Where Do I Go to Talk about My Writing?

[Danik 2016]

I hope you'll all forgive me, but I'm just going to jump right into this.

As a writer it is occassionally pretty helpful to get other people's opinions on something you've written, an idea you've thought of, etc. Not to mention it can be rather fun and exciting to tell people about your latest idea, show them your latest bit of prose, etc. But I'm always rather worried, considering how important my writing is to me, that pieces of prose or ideas will be stolen by other people. Now when it's just a paragraph, that doesn't bother me too much. But when it's a chapter or, especially, an idea or set of ideas that bothers me tremendously. It bothers me to the point that I have mostly stopped saying anything specific about my writing to anyone, even when I think that would be helpful and even to people I've known for a long time in real life (especially since they're usually writers themselves).

So I was wondering, does anyone else have this problem? And if you do, do you know of any way to get passed it? Such as some sort of legal safeguard which will protect the copyright of whatever you say? A contract that another person can sign if necessary?

I simply wouldn´t put anything I intended to publish or that is otherwise relevant to me in the internet. Once it is there you lose your control over it very generally speaking. I would just seek the opinion of a few very chosen friends.

[YesNo]

The 19th century? I think you're a few centuries behind... >.<

Yes. It is just to show that the problem is old. There is also an example there about Dickens suing but not recovering his court costs.

We are worrying about other people stealing our ideas even if they do not think they have and we want to protect ourselves. The other side of the problem is how do we protect ourselves against people who claim we have stolen their ideas even when we think we have not. The area is grey given the internet where ideas are all over the place.

Were I actually making any money on my writing, I would be more worried about someone making a dubious claim that I was the thief.

[OneOnOne1162]

I simply wouldn´t put anything I intended to publish or that is otherwise relevant to me in the internet. Once it is there you lose your control over it very generally speaking. I would just seek the opinion of a few very chosen friends.

That's already what I was talking about... But not all people you think are friends end up being trustworthy and it's always possible to have a falling out with someone who was a genuine friend and have any knowledge they have bite you in the ***. Or hell, they could unknowingly work your ideas into their stuff or something.

[OneOnOne1162]

Yes. It is just to show that the problem is old. There is also an example there about Dickens suing but not recovering his court costs.

We are worrying about other people stealing our ideas even if they do not think they have and we want to protect ourselves. The other side of the problem is how do we protect ourselves against people who claim we have stolen their ideas even when we think we have not. The area is grey given the internet where ideas are all over the place.

Were I actually making any money on my writing, I would be more worried about someone making a dubious claim that I was the thief.

Well, I knew that....

And I agree. But I wasn't really talking about the internet, I was talking about people I know in real life who are also writers.

[YesNo]

Well, I knew that....

And I agree. But I wasn't really talking about the internet, I was talking about people I know in real life who are also writers.

What benefit are you receiving from showing your work to other writers?

I can see showing your work to publishers. I can see putting some of your work on a blog or author's platform.

[OneOnOne1162]

What benefit are you receiving from showing your work to other writers?

I can see showing your work to publishers. I can see putting some of your work on a blog or author's platform.

For criticism. As well as input on what they like and don't like.

[YesNo]

Do you offer them criticism on their work in return?

Some sites offer opportunities to "workshop" prose and poetry. I don't think this is all that beneficial but it does give the writer a chance to see what others are producing. I remember on one poetry site, some participants did not want a reader to offer explicit suggestions for changes in a poem, because then the author would have to credit that reader if they took the reader's advice and used that change.

[OneOnOne1162]

Do you offer them criticism on their work in return?

Some sites offer opportunities to "workshop" prose and poetry. I don't think this is all that beneficial but it does give the writer a chance to see what others are producing. I remember on one poetry site, some participants did not want a reader to offer explicit suggestions for changes in a poem, because then the author would have to credit that reader if they took the reader's advice and used that change.

Yes, I do.

That wouldn't really help me... I think you're completely missing the point of my original question. My problem is not that I don't have people already, real-life people, that can criticise my work. It's that I'm concerned about those people potentially using my ideas in their own work and me not being able to do anything against it if it happens.

[YesNo]

Yes, I do.

That wouldn't really help me... I think you're completely missing the point of my original question. My problem is not that I don't have people already, real-life people, that can criticise my work. It's that I'm concerned about those people potentially using my ideas in their own work and me not being able to do anything against it if it happens.

I suppose they could. You could use ideas from their writings as well. They could also modify your ideas to make them look new.

[OneOnOne1162]

I suppose they could. You could use ideas from their writings as well. They could also modify your ideas to make them look new.

Uuuum... yeah... I don't want that. Which is what this thread was all about, finding a way to not have that happen.

[YesNo]

One way you could avoid the problem is not to show your work to other writers until after it is published either through a publisher or by yourself online in a blog or author's platform. Then you could ask them for a review.

If you think about it, would engineers working on a new invention share details of their inventions with other engineers from other companies prior to getting a patent on their inventions? Admittedly, the research costs are higher for these people, but the problems they face are similar. I think they would keep their work secret until the patents were approved.

[OneOnOne1162]

One way you could avoid the problem is not to show your work to other writers until after it is published either through a publisher or by yourself online in a blog or author's platform. Then you could ask them for a review.

If you think about it, would engineers working on a new invention share details of their inventions with other engineers from other companies prior to getting a patent on their inventions? Admittedly, the research costs are higher for these people, but the problems they face are similar. I think they would keep their work secret until the patents were approved.

Yeah, that doesn't work at all... The whole point of the criticism is to make it better, not to just have it out there.

[YesNo]

I'm reading a book by Martha Maeda, "The Complete Guide to Writing & Publishing Your First E-Book". It seems well-written overall and chapter three offers a lot of advice about copyrights and legal issues. In chapter two she talks about "critique-partners" which is what I think you are concerned with.

As I understand it, if you don't trust someone you are working with, you should find someone else.

[OneOnOne1162]

I'm reading a book by Martha Maeda, "The Complete Guide to Writing & Publishing Your First E-Book". It seems well-written overall and chapter three offers a lot of advice about copyrights and legal issues. In chapter two she talks about "critique-partners" which is what I think you are concerned with.

As I understand it, if you don't trust someone you are working with, you should find someone else.

Alright, might take a look at that.

And well it's no "partner" or "partners." Just friends who happen to be writers. And it has little to do with trust right now. Just because I'm friends with a person now doesn't mean that the person will be my friend forever. It's practical. I wouldn't trust anyone with this knowledge.

[Calidore]

Since you're talking about an informal social matter rather than a formal business matter, and completely hypothetical possibilities to boot, I think you're just going to have to weigh the trade-off for yourself. Potential quality of advice offered by friends and resulting benefit to you vs. potential theft of ideas and resulting harm to you. Which is more likely?