Sheesh, Bean!

[beandelphiki]

Er, what's the fannish etiquette surrounding swiping someone else's fic idea? There IS no real fannish etiquette for that, is there? Beyond, of course, "don't do it."


Because...I've done it. Had a conversation with someone about a fic they wanted to write. Sat around wondering how that fic idea would work. Got an idea for how to make it work. Started writing it...


And then, 2,000 words in, it has JUST hit me that I COMPLETELY SWIPED THE IDEA. I never once really thought about it, because honestly, my track record for finishing fic is so terrible. I never thought I'd actually finish it. (And I haven't, as a matter of fact. Not even close.) The idea of my actually finishing a fic is so laughable that I was treating this as...basically an abstract concept. And it might as well be, since I'm sure I wouldn't have finished this one either, except...

Except now I've realized that if I actually DID, on some off chance, finish this fic, posting it would be low since I stole the concept. *facepalms* Oi. So I guess I shouldn't bother working on it any more, then?

LORD, THAT IS TERRIBLE. I can't believe this has really only just occurred to me. That bothers me more than the actual swiping, as it's still only on my hard drive now anyway and thus still private.

SHEESH.

Comments

[teyla]

As long as you're only writing for yourself, I don't think fic idea swiping is a problem. If you want to share the fic, you can always ask them if they'd be okay with it. I've thought up a lot of my fic with somebody else, or have gotten my idea from something someone else said. People are usually quite generous with their bunnies :).

[beandelphiki.livejournal.com]

Actually...it's YOUR bunny. The pegging one, right? I tucked it in a cage after that thread and went scampering off with it. LOL. Since people keep suggesting asking, I'd have tracked you down to ask if I ever got far enough along to consider posting it, yeah.


It's just, I've been wrongly accused of stealing stuff before (at school, not ever in fandom - the justification was, "you couldn't possibly have written this at your age," rather than actually checking my sources, which still BURNS me inside), so the idea of even doing so accidentally normally makes me terribly bovvered. That's what's really getting me here. I mean, if you said no, that wouldn't be the end of the universe.

Makes me wonder if I got hit on the head or something this week and can't remember.

[teyla]

Lol, well, I forget stuff like this too if the creative vibe gets me. Someone says something, I go OMG YES THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE, and then I start doing it and only later realize, o wate, maybe I should have asked if they were okay with me working with their idea... xD.

Where this particular fic is concerned, if you finish it, please do post it. There can never be enough Ten/Donna pegging :D.

[beandelphiki.livejournal.com]

Well, thank god I'm not the only one then!

Wiiill do. :)

[siegeengine.livejournal.com]

aww.. that's really sad! I mean, not the swiping part, but just that you didn't realize it until you got 2000 words in. As far as etiquette goes, I think it extends as far as if the person actually will be able to see the fic when and where you post it. Another variable is that you could actually mention it to the person, and asked if they ever got anywhere on that idea, and if you wrote something on it, if they'd like to read it.

That's always fine. I mean, the rewards for writing a good fic are quite minimal, minus the rewards that one feels inside. I mean, writing a nice fic is an accomplishment, and your own pride in your work is about all that you get from it, minus a few comments from strangers.

That said, the other person will suffer not a bit if you finish it, are happy with it, and share it with a few people you know. The only way they'd suffer is if you posted it someplace where they hang out, and they were still working on the same fic and you either beat them to the punch, or showed them up terribly.

Maybe you could write serialized fics? I think that's how some people get away with the problem of how to finish one. You don't really ever have to finish a serialized fic. You can just write, "to be continued...." and be done with it.

[siegeengine.livejournal.com]

asked/ask. I don't spell check or proofread when I'm up at 9 in the morning.

[beandelphiki.livejournal.com]

Heh, I don't think anyone would need to be concerned about my showing them up. I'm a little more concerned with getting people marginally in character. But it's nice of you to suggest so.

Maybe you could write serialized fics? I think that's how some people get away with the problem of how to finish one. You don't really ever have to finish a serialized fic. You can just write, "to be continued...." and be done with it.

But wouldn't people then expect you to continue it? I know if I saw, "to be continued," I'd think that it would be, well, continued.

I think sometimes people FAIL to continue the story, which isn't the same thing as just leaving it off on purpose. Maybe it's the difference of the fandoms we're in? I don't know if I've ever seen someone do that on purpose.

I always promised myself that I would never post any part of a fic I hadn't finished, just to avoid doing that to people. Because it's just unfair to get into a fic and have to stop half-way through and never finish. Why get invested if there's never going to be a resolution, you know? That's why a lot of people won't read fics-in-progress, because they're afraid they won't be finished.


You are right though, writing is often satisfying just for itself. No one's seen my poetry in years, but that doesn't make it less fun to write. :)

[haleth.livejournal.com]

Finish it if you like, and if you want to post it, talk to the person who gave you the idea, and if they don't mind, post with credit to them.

[beandelphiki.livejournal.com]

Of course they'd get the blame credit! :P Thank you. I've obviously lurked too much in my fannish time.