Stealing vs. Plagiarism

Plagiarism. Another fad that has taken the modern literary world by a storm and has seemingly become the next best thing among a lot of writers, young and old alike, especially in regards to fantasy. Basically, this is when a writer takes something that someone else has already used and puts it in their own writing; they may say they were inspired by the original author, but their often poor manuscript reeks of unoriginality. Sadly this is seen in both Christian and secular stories, and I'll list a few of them here: Christopher Paolini (his "Inheritance Cycle" is pretty much "Star Wars" set in Middle Earth) LB Graham (his writing is heavily inspired by Tolkien) are two big ones that I can think of at the moment.

Now, a common rebuttal is that "oh, no idea is truly original". Well, yes, that is true. Tolkien himself was inspired by Nordic mythology in his language and some of the names, but the difference between him and Paolini is that he took basic mythology and created an entire universe distinct from it, looking very different from the original source material. The difference ultimately between plagiarism and being semi-original is what you do with the original.

Let me give an example. Say you just finished reading Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night", and you think to yourself "you know, I want to write something about twins, mistaken identity, and romance." Plagiarizing would mean using similar names, a very similar plot scheme, etc... But, "stealing", on the other hand would be more like "say you have a twin brother and sister who come from an abusive home. The sister can't take it anymore, so she pretends to be a boy and runs away, hoping for a new life. Then she gets caught up in another adventure, and she and her brother get confused for each other in the midst of it" or something like that. Basically, stealing literary ideas in the right way is to take a basic concept and then to add your own twist and/or spin to it. And, no, setting a story in a different time, location, or another world does not count, as Paolini should have taught us.

Names are another big thing that has been stolen lately, and Tolkien especially has become the victim. In practically all fantasy written by young writers, whether they be published or not, they use a name extremely similar to one of Tolkien's. I myself was a perpetrator of this very crime, and it took me a few years to get out of its grasp. I may write a post about this later, but there is a way to be inspired by Tolkien's names but to create something unique about it.

Another argument against plagiarism is that "oh, it's a fantasy. All fantasy has dragons, trolls, elves, dwarfs, etc..." or "well, it's the archetypal hero journey." First off, fantasy may have such creatures, but there is a way to take them and to add your own unique twist; for myself, when wanting something different, I often go on wikipedia or do a little searching to see what normal legends are then either pick something that is not commonly used or come up with something different yet feasible. Secondly, the archetypal hero's quest is a popular plot device, but you have to make it your own version, not base it off of someone else's work.

So, remember. Being inspired by a writer or storyteller is one thing; taking what they wrote down and claiming it as your own is something different.