Thread: I've got a great story to write. Trouble is...

Its based on a character that is a trademark of a worldwide corporation. I don' t know the legal ramifications of such a venture. Can I write this and try to get them to sign off on it? Do I need their permission? Or, do I have go to them first and risk being shut down and dare I say even taking my idea?

I recommend coming up with your own character, to avoid any legal disputes. And yes, if you're going to be using their trademark, you need written permission from them for you to use it. Otherwise they wouldn't have trademarked it in the first place.

I'm curious.. what character is it?

Its a Final Fantasy story. That's what I'm saying, i could write a really great story for the franchise. Like all those Star Wars or Star Trek book writers. How do find myself able to do that?

A difficult situation. Fan fiction has become quite a large thing, though it is not accepted here because of the copyright problems, this must mean that there are a number of people in your position, though most of them only think they have a great idea. Your problem is that even if it is a great idea the company will think they have heard it all before, far from nicking your idea they are much more likely to simply ignore you. I don't know who they are of course, so I can't say with certainty what would happen, but people who have one good idea are likely to have others, if they have any sense they are more likely to recruit some one who comes up with something good. You can safeguard to a certain extent by sending yourself dated copies of any correspondence. that would establish your copyright to any original material, but I really think your biggest problem will be being noticed.

I see what your saying. I didn't expect it to be a simple thing. I just have this whole world and story taking shape in my head and didn't know what obstacles to expect. Thanks for your reply.

Have you written/published anything yet? I expect they'll be more likely to take you seriously if you can show a history of successful publishing. But I suppose that's true for any publisher, not just here.

I have no experience with this, but I would suggest writing it yourself first to make sure you can. I wouldn't expect any trouble for just writing it -- plenty of unofficial fan-fic already exists. You'll have to talk to them about publishing, though, I assume.

j.w.olsen has a good point, there is a huge difference between having a concept and turning it into a manuscript, that is a large amount of work and time and probably involves a fair bit of learning as well. Some concrete advice, give yourself a realistic minimum time period for writing and stick to it daily, if you go over fine, but do the minimum every day. Think, seven days a week, even if you only do the minimum and get a couple of hundred words down each day, that is six thousand words to look back over in a month's time and decide if the project is realistic.

Nothing published. I've been writing lots of poetry for twenty years. Never a full-length novel. Been a photographer all that time too. I have always been creative and I was a chef for 12 years. So, actually I was getting ready to write a cookbook when I was struck with this idea. You all have alot of good advice.

I'm sure you can find a forum that will allow you to post your fan fic story and see if it actually works as a story (use a disclaimer to say that you are using trademarked characters but are not making money from them). Once you know whether it's worth developing and what the possible nits are, I would say it's better to use Final Fantasy as inspiration and reference and write your own thing.

It can really help to have a clear archetype in your head, it's why there are orcs and elves and fairies in fantasy stories, knife-wielding serial killers in thrillers and lots of kissing in romances. Those elements have become definitive of their genres. You will probably have a lot more fun making it yours and breaking the rules of the universe that you have been writing in.

Here is a great blog post called 'How to Steal like an Artist' that might get you inspired. How To Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon

That is a really interesting and informative link. Thanks.