism? The chances of the story being published are zero, but I would be upset if someone stole my ideas, and I don't want to steal the ideas of another writer.

Sam Winchester · 06-23-2008, 07:27 PM

Hi, Joe, quit plagiarising, will ya!

starseed · 06-23-2008, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Winchester

It's okay for me to write a novel about kids in a magic school. It's not okay if I call that school "Hogwarts". To my knowledge, an idea can't be plagiarised.

I agree. It's a concept. There have been many different stories (books and movies) that are different variations of similar concepts. Just because something similar has been done before, it doesn't mean it's not worth going at it again from a different angle.

And don't sell yourself short by saying it will never be published. What's the point in that type of thinking?

annahlotr · 06-23-2008, 09:28 PM

Thanks everyone for the replies. JosephB, you made me laugh. And starseed, it's not that I don't think I will ever have work published. I just don't think my writing is at that standard yet. I don't think I have enough experience. And since this is my first try at fantasy I have no idea what I'm doing. I had told myself I would never write in the fantasy genre. I love reading it, but so much of it is poorly written as well as constantly repeating the same plot line. But I needed to have a project for the rest of the summer and thought a fantasy would be different. But anyway. Thanks again.

lin · 06-23-2008, 09:42 PM

Quote:

She uses an idea I have never read anywhere else- there is a secret society of magic users set in the modern, "real" world.

Somebody mentioned Hogwards, I believe.

lisajane · 06-23-2008, 11:25 PM

The same idea is fine (there are no original ideas anymore). Just don't name your characters the same as the author's and so forth.

annahlotr · 06-24-2008, 04:34 PM

Lin, it's not exactly the same thing. I have read books with magic inside society, such as Magic Street by Orson Scott Card or The Wizard of London by Mercedes Lackey, but I've never seen an author with quite this perspective. She integrates the magical society into the history of England. For example, the magical society is behind the War of the Roses. The Warrior Heir gave me more of a sense of the realism of the normal world than it did of the magical world- it used magic to make the "real world" come alive and seem worth having, possibly more appealing than the magical world. That said, perhaps I'm obsessing over the details.

Thinking about it, I think the main difference is that the Warrior Heir is from the "normal" world looking into magical society, not a member of the magical society looking at the real world. Also that the main character has no desire to be a part of the magical world, but is thrust into it.

lin · 06-24-2008, 06:18 PM

You wanted to know if it's unique, then spiel off a bunch of similar books. I don't really read that sort of thing, but it just has that "old hat" ring to me. I'd be amazed if a lot of people hadn't done it.

Mike C · 06-24-2008, 06:22 PM

It's been done in all kinds of ways. It's not too far from The Dan Brown Grail thing either. Or Dennis Wheatley.