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tcvw64 | writing_train | 0.92 | How do I get over worries that I’m subconsciously plagiarizing? I’m a young writer who is generally a very anxious person. Lately, for some reason, I’ll be writing fiction and thinking about ideas, how to proceed, how to word the next sentences, etc. And things will come into my head. But for some reason, for some of these things that pop up in my head, I feel anxious that they actually arose from a different source subconsciously and not just from my own ideas. But I can’t pinpoint exactly where I think they come from. I just worry that they aren’t actually mine. When it comes to wording, this may happen with common expressions but my anxiety gets in the way and wonders if these expressions are common, or if I just read them somewhere and am unknowingly thinking of them as my own/just ones of universal usage. It’s really begun making writing mentally taxing and I have only had this issue for a few weeks. I’ve written a lot previously without this issue. So basically, how do I get over worries that I’m subconsciously plagiarizing? | i0j0ss5 | i0gon2f | 1,647,200,389 | 1,647,151,804 | 3 | 1 | There is no such thing as subconscious plagiarism. Plagiarism is the word for word copy of someone's work then posing it as your own you cannot do that subconsciously. | Unconscious plagiarism is a good thing, actually. The only thing better is conscious plagiarism. I mean I'm phrasing that in the most controversial way possible. As other people are saying, ideas can't be plagiarized. At a certain point an idea turns into a premise and a premise turns into a story and that's when we can actually talk about calling it plagiarism. You literally can't subconsciously plagiarize. The thing you're calling plagiarism is just being influenced, and as long as that influence is being fed by a diverse array of sources, it's a good thing. Generally speaking though, it's better to be consciously aware of your influences, so you understand where your story is in comparison to them--what they do well, what parts of them don't actually do anything for your story (say, medieval fantasy trappings), and what your story has to offer that they don't. If you're only thinking on a line-by-line level, honestly just don't worry about it. Having one line that's similar to another line isn't going to get you in trouble. If it's especially conspicuous, a beta reader will flag it for you. If you think it's the best line to further the story you're trying to tell, just use it. Nothing bad will come of it. | 1 | 48,585 | 3 | ||
tcvw64 | writing_train | 0.92 | How do I get over worries that I’m subconsciously plagiarizing? I’m a young writer who is generally a very anxious person. Lately, for some reason, I’ll be writing fiction and thinking about ideas, how to proceed, how to word the next sentences, etc. And things will come into my head. But for some reason, for some of these things that pop up in my head, I feel anxious that they actually arose from a different source subconsciously and not just from my own ideas. But I can’t pinpoint exactly where I think they come from. I just worry that they aren’t actually mine. When it comes to wording, this may happen with common expressions but my anxiety gets in the way and wonders if these expressions are common, or if I just read them somewhere and am unknowingly thinking of them as my own/just ones of universal usage. It’s really begun making writing mentally taxing and I have only had this issue for a few weeks. I’ve written a lot previously without this issue. So basically, how do I get over worries that I’m subconsciously plagiarizing? | i0j0ss5 | i0gp8an | 1,647,200,389 | 1,647,152,209 | 3 | 1 | There is no such thing as subconscious plagiarism. Plagiarism is the word for word copy of someone's work then posing it as your own you cannot do that subconsciously. | Almost everything has been written a dozen different ways. Your worries aren’t worth the stress, really. Because, unless you are specifically plagiarizing something on purpose you probably aren’t actually doing it. As long as it’s your take on whatever your story is, you’re good. | 1 | 48,180 | 3 | ||
hdzoit | writing_train | 0.78 | Should I read books on how to write, or should I start writing? To me, it seems like people on this sub can't agree about this. Some find books on writing to be very helpful, whiles others suggest just writing. But shouldn't I read books on writing to learn the fundamentals, much like a artist would learn fundamentals to progress in their art? And why can nobody seem to agree on this? | fvo7faq | fvo7mgl | 1,592,857,131 | 1,592,857,230 | 2 | 6 | Both. And you should also read a lot of fiction to get an idea of how others write. | Neither: read actual good books, then write. | 0 | 99 | 3 | ||
hdzoit | writing_train | 0.78 | Should I read books on how to write, or should I start writing? To me, it seems like people on this sub can't agree about this. Some find books on writing to be very helpful, whiles others suggest just writing. But shouldn't I read books on writing to learn the fundamentals, much like a artist would learn fundamentals to progress in their art? And why can nobody seem to agree on this? | fvo7a55 | fvo7mgl | 1,592,857,063 | 1,592,857,230 | 0 | 6 | Yes | Neither: read actual good books, then write. | 0 | 167 | 6,000 | ||
hdzoit | writing_train | 0.78 | Should I read books on how to write, or should I start writing? To me, it seems like people on this sub can't agree about this. Some find books on writing to be very helpful, whiles others suggest just writing. But shouldn't I read books on writing to learn the fundamentals, much like a artist would learn fundamentals to progress in their art? And why can nobody seem to agree on this? | fvo7faq | fvohqdz | 1,592,857,131 | 1,592,862,367 | 2 | 3 | Both. And you should also read a lot of fiction to get an idea of how others write. | Both? Books on writing have exercises to reinforce what you're learning. Do those, write more stuff. Keep learning. I believe that "just writing" isn't helpful in the sense that telling stories is a craft, which most have no idea how to do. It's more than writing essays in school, or forum posts, or blog entries. There's a lot to learn, and while you can stumble onto a lot of it by reading and "just writing", why not cut out some of the wasted time not knowing how to make a good plot, for example? | 0 | 5,236 | 1.5 | ||
hdzoit | writing_train | 0.78 | Should I read books on how to write, or should I start writing? To me, it seems like people on this sub can't agree about this. Some find books on writing to be very helpful, whiles others suggest just writing. But shouldn't I read books on writing to learn the fundamentals, much like a artist would learn fundamentals to progress in their art? And why can nobody seem to agree on this? | fvohqdz | fvo90ib | 1,592,862,367 | 1,592,857,923 | 3 | 2 | Both? Books on writing have exercises to reinforce what you're learning. Do those, write more stuff. Keep learning. I believe that "just writing" isn't helpful in the sense that telling stories is a craft, which most have no idea how to do. It's more than writing essays in school, or forum posts, or blog entries. There's a lot to learn, and while you can stumble onto a lot of it by reading and "just writing", why not cut out some of the wasted time not knowing how to make a good plot, for example? | An artist learns fundamentals by studying texts/works of art, and then practicing by making their own. There's no reason you can't do both at the same time! Read books on how to write, and then as you learn, apply that knowledge to your own writing. | 1 | 4,444 | 1.5 | ||
hdzoit | writing_train | 0.78 | Should I read books on how to write, or should I start writing? To me, it seems like people on this sub can't agree about this. Some find books on writing to be very helpful, whiles others suggest just writing. But shouldn't I read books on writing to learn the fundamentals, much like a artist would learn fundamentals to progress in their art? And why can nobody seem to agree on this? | fvohqdz | fvocts3 | 1,592,862,367 | 1,592,859,850 | 3 | 2 | Both? Books on writing have exercises to reinforce what you're learning. Do those, write more stuff. Keep learning. I believe that "just writing" isn't helpful in the sense that telling stories is a craft, which most have no idea how to do. It's more than writing essays in school, or forum posts, or blog entries. There's a lot to learn, and while you can stumble onto a lot of it by reading and "just writing", why not cut out some of the wasted time not knowing how to make a good plot, for example? | Study. Then practice. Then study more. Then practice more. | 1 | 2,517 | 1.5 | ||
hdzoit | writing_train | 0.78 | Should I read books on how to write, or should I start writing? To me, it seems like people on this sub can't agree about this. Some find books on writing to be very helpful, whiles others suggest just writing. But shouldn't I read books on writing to learn the fundamentals, much like a artist would learn fundamentals to progress in their art? And why can nobody seem to agree on this? | fvohqdz | fvo7a55 | 1,592,862,367 | 1,592,857,063 | 3 | 0 | Both? Books on writing have exercises to reinforce what you're learning. Do those, write more stuff. Keep learning. I believe that "just writing" isn't helpful in the sense that telling stories is a craft, which most have no idea how to do. It's more than writing essays in school, or forum posts, or blog entries. There's a lot to learn, and while you can stumble onto a lot of it by reading and "just writing", why not cut out some of the wasted time not knowing how to make a good plot, for example? | Yes | 1 | 5,304 | 3,000 | ||
hdzoit | writing_train | 0.78 | Should I read books on how to write, or should I start writing? To me, it seems like people on this sub can't agree about this. Some find books on writing to be very helpful, whiles others suggest just writing. But shouldn't I read books on writing to learn the fundamentals, much like a artist would learn fundamentals to progress in their art? And why can nobody seem to agree on this? | fvo7faq | fvo7a55 | 1,592,857,131 | 1,592,857,063 | 2 | 0 | Both. And you should also read a lot of fiction to get an idea of how others write. | Yes | 1 | 68 | 2,000 | ||
hdzoit | writing_train | 0.78 | Should I read books on how to write, or should I start writing? To me, it seems like people on this sub can't agree about this. Some find books on writing to be very helpful, whiles others suggest just writing. But shouldn't I read books on writing to learn the fundamentals, much like a artist would learn fundamentals to progress in their art? And why can nobody seem to agree on this? | fvo7a55 | fvo90ib | 1,592,857,063 | 1,592,857,923 | 0 | 2 | Yes | An artist learns fundamentals by studying texts/works of art, and then practicing by making their own. There's no reason you can't do both at the same time! Read books on how to write, and then as you learn, apply that knowledge to your own writing. | 0 | 860 | 2,000 | ||
hdzoit | writing_train | 0.78 | Should I read books on how to write, or should I start writing? To me, it seems like people on this sub can't agree about this. Some find books on writing to be very helpful, whiles others suggest just writing. But shouldn't I read books on writing to learn the fundamentals, much like a artist would learn fundamentals to progress in their art? And why can nobody seem to agree on this? | fvocts3 | fvo7a55 | 1,592,859,850 | 1,592,857,063 | 2 | 0 | Study. Then practice. Then study more. Then practice more. | Yes | 1 | 2,787 | 2,000 | ||
hdzoit | writing_train | 0.78 | Should I read books on how to write, or should I start writing? To me, it seems like people on this sub can't agree about this. Some find books on writing to be very helpful, whiles others suggest just writing. But shouldn't I read books on writing to learn the fundamentals, much like a artist would learn fundamentals to progress in their art? And why can nobody seem to agree on this? | fvo7a55 | fvoppqi | 1,592,857,063 | 1,592,866,604 | 0 | 1 | Yes | Never wait for anything before writing. | 0 | 9,541 | 1,000 | ||
hdzoit | writing_train | 0.78 | Should I read books on how to write, or should I start writing? To me, it seems like people on this sub can't agree about this. Some find books on writing to be very helpful, whiles others suggest just writing. But shouldn't I read books on writing to learn the fundamentals, much like a artist would learn fundamentals to progress in their art? And why can nobody seem to agree on this? | fvo7a55 | fvos1i2 | 1,592,857,063 | 1,592,867,908 | 0 | 1 | Yes | Yes | 0 | 10,845 | 1,000 | ||
hdzoit | writing_train | 0.78 | Should I read books on how to write, or should I start writing? To me, it seems like people on this sub can't agree about this. Some find books on writing to be very helpful, whiles others suggest just writing. But shouldn't I read books on writing to learn the fundamentals, much like a artist would learn fundamentals to progress in their art? And why can nobody seem to agree on this? | fvqffoe | fvo7a55 | 1,592,912,147 | 1,592,857,063 | 1 | 0 | Both.... Both ... Both is good | Yes | 1 | 55,084 | 1,000 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io81xbv | io7i1dw | 1,663,047,747 | 1,663,036,800 | 43 | 19 | I usually track the author whose book is similar to mine. I send them an email and arrange a meeting. You would be surprised by how many writers are open to that. We then have a friendly chat about their ideas and the general symbolism of their book because I believe we both can learn a lot through the exchange of ideas. I then proceed to kill them and assume their identity by wearing their skin as a meatsuit. Afterwards, through progressive social engineering that may take me months or even years I get the author's editors or estate to recall all their books and remove any copyrights that exist. This allows me to finally publish my work. I hope this helps! | Write it. Don't find excuses not to finish a book or you will always find excuses not to finish. | 1 | 10,947 | 2.263158 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io81xbv | io7fx69 | 1,663,047,747 | 1,663,035,845 | 43 | 11 | I usually track the author whose book is similar to mine. I send them an email and arrange a meeting. You would be surprised by how many writers are open to that. We then have a friendly chat about their ideas and the general symbolism of their book because I believe we both can learn a lot through the exchange of ideas. I then proceed to kill them and assume their identity by wearing their skin as a meatsuit. Afterwards, through progressive social engineering that may take me months or even years I get the author's editors or estate to recall all their books and remove any copyrights that exist. This allows me to finally publish my work. I hope this helps! | Need to ask yourself first whether you feel this was a subliminal choice (you've seen and/or heard of this plot, but unintentionally went down the same path) or if it was, in your mind, an original plot and on further research (or in my case, watched a new TV series or movie) find out it's not original and is scarily the same. If it's subliminal you need to see how you feel about that. If its original in your mind at the time, I'd say push through and do the tweaks. As everyone is saying, original plots are becoming exceedingly rare. But don't punish yourself for something you felt was genuine. Make it work with minor tweaks and let your writing make it stand out against the rest. | 1 | 11,902 | 3.909091 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io81xbv | io79b6d | 1,663,047,747 | 1,663,032,988 | 43 | 7 | I usually track the author whose book is similar to mine. I send them an email and arrange a meeting. You would be surprised by how many writers are open to that. We then have a friendly chat about their ideas and the general symbolism of their book because I believe we both can learn a lot through the exchange of ideas. I then proceed to kill them and assume their identity by wearing their skin as a meatsuit. Afterwards, through progressive social engineering that may take me months or even years I get the author's editors or estate to recall all their books and remove any copyrights that exist. This allows me to finally publish my work. I hope this helps! | Even in the Bible it states that there is no original thought. Disney does this ALL THE TIME, they have ripped off so many Anime and so much history it is ridiculous. So, just make whatever plot you are writing Yours and don't worry if it has been used before. Just be original to Your take on the plot. That is all that matters. | 1 | 14,759 | 6.142857 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io7upwg | io81xbv | 1,663,043,104 | 1,663,047,747 | 6 | 43 | Time machine back in time kidnap that author break their legs and make them write it differently you know what ill be right back this comment is too similar to.. | I usually track the author whose book is similar to mine. I send them an email and arrange a meeting. You would be surprised by how many writers are open to that. We then have a friendly chat about their ideas and the general symbolism of their book because I believe we both can learn a lot through the exchange of ideas. I then proceed to kill them and assume their identity by wearing their skin as a meatsuit. Afterwards, through progressive social engineering that may take me months or even years I get the author's editors or estate to recall all their books and remove any copyrights that exist. This allows me to finally publish my work. I hope this helps! | 0 | 4,643 | 7.166667 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io81xbv | io78ais | 1,663,047,747 | 1,663,032,536 | 43 | 2 | I usually track the author whose book is similar to mine. I send them an email and arrange a meeting. You would be surprised by how many writers are open to that. We then have a friendly chat about their ideas and the general symbolism of their book because I believe we both can learn a lot through the exchange of ideas. I then proceed to kill them and assume their identity by wearing their skin as a meatsuit. Afterwards, through progressive social engineering that may take me months or even years I get the author's editors or estate to recall all their books and remove any copyrights that exist. This allows me to finally publish my work. I hope this helps! | Maybe swap out settings, or change genders of the characters. Change genres even. | 1 | 15,211 | 21.5 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io7aoqo | io81xbv | 1,663,033,588 | 1,663,047,747 | 2 | 43 | Start subtly yet relentlessly mocking the paired fiction. So if any has cross read the books they won't be tricked by similarities. | I usually track the author whose book is similar to mine. I send them an email and arrange a meeting. You would be surprised by how many writers are open to that. We then have a friendly chat about their ideas and the general symbolism of their book because I believe we both can learn a lot through the exchange of ideas. I then proceed to kill them and assume their identity by wearing their skin as a meatsuit. Afterwards, through progressive social engineering that may take me months or even years I get the author's editors or estate to recall all their books and remove any copyrights that exist. This allows me to finally publish my work. I hope this helps! | 0 | 14,159 | 21.5 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io81xbv | io7shcb | 1,663,047,747 | 1,663,041,835 | 43 | 1 | I usually track the author whose book is similar to mine. I send them an email and arrange a meeting. You would be surprised by how many writers are open to that. We then have a friendly chat about their ideas and the general symbolism of their book because I believe we both can learn a lot through the exchange of ideas. I then proceed to kill them and assume their identity by wearing their skin as a meatsuit. Afterwards, through progressive social engineering that may take me months or even years I get the author's editors or estate to recall all their books and remove any copyrights that exist. This allows me to finally publish my work. I hope this helps! | Every story is basically the same anyway if you boil it down enough | 1 | 5,912 | 43 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io81xbv | io76hri | 1,663,047,747 | 1,663,031,778 | 43 | 1 | I usually track the author whose book is similar to mine. I send them an email and arrange a meeting. You would be surprised by how many writers are open to that. We then have a friendly chat about their ideas and the general symbolism of their book because I believe we both can learn a lot through the exchange of ideas. I then proceed to kill them and assume their identity by wearing their skin as a meatsuit. Afterwards, through progressive social engineering that may take me months or even years I get the author's editors or estate to recall all their books and remove any copyrights that exist. This allows me to finally publish my work. I hope this helps! | Alter it. I mean, most stories can be reduced to a point they sound very similar to other works. I don’t think there are universal stories, but there’s a reason why things like the hero’s journey are so easy to apply to so many texts. | 1 | 15,969 | 43 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io81xbv | io7ysj9 | 1,663,047,747 | 1,663,045,631 | 43 | 1 | I usually track the author whose book is similar to mine. I send them an email and arrange a meeting. You would be surprised by how many writers are open to that. We then have a friendly chat about their ideas and the general symbolism of their book because I believe we both can learn a lot through the exchange of ideas. I then proceed to kill them and assume their identity by wearing their skin as a meatsuit. Afterwards, through progressive social engineering that may take me months or even years I get the author's editors or estate to recall all their books and remove any copyrights that exist. This allows me to finally publish my work. I hope this helps! | Enjoy the easy Comp title. | 1 | 2,116 | 43 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io7fx69 | io7i1dw | 1,663,035,845 | 1,663,036,800 | 11 | 19 | Need to ask yourself first whether you feel this was a subliminal choice (you've seen and/or heard of this plot, but unintentionally went down the same path) or if it was, in your mind, an original plot and on further research (or in my case, watched a new TV series or movie) find out it's not original and is scarily the same. If it's subliminal you need to see how you feel about that. If its original in your mind at the time, I'd say push through and do the tweaks. As everyone is saying, original plots are becoming exceedingly rare. But don't punish yourself for something you felt was genuine. Make it work with minor tweaks and let your writing make it stand out against the rest. | Write it. Don't find excuses not to finish a book or you will always find excuses not to finish. | 0 | 955 | 1.727273 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io79b6d | io7i1dw | 1,663,032,988 | 1,663,036,800 | 7 | 19 | Even in the Bible it states that there is no original thought. Disney does this ALL THE TIME, they have ripped off so many Anime and so much history it is ridiculous. So, just make whatever plot you are writing Yours and don't worry if it has been used before. Just be original to Your take on the plot. That is all that matters. | Write it. Don't find excuses not to finish a book or you will always find excuses not to finish. | 0 | 3,812 | 2.714286 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io7i1dw | io78ais | 1,663,036,800 | 1,663,032,536 | 19 | 2 | Write it. Don't find excuses not to finish a book or you will always find excuses not to finish. | Maybe swap out settings, or change genders of the characters. Change genres even. | 1 | 4,264 | 9.5 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io7i1dw | io7aoqo | 1,663,036,800 | 1,663,033,588 | 19 | 2 | Write it. Don't find excuses not to finish a book or you will always find excuses not to finish. | Start subtly yet relentlessly mocking the paired fiction. So if any has cross read the books they won't be tricked by similarities. | 1 | 3,212 | 9.5 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io76hri | io7i1dw | 1,663,031,778 | 1,663,036,800 | 1 | 19 | Alter it. I mean, most stories can be reduced to a point they sound very similar to other works. I don’t think there are universal stories, but there’s a reason why things like the hero’s journey are so easy to apply to so many texts. | Write it. Don't find excuses not to finish a book or you will always find excuses not to finish. | 0 | 5,022 | 19 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io7fx69 | io79b6d | 1,663,035,845 | 1,663,032,988 | 11 | 7 | Need to ask yourself first whether you feel this was a subliminal choice (you've seen and/or heard of this plot, but unintentionally went down the same path) or if it was, in your mind, an original plot and on further research (or in my case, watched a new TV series or movie) find out it's not original and is scarily the same. If it's subliminal you need to see how you feel about that. If its original in your mind at the time, I'd say push through and do the tweaks. As everyone is saying, original plots are becoming exceedingly rare. But don't punish yourself for something you felt was genuine. Make it work with minor tweaks and let your writing make it stand out against the rest. | Even in the Bible it states that there is no original thought. Disney does this ALL THE TIME, they have ripped off so many Anime and so much history it is ridiculous. So, just make whatever plot you are writing Yours and don't worry if it has been used before. Just be original to Your take on the plot. That is all that matters. | 1 | 2,857 | 1.571429 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io7fx69 | io78ais | 1,663,035,845 | 1,663,032,536 | 11 | 2 | Need to ask yourself first whether you feel this was a subliminal choice (you've seen and/or heard of this plot, but unintentionally went down the same path) or if it was, in your mind, an original plot and on further research (or in my case, watched a new TV series or movie) find out it's not original and is scarily the same. If it's subliminal you need to see how you feel about that. If its original in your mind at the time, I'd say push through and do the tweaks. As everyone is saying, original plots are becoming exceedingly rare. But don't punish yourself for something you felt was genuine. Make it work with minor tweaks and let your writing make it stand out against the rest. | Maybe swap out settings, or change genders of the characters. Change genres even. | 1 | 3,309 | 5.5 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io7aoqo | io7fx69 | 1,663,033,588 | 1,663,035,845 | 2 | 11 | Start subtly yet relentlessly mocking the paired fiction. So if any has cross read the books they won't be tricked by similarities. | Need to ask yourself first whether you feel this was a subliminal choice (you've seen and/or heard of this plot, but unintentionally went down the same path) or if it was, in your mind, an original plot and on further research (or in my case, watched a new TV series or movie) find out it's not original and is scarily the same. If it's subliminal you need to see how you feel about that. If its original in your mind at the time, I'd say push through and do the tweaks. As everyone is saying, original plots are becoming exceedingly rare. But don't punish yourself for something you felt was genuine. Make it work with minor tweaks and let your writing make it stand out against the rest. | 0 | 2,257 | 5.5 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io7fx69 | io76hri | 1,663,035,845 | 1,663,031,778 | 11 | 1 | Need to ask yourself first whether you feel this was a subliminal choice (you've seen and/or heard of this plot, but unintentionally went down the same path) or if it was, in your mind, an original plot and on further research (or in my case, watched a new TV series or movie) find out it's not original and is scarily the same. If it's subliminal you need to see how you feel about that. If its original in your mind at the time, I'd say push through and do the tweaks. As everyone is saying, original plots are becoming exceedingly rare. But don't punish yourself for something you felt was genuine. Make it work with minor tweaks and let your writing make it stand out against the rest. | Alter it. I mean, most stories can be reduced to a point they sound very similar to other works. I don’t think there are universal stories, but there’s a reason why things like the hero’s journey are so easy to apply to so many texts. | 1 | 4,067 | 11 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io79b6d | io78ais | 1,663,032,988 | 1,663,032,536 | 7 | 2 | Even in the Bible it states that there is no original thought. Disney does this ALL THE TIME, they have ripped off so many Anime and so much history it is ridiculous. So, just make whatever plot you are writing Yours and don't worry if it has been used before. Just be original to Your take on the plot. That is all that matters. | Maybe swap out settings, or change genders of the characters. Change genres even. | 1 | 452 | 3.5 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io79b6d | io76hri | 1,663,032,988 | 1,663,031,778 | 7 | 1 | Even in the Bible it states that there is no original thought. Disney does this ALL THE TIME, they have ripped off so many Anime and so much history it is ridiculous. So, just make whatever plot you are writing Yours and don't worry if it has been used before. Just be original to Your take on the plot. That is all that matters. | Alter it. I mean, most stories can be reduced to a point they sound very similar to other works. I don’t think there are universal stories, but there’s a reason why things like the hero’s journey are so easy to apply to so many texts. | 1 | 1,210 | 7 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io78ais | io7upwg | 1,663,032,536 | 1,663,043,104 | 2 | 6 | Maybe swap out settings, or change genders of the characters. Change genres even. | Time machine back in time kidnap that author break their legs and make them write it differently you know what ill be right back this comment is too similar to.. | 0 | 10,568 | 3 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io7upwg | io7aoqo | 1,663,043,104 | 1,663,033,588 | 6 | 2 | Time machine back in time kidnap that author break their legs and make them write it differently you know what ill be right back this comment is too similar to.. | Start subtly yet relentlessly mocking the paired fiction. So if any has cross read the books they won't be tricked by similarities. | 1 | 9,516 | 3 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io7upwg | io7shcb | 1,663,043,104 | 1,663,041,835 | 6 | 1 | Time machine back in time kidnap that author break their legs and make them write it differently you know what ill be right back this comment is too similar to.. | Every story is basically the same anyway if you boil it down enough | 1 | 1,269 | 6 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io7upwg | io76hri | 1,663,043,104 | 1,663,031,778 | 6 | 1 | Time machine back in time kidnap that author break their legs and make them write it differently you know what ill be right back this comment is too similar to.. | Alter it. I mean, most stories can be reduced to a point they sound very similar to other works. I don’t think there are universal stories, but there’s a reason why things like the hero’s journey are so easy to apply to so many texts. | 1 | 11,326 | 6 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io76hri | io78ais | 1,663,031,778 | 1,663,032,536 | 1 | 2 | Alter it. I mean, most stories can be reduced to a point they sound very similar to other works. I don’t think there are universal stories, but there’s a reason why things like the hero’s journey are so easy to apply to so many texts. | Maybe swap out settings, or change genders of the characters. Change genres even. | 0 | 758 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io7aoqo | io76hri | 1,663,033,588 | 1,663,031,778 | 2 | 1 | Start subtly yet relentlessly mocking the paired fiction. So if any has cross read the books they won't be tricked by similarities. | Alter it. I mean, most stories can be reduced to a point they sound very similar to other works. I don’t think there are universal stories, but there’s a reason why things like the hero’s journey are so easy to apply to so many texts. | 1 | 1,810 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io7shcb | io9q3ch | 1,663,041,835 | 1,663,083,208 | 1 | 2 | Every story is basically the same anyway if you boil it down enough | I mean, depends what you mean by "similar." Is it beat for beat similar with the same core idea and setting? Might be an issue. But if they just exist in similar settings, or focus on similar themes, it shouldn't be too big of an issue. After all, there's only so many good ways to tell a story, and using some of the same strategies and themes isn't a huge problem. | 0 | 41,373 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io76hri | io9q3ch | 1,663,031,778 | 1,663,083,208 | 1 | 2 | Alter it. I mean, most stories can be reduced to a point they sound very similar to other works. I don’t think there are universal stories, but there’s a reason why things like the hero’s journey are so easy to apply to so many texts. | I mean, depends what you mean by "similar." Is it beat for beat similar with the same core idea and setting? Might be an issue. But if they just exist in similar settings, or focus on similar themes, it shouldn't be too big of an issue. After all, there's only so many good ways to tell a story, and using some of the same strategies and themes isn't a huge problem. | 0 | 51,430 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io7ysj9 | io9q3ch | 1,663,045,631 | 1,663,083,208 | 1 | 2 | Enjoy the easy Comp title. | I mean, depends what you mean by "similar." Is it beat for beat similar with the same core idea and setting? Might be an issue. But if they just exist in similar settings, or focus on similar themes, it shouldn't be too big of an issue. After all, there's only so many good ways to tell a story, and using some of the same strategies and themes isn't a huge problem. | 0 | 37,577 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io82c5l | io9q3ch | 1,663,048,033 | 1,663,083,208 | 1 | 2 | It's one thing to have a similar plot to something, what matters is how it's told. If it's beat for beat the same as something else it's best to recognize it early on so you can make necessary changes. There are numerous ways to tweak a plot to make it original. | I mean, depends what you mean by "similar." Is it beat for beat similar with the same core idea and setting? Might be an issue. But if they just exist in similar settings, or focus on similar themes, it shouldn't be too big of an issue. After all, there's only so many good ways to tell a story, and using some of the same strategies and themes isn't a huge problem. | 0 | 35,175 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io82hz0 | io9q3ch | 1,663,048,147 | 1,663,083,208 | 1 | 2 | It is fine as long as you put your own touch to it. Just as Shakespeare did, and Disney does even to this day. | I mean, depends what you mean by "similar." Is it beat for beat similar with the same core idea and setting? Might be an issue. But if they just exist in similar settings, or focus on similar themes, it shouldn't be too big of an issue. After all, there's only so many good ways to tell a story, and using some of the same strategies and themes isn't a huge problem. | 0 | 35,061 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io9q3ch | io8jkwv | 1,663,083,208 | 1,663,062,191 | 2 | 1 | I mean, depends what you mean by "similar." Is it beat for beat similar with the same core idea and setting? Might be an issue. But if they just exist in similar settings, or focus on similar themes, it shouldn't be too big of an issue. After all, there's only so many good ways to tell a story, and using some of the same strategies and themes isn't a huge problem. | Nothing, unless you're infringing copyright. | 1 | 21,017 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io9q3ch | io9bse5 | 1,663,083,208 | 1,663,077,756 | 2 | 1 | I mean, depends what you mean by "similar." Is it beat for beat similar with the same core idea and setting? Might be an issue. But if they just exist in similar settings, or focus on similar themes, it shouldn't be too big of an issue. After all, there's only so many good ways to tell a story, and using some of the same strategies and themes isn't a huge problem. | So my first work was about an illustrious French thief who had grown old and retired comfortably in what he believed to be quiet anonymity. In truth, he had always been known to the gendarmes but his activities were so popular at court that he was protected by royal writ from apprehension. However, time passed, the sovereign died, and France found itself on the precipice of war. The thief, now eighty and long out of practice, found himself arrested while on a walk and informed he could atone for his past crimes, save his life, and possible avert a war if he were willing to commit one final theft and steal a river Turns out it was already written, in the same genre of historical fiction, except with Leonardo Da Vinci as the main character. But it got me on with a publisher anyway. | 1 | 5,452 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io9dz8l | io9q3ch | 1,663,078,613 | 1,663,083,208 | 1 | 2 | we are all influenced by things we have seen and read if you feel as though your book is too close to something but you really love the idea work on it. Once you finish take note of the similarities see what you can change. | I mean, depends what you mean by "similar." Is it beat for beat similar with the same core idea and setting? Might be an issue. But if they just exist in similar settings, or focus on similar themes, it shouldn't be too big of an issue. After all, there's only so many good ways to tell a story, and using some of the same strategies and themes isn't a huge problem. | 0 | 4,595 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io9hpj4 | io9q3ch | 1,663,080,082 | 1,663,083,208 | 1 | 2 | You do nothing. Recently I've learned it really doesn't matter. Change a few small things and then it's different enough. A buddy of mine wrote a book, has it published, and another slightly more popular author is essentially coming out with the same exact story. Nothing he or his publisher can do. | I mean, depends what you mean by "similar." Is it beat for beat similar with the same core idea and setting? Might be an issue. But if they just exist in similar settings, or focus on similar themes, it shouldn't be too big of an issue. After all, there's only so many good ways to tell a story, and using some of the same strategies and themes isn't a huge problem. | 0 | 3,126 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io9jdvi | io9q3ch | 1,663,080,715 | 1,663,083,208 | 1 | 2 | Explore different characters and themes within the framework of the plot. | I mean, depends what you mean by "similar." Is it beat for beat similar with the same core idea and setting? Might be an issue. But if they just exist in similar settings, or focus on similar themes, it shouldn't be too big of an issue. After all, there's only so many good ways to tell a story, and using some of the same strategies and themes isn't a huge problem. | 0 | 2,493 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io9wrgn | io7shcb | 1,663,085,672 | 1,663,041,835 | 2 | 1 | I go on writing. It will not be exactly as the book I read, and if I can gulp down like 5 to 10 books with similar stories, then my readers can and will, too. | Every story is basically the same anyway if you boil it down enough | 1 | 43,837 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io76hri | io9wrgn | 1,663,031,778 | 1,663,085,672 | 1 | 2 | Alter it. I mean, most stories can be reduced to a point they sound very similar to other works. I don’t think there are universal stories, but there’s a reason why things like the hero’s journey are so easy to apply to so many texts. | I go on writing. It will not be exactly as the book I read, and if I can gulp down like 5 to 10 books with similar stories, then my readers can and will, too. | 0 | 53,894 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io9wrgn | io7ysj9 | 1,663,085,672 | 1,663,045,631 | 2 | 1 | I go on writing. It will not be exactly as the book I read, and if I can gulp down like 5 to 10 books with similar stories, then my readers can and will, too. | Enjoy the easy Comp title. | 1 | 40,041 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io9wrgn | io82c5l | 1,663,085,672 | 1,663,048,033 | 2 | 1 | I go on writing. It will not be exactly as the book I read, and if I can gulp down like 5 to 10 books with similar stories, then my readers can and will, too. | It's one thing to have a similar plot to something, what matters is how it's told. If it's beat for beat the same as something else it's best to recognize it early on so you can make necessary changes. There are numerous ways to tweak a plot to make it original. | 1 | 37,639 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io82hz0 | io9wrgn | 1,663,048,147 | 1,663,085,672 | 1 | 2 | It is fine as long as you put your own touch to it. Just as Shakespeare did, and Disney does even to this day. | I go on writing. It will not be exactly as the book I read, and if I can gulp down like 5 to 10 books with similar stories, then my readers can and will, too. | 0 | 37,525 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io9wrgn | io8jkwv | 1,663,085,672 | 1,663,062,191 | 2 | 1 | I go on writing. It will not be exactly as the book I read, and if I can gulp down like 5 to 10 books with similar stories, then my readers can and will, too. | Nothing, unless you're infringing copyright. | 1 | 23,481 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io9bse5 | io9wrgn | 1,663,077,756 | 1,663,085,672 | 1 | 2 | So my first work was about an illustrious French thief who had grown old and retired comfortably in what he believed to be quiet anonymity. In truth, he had always been known to the gendarmes but his activities were so popular at court that he was protected by royal writ from apprehension. However, time passed, the sovereign died, and France found itself on the precipice of war. The thief, now eighty and long out of practice, found himself arrested while on a walk and informed he could atone for his past crimes, save his life, and possible avert a war if he were willing to commit one final theft and steal a river Turns out it was already written, in the same genre of historical fiction, except with Leonardo Da Vinci as the main character. But it got me on with a publisher anyway. | I go on writing. It will not be exactly as the book I read, and if I can gulp down like 5 to 10 books with similar stories, then my readers can and will, too. | 0 | 7,916 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io9dz8l | io9wrgn | 1,663,078,613 | 1,663,085,672 | 1 | 2 | we are all influenced by things we have seen and read if you feel as though your book is too close to something but you really love the idea work on it. Once you finish take note of the similarities see what you can change. | I go on writing. It will not be exactly as the book I read, and if I can gulp down like 5 to 10 books with similar stories, then my readers can and will, too. | 0 | 7,059 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io9hpj4 | io9wrgn | 1,663,080,082 | 1,663,085,672 | 1 | 2 | You do nothing. Recently I've learned it really doesn't matter. Change a few small things and then it's different enough. A buddy of mine wrote a book, has it published, and another slightly more popular author is essentially coming out with the same exact story. Nothing he or his publisher can do. | I go on writing. It will not be exactly as the book I read, and if I can gulp down like 5 to 10 books with similar stories, then my readers can and will, too. | 0 | 5,590 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io9jdvi | io9wrgn | 1,663,080,715 | 1,663,085,672 | 1 | 2 | Explore different characters and themes within the framework of the plot. | I go on writing. It will not be exactly as the book I read, and if I can gulp down like 5 to 10 books with similar stories, then my readers can and will, too. | 0 | 4,957 | 2 | ||
xctioe | writing_train | 0.77 | What to do when a plot is too similar to another book? Have you ever gotten midway through your story and realized that what you're writing is similar to something that has already been published? If so, do you just scrap the project altogether, or try to tweak it so that your story is markedly different? How do you know when your story is unique enough on its own? | io9u7je | io9wrgn | 1,663,084,730 | 1,663,085,672 | 1 | 2 | *What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.* *Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.* *Ecclesiastes 1* Or in other words, relax. People more than 2000 years ago already understood that there is nothing new out there. When you strip any story to the bare bones, it all goes back to archetypical plots. Basic human needs and wants and actions. Repeating this - there is no such thing as a new idea. This are only creative and interesting ways of telling a story that is personal to you. | I go on writing. It will not be exactly as the book I read, and if I can gulp down like 5 to 10 books with similar stories, then my readers can and will, too. | 0 | 942 | 2 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0oywq | im0rws6 | 1,661,617,506 | 1,661,618,723 | 3 | 7 | Seeing the truth isn’t usually what convinces someone. What convinces them is that it’s safe to change their mind to the truth, and that the matter of the truth is what they need for their life. That’s why it doesn’t matter if it’s the truth. It works for the truth, too. | They have to be ready to accept the truth in some way, which generally means the foundations of their current belief must already be shaken somehow. | 0 | 1,217 | 2.333333 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0rws6 | im0qx9p | 1,661,618,723 | 1,661,618,317 | 7 | 0 | They have to be ready to accept the truth in some way, which generally means the foundations of their current belief must already be shaken somehow. | I think you use your imagination and assess what works best for you story | 1 | 406 | 7,000 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0y888 | im0sjl3 | 1,661,621,324 | 1,661,618,984 | 7 | 4 | You start from inventing that, rather than your character. For example, let's say your theme is "friendship". You have to decide "what do I want to say about friendship?" Is it that you should trust your friends? Is it that you only know a friend once the friendship is tested? Etc. Let's say you pick "you only know a friend once the friendship is tested". So how do you craft a plot to prove that? Well, you need to give your mc a lot of false friends, and some true friends who are gonna be the ones passing the test. So then you imagine "what kind of mc has a lot of friends - some false, some true?" You probably imagine some extroverted, social person. Now imagine what would that person want and how could it go against the motto you're trying to prove. Maybe at start they think the more friends the better? Maybe they think they need to please everyone? Maybe they surround themselves with flatterers who give them lip service rather than real friendship? Then you devise the plot. You already know you need a plot point when the friendships are tested. Maybe you want a few red herrings like falling out with a real friend only to reconcile with them later. Maybe you need some elements showing that the mc is losing themselves by trying to keep all the friends happy instead of cutting some off (toxic friends, false friends, exploitative friends, etc.) Maybe you invent a plot point where the mc falls ill and stops being a party person and then a lot of friends think the mc is "no longer fun" and only the "true friends" show up? And so forth. Just don't write a story where xXxSlayorzzz wants to throw fireballs at space zombie dinosaurs and then try to shoehorn some "depth" into it post factum. That's literally the worst way to consider "themes" in a story, try to artificially sprinkle them in afterwards. | Well, they would learn the opposite of their false beliefs, or the "truth" that opposes the falsehood. What they need in order to motivate the transformation of thought is for the story to happen. So the real question is "what story are you trying to tell?" | 1 | 2,340 | 1.75 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0y888 | im0vt2p | 1,661,621,324 | 1,661,620,336 | 7 | 4 | You start from inventing that, rather than your character. For example, let's say your theme is "friendship". You have to decide "what do I want to say about friendship?" Is it that you should trust your friends? Is it that you only know a friend once the friendship is tested? Etc. Let's say you pick "you only know a friend once the friendship is tested". So how do you craft a plot to prove that? Well, you need to give your mc a lot of false friends, and some true friends who are gonna be the ones passing the test. So then you imagine "what kind of mc has a lot of friends - some false, some true?" You probably imagine some extroverted, social person. Now imagine what would that person want and how could it go against the motto you're trying to prove. Maybe at start they think the more friends the better? Maybe they think they need to please everyone? Maybe they surround themselves with flatterers who give them lip service rather than real friendship? Then you devise the plot. You already know you need a plot point when the friendships are tested. Maybe you want a few red herrings like falling out with a real friend only to reconcile with them later. Maybe you need some elements showing that the mc is losing themselves by trying to keep all the friends happy instead of cutting some off (toxic friends, false friends, exploitative friends, etc.) Maybe you invent a plot point where the mc falls ill and stops being a party person and then a lot of friends think the mc is "no longer fun" and only the "true friends" show up? And so forth. Just don't write a story where xXxSlayorzzz wants to throw fireballs at space zombie dinosaurs and then try to shoehorn some "depth" into it post factum. That's literally the worst way to consider "themes" in a story, try to artificially sprinkle them in afterwards. | Set up situations/crises/rising actions in your main character’s path within your story, have that protagonist stumble, and then learn from his/her mistakes — that kind of experience not only makes for excellent storytelling, but it’s also a feature of something we all go through — real life. | 1 | 988 | 1.75 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0oywq | im0y888 | 1,661,617,506 | 1,661,621,324 | 3 | 7 | Seeing the truth isn’t usually what convinces someone. What convinces them is that it’s safe to change their mind to the truth, and that the matter of the truth is what they need for their life. That’s why it doesn’t matter if it’s the truth. It works for the truth, too. | You start from inventing that, rather than your character. For example, let's say your theme is "friendship". You have to decide "what do I want to say about friendship?" Is it that you should trust your friends? Is it that you only know a friend once the friendship is tested? Etc. Let's say you pick "you only know a friend once the friendship is tested". So how do you craft a plot to prove that? Well, you need to give your mc a lot of false friends, and some true friends who are gonna be the ones passing the test. So then you imagine "what kind of mc has a lot of friends - some false, some true?" You probably imagine some extroverted, social person. Now imagine what would that person want and how could it go against the motto you're trying to prove. Maybe at start they think the more friends the better? Maybe they think they need to please everyone? Maybe they surround themselves with flatterers who give them lip service rather than real friendship? Then you devise the plot. You already know you need a plot point when the friendships are tested. Maybe you want a few red herrings like falling out with a real friend only to reconcile with them later. Maybe you need some elements showing that the mc is losing themselves by trying to keep all the friends happy instead of cutting some off (toxic friends, false friends, exploitative friends, etc.) Maybe you invent a plot point where the mc falls ill and stops being a party person and then a lot of friends think the mc is "no longer fun" and only the "true friends" show up? And so forth. Just don't write a story where xXxSlayorzzz wants to throw fireballs at space zombie dinosaurs and then try to shoehorn some "depth" into it post factum. That's literally the worst way to consider "themes" in a story, try to artificially sprinkle them in afterwards. | 0 | 3,818 | 2.333333 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0trcn | im0y888 | 1,661,619,487 | 1,661,621,324 | 2 | 7 | As for the how... Give your character an interview, what are his beliefs, likes, dislikes, temperment. All of that can be discovered through an interveiw-like writing session. there are many rescourses for this. Just look up '50 questions for my main character' and answer them. The better you know your character, the better you can answer these type of questions. | You start from inventing that, rather than your character. For example, let's say your theme is "friendship". You have to decide "what do I want to say about friendship?" Is it that you should trust your friends? Is it that you only know a friend once the friendship is tested? Etc. Let's say you pick "you only know a friend once the friendship is tested". So how do you craft a plot to prove that? Well, you need to give your mc a lot of false friends, and some true friends who are gonna be the ones passing the test. So then you imagine "what kind of mc has a lot of friends - some false, some true?" You probably imagine some extroverted, social person. Now imagine what would that person want and how could it go against the motto you're trying to prove. Maybe at start they think the more friends the better? Maybe they think they need to please everyone? Maybe they surround themselves with flatterers who give them lip service rather than real friendship? Then you devise the plot. You already know you need a plot point when the friendships are tested. Maybe you want a few red herrings like falling out with a real friend only to reconcile with them later. Maybe you need some elements showing that the mc is losing themselves by trying to keep all the friends happy instead of cutting some off (toxic friends, false friends, exploitative friends, etc.) Maybe you invent a plot point where the mc falls ill and stops being a party person and then a lot of friends think the mc is "no longer fun" and only the "true friends" show up? And so forth. Just don't write a story where xXxSlayorzzz wants to throw fireballs at space zombie dinosaurs and then try to shoehorn some "depth" into it post factum. That's literally the worst way to consider "themes" in a story, try to artificially sprinkle them in afterwards. | 0 | 1,837 | 3.5 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0y888 | im0qx9p | 1,661,621,324 | 1,661,618,317 | 7 | 0 | You start from inventing that, rather than your character. For example, let's say your theme is "friendship". You have to decide "what do I want to say about friendship?" Is it that you should trust your friends? Is it that you only know a friend once the friendship is tested? Etc. Let's say you pick "you only know a friend once the friendship is tested". So how do you craft a plot to prove that? Well, you need to give your mc a lot of false friends, and some true friends who are gonna be the ones passing the test. So then you imagine "what kind of mc has a lot of friends - some false, some true?" You probably imagine some extroverted, social person. Now imagine what would that person want and how could it go against the motto you're trying to prove. Maybe at start they think the more friends the better? Maybe they think they need to please everyone? Maybe they surround themselves with flatterers who give them lip service rather than real friendship? Then you devise the plot. You already know you need a plot point when the friendships are tested. Maybe you want a few red herrings like falling out with a real friend only to reconcile with them later. Maybe you need some elements showing that the mc is losing themselves by trying to keep all the friends happy instead of cutting some off (toxic friends, false friends, exploitative friends, etc.) Maybe you invent a plot point where the mc falls ill and stops being a party person and then a lot of friends think the mc is "no longer fun" and only the "true friends" show up? And so forth. Just don't write a story where xXxSlayorzzz wants to throw fireballs at space zombie dinosaurs and then try to shoehorn some "depth" into it post factum. That's literally the worst way to consider "themes" in a story, try to artificially sprinkle them in afterwards. | I think you use your imagination and assess what works best for you story | 1 | 3,007 | 7,000 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0sjl3 | im0oywq | 1,661,618,984 | 1,661,617,506 | 4 | 3 | Well, they would learn the opposite of their false beliefs, or the "truth" that opposes the falsehood. What they need in order to motivate the transformation of thought is for the story to happen. So the real question is "what story are you trying to tell?" | Seeing the truth isn’t usually what convinces someone. What convinces them is that it’s safe to change their mind to the truth, and that the matter of the truth is what they need for their life. That’s why it doesn’t matter if it’s the truth. It works for the truth, too. | 1 | 1,478 | 1.333333 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0sjl3 | im0qx9p | 1,661,618,984 | 1,661,618,317 | 4 | 0 | Well, they would learn the opposite of their false beliefs, or the "truth" that opposes the falsehood. What they need in order to motivate the transformation of thought is for the story to happen. So the real question is "what story are you trying to tell?" | I think you use your imagination and assess what works best for you story | 1 | 667 | 4,000 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0vt2p | im0oywq | 1,661,620,336 | 1,661,617,506 | 4 | 3 | Set up situations/crises/rising actions in your main character’s path within your story, have that protagonist stumble, and then learn from his/her mistakes — that kind of experience not only makes for excellent storytelling, but it’s also a feature of something we all go through — real life. | Seeing the truth isn’t usually what convinces someone. What convinces them is that it’s safe to change their mind to the truth, and that the matter of the truth is what they need for their life. That’s why it doesn’t matter if it’s the truth. It works for the truth, too. | 1 | 2,830 | 1.333333 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0vt2p | im0trcn | 1,661,620,336 | 1,661,619,487 | 4 | 2 | Set up situations/crises/rising actions in your main character’s path within your story, have that protagonist stumble, and then learn from his/her mistakes — that kind of experience not only makes for excellent storytelling, but it’s also a feature of something we all go through — real life. | As for the how... Give your character an interview, what are his beliefs, likes, dislikes, temperment. All of that can be discovered through an interveiw-like writing session. there are many rescourses for this. Just look up '50 questions for my main character' and answer them. The better you know your character, the better you can answer these type of questions. | 1 | 849 | 2 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0qx9p | im0vt2p | 1,661,618,317 | 1,661,620,336 | 0 | 4 | I think you use your imagination and assess what works best for you story | Set up situations/crises/rising actions in your main character’s path within your story, have that protagonist stumble, and then learn from his/her mistakes — that kind of experience not only makes for excellent storytelling, but it’s also a feature of something we all go through — real life. | 0 | 2,019 | 4,000 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0trcn | im0yha2 | 1,661,619,487 | 1,661,621,428 | 2 | 3 | As for the how... Give your character an interview, what are his beliefs, likes, dislikes, temperment. All of that can be discovered through an interveiw-like writing session. there are many rescourses for this. Just look up '50 questions for my main character' and answer them. The better you know your character, the better you can answer these type of questions. | I think this post from a totally unrelated topic is the best answer to this question. There is a lot of value in the observations of those whom consume media critically. Talk to people who read about what makes characters compelling and I think you will get much better answers than you will from those who write. To address your question more directly: People change by degrees, so a great change will require many individual steps each one the result of incremental progress. You are asking the right questions though. Best of luck. | 0 | 1,941 | 1.5 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0trcn | im2ypa4 | 1,661,619,487 | 1,661,654,377 | 2 | 3 | As for the how... Give your character an interview, what are his beliefs, likes, dislikes, temperment. All of that can be discovered through an interveiw-like writing session. there are many rescourses for this. Just look up '50 questions for my main character' and answer them. The better you know your character, the better you can answer these type of questions. | I'm sadistic. I usually put my characters in painful situations where the truth is something they have to accept to overcome the main conflict. Have them believably overcome that is the true challenge for me. For example, in one of my stories, there's a (not yet) witch trying to "save" her friend and meddle with stuff she otherwise shouldn't. Long story short, it took her friend turning into a vegetable, a kingdom being brought down and her friend's husband dying all at the same time for her to finally realize how her intentions although pure, shouldn't have been acted upon. | 0 | 34,890 | 1.5 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0trcn | im0qx9p | 1,661,619,487 | 1,661,618,317 | 2 | 0 | As for the how... Give your character an interview, what are his beliefs, likes, dislikes, temperment. All of that can be discovered through an interveiw-like writing session. there are many rescourses for this. Just look up '50 questions for my main character' and answer them. The better you know your character, the better you can answer these type of questions. | I think you use your imagination and assess what works best for you story | 1 | 1,170 | 2,000 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0yha2 | im0qx9p | 1,661,621,428 | 1,661,618,317 | 3 | 0 | I think this post from a totally unrelated topic is the best answer to this question. There is a lot of value in the observations of those whom consume media critically. Talk to people who read about what makes characters compelling and I think you will get much better answers than you will from those who write. To address your question more directly: People change by degrees, so a great change will require many individual steps each one the result of incremental progress. You are asking the right questions though. Best of luck. | I think you use your imagination and assess what works best for you story | 1 | 3,111 | 3,000 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im0qx9p | im2ypa4 | 1,661,618,317 | 1,661,654,377 | 0 | 3 | I think you use your imagination and assess what works best for you story | I'm sadistic. I usually put my characters in painful situations where the truth is something they have to accept to overcome the main conflict. Have them believably overcome that is the true challenge for me. For example, in one of my stories, there's a (not yet) witch trying to "save" her friend and meddle with stuff she otherwise shouldn't. Long story short, it took her friend turning into a vegetable, a kingdom being brought down and her friend's husband dying all at the same time for her to finally realize how her intentions although pure, shouldn't have been acted upon. | 0 | 36,060 | 3,000 | ||
wz6xk5 | writing_train | 0.69 | How do I know what my main character should learn from their false beliefs? Like, how do I know what they **need** in order for the other character (The mentor for example) to show them the truth? | im2phlb | im2ypa4 | 1,661,649,702 | 1,661,654,377 | 0 | 3 | They need pain. That is all. | I'm sadistic. I usually put my characters in painful situations where the truth is something they have to accept to overcome the main conflict. Have them believably overcome that is the true challenge for me. For example, in one of my stories, there's a (not yet) witch trying to "save" her friend and meddle with stuff she otherwise shouldn't. Long story short, it took her friend turning into a vegetable, a kingdom being brought down and her friend's husband dying all at the same time for her to finally realize how her intentions although pure, shouldn't have been acted upon. | 0 | 4,675 | 3,000 | ||
ynwysw | writing_train | 0.98 | Using the em dash (—) in dialogue to denote a speaker interrupting himself to perform an action — What's the proper method? EXAMPLE: 1. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot —" he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot "— we'll be thrown in prison or killed." 2. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot," — he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot — "we'll be thrown in prison or killed." Which one is more commonly used or considered the "most correct"? Or are neither of these proper form? Thanks for your time. | ivb3fp0 | ivbspm0 | 1,667,756,775 | 1,667,766,401 | 315 | 484 | "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot"—he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot—"we'll be thrown in prison or killed." Outside the quotation marks, no spaces, no comma. | Amazingly, the only person getting downvoted in this thread is the only person to provide the correct answer. My sincere apologies to /u/LenaBrassard whose reply should be at the top of the comment chain. For reference, I recommend this source (yes, it is a blog, but it is both a blog run by an actual editor and it directly cites Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) formatting in every example. And, while I *could* simply cite CMoS, this source also provides examples in addition to the reason why). >There’s one drawback, however, to using commas with interruptors—they can’t be used to set off an independent clause inside another independent clause. A pair of commas simply isn’t sufficient for that purpose. Dashes (or parentheses) are needed. > >\[...\] > >For the same reason we don’t interrupt independent clauses with other independent clauses using only a pair of commas, we don’t set off an action or thought that interrupts a sentence of dialogue (in lieu of a dialogue tag) with commas. The setup is exactly the same. > >**EXAMPLES:** > >“She told me she did it,” Aurora pounded the table, “smiling the whole time.” **\[Wrong\]** > >“She told me she did it”—Aurora pounded the table—“smiling the whole time.” **\[Correct\]** > >“I need to get to him before the police do,” at least I thought I did, “so he doesn’t think I abandoned him.” **\[Wrong\]** > >“I need to get to him before the police do”—at least I thought I did—“so he doesn’t think I abandoned him.” **\[Correct\]** To OP /u/UO01: in your examples in your original post, example #2 is correct. While em-dashes are often used to indicate interrupted dialogue, that is usually in the case of a person being *cut-off* mid-sentence where one em-dash is used. In this instance, the person speaking is resuming their dialogue, and the action interrupting it is an independent clause in itself, so the em-dashes go *outside* the quotation marks. | 0 | 9,626 | 1.536508 | ||
ynwysw | writing_train | 0.98 | Using the em dash (—) in dialogue to denote a speaker interrupting himself to perform an action — What's the proper method? EXAMPLE: 1. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot —" he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot "— we'll be thrown in prison or killed." 2. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot," — he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot — "we'll be thrown in prison or killed." Which one is more commonly used or considered the "most correct"? Or are neither of these proper form? Thanks for your time. | ivbspm0 | ivbfgmw | 1,667,766,401 | 1,667,761,362 | 484 | 233 | Amazingly, the only person getting downvoted in this thread is the only person to provide the correct answer. My sincere apologies to /u/LenaBrassard whose reply should be at the top of the comment chain. For reference, I recommend this source (yes, it is a blog, but it is both a blog run by an actual editor and it directly cites Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) formatting in every example. And, while I *could* simply cite CMoS, this source also provides examples in addition to the reason why). >There’s one drawback, however, to using commas with interruptors—they can’t be used to set off an independent clause inside another independent clause. A pair of commas simply isn’t sufficient for that purpose. Dashes (or parentheses) are needed. > >\[...\] > >For the same reason we don’t interrupt independent clauses with other independent clauses using only a pair of commas, we don’t set off an action or thought that interrupts a sentence of dialogue (in lieu of a dialogue tag) with commas. The setup is exactly the same. > >**EXAMPLES:** > >“She told me she did it,” Aurora pounded the table, “smiling the whole time.” **\[Wrong\]** > >“She told me she did it”—Aurora pounded the table—“smiling the whole time.” **\[Correct\]** > >“I need to get to him before the police do,” at least I thought I did, “so he doesn’t think I abandoned him.” **\[Wrong\]** > >“I need to get to him before the police do”—at least I thought I did—“so he doesn’t think I abandoned him.” **\[Correct\]** To OP /u/UO01: in your examples in your original post, example #2 is correct. While em-dashes are often used to indicate interrupted dialogue, that is usually in the case of a person being *cut-off* mid-sentence where one em-dash is used. In this instance, the person speaking is resuming their dialogue, and the action interrupting it is an independent clause in itself, so the em-dashes go *outside* the quotation marks. | Either way there's 3 major schools for the "correct" way. It doesn't matter. English is 3 languages in a trench coat robbing other languages in a back ally for grammar. | 1 | 5,039 | 2.077253 | ||
ynwysw | writing_train | 0.98 | Using the em dash (—) in dialogue to denote a speaker interrupting himself to perform an action — What's the proper method? EXAMPLE: 1. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot —" he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot "— we'll be thrown in prison or killed." 2. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot," — he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot — "we'll be thrown in prison or killed." Which one is more commonly used or considered the "most correct"? Or are neither of these proper form? Thanks for your time. | ivbotll | ivbspm0 | 1,667,764,931 | 1,667,766,401 | 79 | 484 | OK so I love em dashes and the divided opinions here interested me. Had to look it up myself because the Chicago guidelines seemed outlandish to me, but I thinknit depends on the use of the dash (most of us, myself included, are probably used to either interruption of speech such as "Hey, I'm trying to explain—" "I don't want your explanations." Or in narrative tangents (where there are no quotation marks so this isn't an issue. As some people have said, I wouldn't necessarily use dashes in this example. It seems that they should be used sparingly, like most fancy punctuation, to preserve their effect, so I would go with commas (or even ellipsis as someone suggested, since there doesn't really seems to be a need for more urgency in this context.) HOWEVER, it does seem like the Chicago style guide is technically correct. (Though doing it the other way won't get you in trouble, speaking from my own experience). It looks really weird to me, I admit, but I do see it mentioned. Not sure if I can add this link, but this is a fairly extensive read on them and from a quick glance I see both examples used in different context! Mystery solved.... maybe? (It still looks funky to me haha) Em dash general information | Amazingly, the only person getting downvoted in this thread is the only person to provide the correct answer. My sincere apologies to /u/LenaBrassard whose reply should be at the top of the comment chain. For reference, I recommend this source (yes, it is a blog, but it is both a blog run by an actual editor and it directly cites Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) formatting in every example. And, while I *could* simply cite CMoS, this source also provides examples in addition to the reason why). >There’s one drawback, however, to using commas with interruptors—they can’t be used to set off an independent clause inside another independent clause. A pair of commas simply isn’t sufficient for that purpose. Dashes (or parentheses) are needed. > >\[...\] > >For the same reason we don’t interrupt independent clauses with other independent clauses using only a pair of commas, we don’t set off an action or thought that interrupts a sentence of dialogue (in lieu of a dialogue tag) with commas. The setup is exactly the same. > >**EXAMPLES:** > >“She told me she did it,” Aurora pounded the table, “smiling the whole time.” **\[Wrong\]** > >“She told me she did it”—Aurora pounded the table—“smiling the whole time.” **\[Correct\]** > >“I need to get to him before the police do,” at least I thought I did, “so he doesn’t think I abandoned him.” **\[Wrong\]** > >“I need to get to him before the police do”—at least I thought I did—“so he doesn’t think I abandoned him.” **\[Correct\]** To OP /u/UO01: in your examples in your original post, example #2 is correct. While em-dashes are often used to indicate interrupted dialogue, that is usually in the case of a person being *cut-off* mid-sentence where one em-dash is used. In this instance, the person speaking is resuming their dialogue, and the action interrupting it is an independent clause in itself, so the em-dashes go *outside* the quotation marks. | 0 | 1,470 | 6.126582 | ||
ynwysw | writing_train | 0.98 | Using the em dash (—) in dialogue to denote a speaker interrupting himself to perform an action — What's the proper method? EXAMPLE: 1. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot —" he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot "— we'll be thrown in prison or killed." 2. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot," — he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot — "we'll be thrown in prison or killed." Which one is more commonly used or considered the "most correct"? Or are neither of these proper form? Thanks for your time. | ivbspm0 | ivbcjrs | 1,667,766,401 | 1,667,760,265 | 484 | 18 | Amazingly, the only person getting downvoted in this thread is the only person to provide the correct answer. My sincere apologies to /u/LenaBrassard whose reply should be at the top of the comment chain. For reference, I recommend this source (yes, it is a blog, but it is both a blog run by an actual editor and it directly cites Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) formatting in every example. And, while I *could* simply cite CMoS, this source also provides examples in addition to the reason why). >There’s one drawback, however, to using commas with interruptors—they can’t be used to set off an independent clause inside another independent clause. A pair of commas simply isn’t sufficient for that purpose. Dashes (or parentheses) are needed. > >\[...\] > >For the same reason we don’t interrupt independent clauses with other independent clauses using only a pair of commas, we don’t set off an action or thought that interrupts a sentence of dialogue (in lieu of a dialogue tag) with commas. The setup is exactly the same. > >**EXAMPLES:** > >“She told me she did it,” Aurora pounded the table, “smiling the whole time.” **\[Wrong\]** > >“She told me she did it”—Aurora pounded the table—“smiling the whole time.” **\[Correct\]** > >“I need to get to him before the police do,” at least I thought I did, “so he doesn’t think I abandoned him.” **\[Wrong\]** > >“I need to get to him before the police do”—at least I thought I did—“so he doesn’t think I abandoned him.” **\[Correct\]** To OP /u/UO01: in your examples in your original post, example #2 is correct. While em-dashes are often used to indicate interrupted dialogue, that is usually in the case of a person being *cut-off* mid-sentence where one em-dash is used. In this instance, the person speaking is resuming their dialogue, and the action interrupting it is an independent clause in itself, so the em-dashes go *outside* the quotation marks. | I cannot see a rationale for enclosing a dash in quotes unless the speaker paused between words. | 1 | 6,136 | 26.888889 | ||
ynwysw | writing_train | 0.98 | Using the em dash (—) in dialogue to denote a speaker interrupting himself to perform an action — What's the proper method? EXAMPLE: 1. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot —" he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot "— we'll be thrown in prison or killed." 2. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot," — he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot — "we'll be thrown in prison or killed." Which one is more commonly used or considered the "most correct"? Or are neither of these proper form? Thanks for your time. | ivbfgmw | ivbcjrs | 1,667,761,362 | 1,667,760,265 | 233 | 18 | Either way there's 3 major schools for the "correct" way. It doesn't matter. English is 3 languages in a trench coat robbing other languages in a back ally for grammar. | I cannot see a rationale for enclosing a dash in quotes unless the speaker paused between words. | 1 | 1,097 | 12.944444 | ||
ynwysw | writing_train | 0.98 | Using the em dash (—) in dialogue to denote a speaker interrupting himself to perform an action — What's the proper method? EXAMPLE: 1. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot —" he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot "— we'll be thrown in prison or killed." 2. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot," — he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot — "we'll be thrown in prison or killed." Which one is more commonly used or considered the "most correct"? Or are neither of these proper form? Thanks for your time. | ivbotll | ivbcjrs | 1,667,764,931 | 1,667,760,265 | 79 | 18 | OK so I love em dashes and the divided opinions here interested me. Had to look it up myself because the Chicago guidelines seemed outlandish to me, but I thinknit depends on the use of the dash (most of us, myself included, are probably used to either interruption of speech such as "Hey, I'm trying to explain—" "I don't want your explanations." Or in narrative tangents (where there are no quotation marks so this isn't an issue. As some people have said, I wouldn't necessarily use dashes in this example. It seems that they should be used sparingly, like most fancy punctuation, to preserve their effect, so I would go with commas (or even ellipsis as someone suggested, since there doesn't really seems to be a need for more urgency in this context.) HOWEVER, it does seem like the Chicago style guide is technically correct. (Though doing it the other way won't get you in trouble, speaking from my own experience). It looks really weird to me, I admit, but I do see it mentioned. Not sure if I can add this link, but this is a fairly extensive read on them and from a quick glance I see both examples used in different context! Mystery solved.... maybe? (It still looks funky to me haha) Em dash general information | I cannot see a rationale for enclosing a dash in quotes unless the speaker paused between words. | 1 | 4,666 | 4.388889 | ||
ynwysw | writing_train | 0.98 | Using the em dash (—) in dialogue to denote a speaker interrupting himself to perform an action — What's the proper method? EXAMPLE: 1. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot —" he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot "— we'll be thrown in prison or killed." 2. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot," — he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot — "we'll be thrown in prison or killed." Which one is more commonly used or considered the "most correct"? Or are neither of these proper form? Thanks for your time. | ivcggbh | ivcelhr | 1,667,775,901 | 1,667,775,108 | 12 | 5 | The second example is correct. Here is a useful link regarding em dashes and their many uses. | One thing I would note is that there should not be a space preceding or following an em dash. | 1 | 793 | 2.4 | ||
ynwysw | writing_train | 0.98 | Using the em dash (—) in dialogue to denote a speaker interrupting himself to perform an action — What's the proper method? EXAMPLE: 1. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot —" he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot "— we'll be thrown in prison or killed." 2. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot," — he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot — "we'll be thrown in prison or killed." Which one is more commonly used or considered the "most correct"? Or are neither of these proper form? Thanks for your time. | ivcomh3 | ivcelhr | 1,667,779,425 | 1,667,775,108 | 9 | 5 | Do you need them? Doesn't > "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot," he narrowed his eyes at Slappy, "we'll be thrown in prison or killed." read the same? Otherwise inside, probably, but both look weird to me. | One thing I would note is that there should not be a space preceding or following an em dash. | 1 | 4,317 | 1.8 | ||
ynwysw | writing_train | 0.98 | Using the em dash (—) in dialogue to denote a speaker interrupting himself to perform an action — What's the proper method? EXAMPLE: 1. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot —" he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot "— we'll be thrown in prison or killed." 2. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot," — he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot — "we'll be thrown in prison or killed." Which one is more commonly used or considered the "most correct"? Or are neither of these proper form? Thanks for your time. | ivddpmb | ivcelhr | 1,667,791,224 | 1,667,775,108 | 6 | 5 | I would ask this in /r/grammar. | One thing I would note is that there should not be a space preceding or following an em dash. | 1 | 16,116 | 1.2 | ||
ynwysw | writing_train | 0.98 | Using the em dash (—) in dialogue to denote a speaker interrupting himself to perform an action — What's the proper method? EXAMPLE: 1. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot —" he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot "— we'll be thrown in prison or killed." 2. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot," — he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot — "we'll be thrown in prison or killed." Which one is more commonly used or considered the "most correct"? Or are neither of these proper form? Thanks for your time. | ivd6hao | ivddpmb | 1,667,787,690 | 1,667,791,224 | 5 | 6 | It's a stylistic choice. Just be consistent. | I would ask this in /r/grammar. | 0 | 3,534 | 1.2 | ||
ynwysw | writing_train | 0.98 | Using the em dash (—) in dialogue to denote a speaker interrupting himself to perform an action — What's the proper method? EXAMPLE: 1. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot —" he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot "— we'll be thrown in prison or killed." 2. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot," — he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot — "we'll be thrown in prison or killed." Which one is more commonly used or considered the "most correct"? Or are neither of these proper form? Thanks for your time. | ivddpmb | ivcugpe | 1,667,791,224 | 1,667,782,063 | 6 | 2 | I would ask this in /r/grammar. | \#2 is correct (and how my editor has always corrected when I've misused em dashes.) Without using the em dashes in this case, you're using action as a dialog tag. If you don't want to use em dashes in a sentence such as this, you can place the action ahead of the dialog. *He narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot, we'll be thrown in prison, or killed."* | 1 | 9,161 | 3 | ||
ynwysw | writing_train | 0.98 | Using the em dash (—) in dialogue to denote a speaker interrupting himself to perform an action — What's the proper method? EXAMPLE: 1. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot —" he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot "— we'll be thrown in prison or killed." 2. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot," — he narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot — "we'll be thrown in prison or killed." Which one is more commonly used or considered the "most correct"? Or are neither of these proper form? Thanks for your time. | ivd6hao | ivcugpe | 1,667,787,690 | 1,667,782,063 | 5 | 2 | It's a stylistic choice. Just be consistent. | \#2 is correct (and how my editor has always corrected when I've misused em dashes.) Without using the em dashes in this case, you're using action as a dialog tag. If you don't want to use em dashes in a sentence such as this, you can place the action ahead of the dialog. *He narrowed his eyes at Slappy the Idiot. "And if they catch up to us thanks to a well-intentioned idiot, we'll be thrown in prison, or killed."* | 1 | 5,627 | 2.5 | ||
vz6365 | writing_train | 0.82 | How to stop hating my own work? Every time I write I read back I really hate my work. Others say it's good so I know it is not too bad but I hate it with all my guts when I read it and it almost always makes me completely stop writing the book after the first few pages. How can I solve this? | ig6ja4q | ig6jx0i | 1,657,833,618 | 1,657,833,869 | 3 | 4 | Realize that this is just your first draft. Your s*** draft. You will have 5 to 10 more drafts to not quite hate it so much. | There are books that I don't like but millions of other people do. Sometimes my book is one of those. | 0 | 251 | 1.333333 | ||
vz6365 | writing_train | 0.82 | How to stop hating my own work? Every time I write I read back I really hate my work. Others say it's good so I know it is not too bad but I hate it with all my guts when I read it and it almost always makes me completely stop writing the book after the first few pages. How can I solve this? | ig80ntt | ig6lwoj | 1,657,857,980 | 1,657,834,669 | 2 | 0 | Ira Glass has this quote that I find super helpful to revisit whenever I feel this way. I straight up keep it on my desktop. “Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.” | Get gud | 1 | 23,311 | 2,000 | ||
vz6365 | writing_train | 0.82 | How to stop hating my own work? Every time I write I read back I really hate my work. Others say it's good so I know it is not too bad but I hate it with all my guts when I read it and it almost always makes me completely stop writing the book after the first few pages. How can I solve this? | ig6s8bi | ig7o0lc | 1,657,837,272 | 1,657,851,626 | 2 | 3 | When you're working on the first draft, just keep writing. Don't go back to read until you're done. If you do look back over it remember that it's only the first draft therefore it is the worst it's going to be right now (it is going to get better as you continue to edit) | First, realize your critical mind is beating up your creative mind and it's up to you to kick your critical mind's ass to the curb so that your creative mind can safely come out and do its thing. Read QUIET THE CRITICAL VOICE (AND WRITE FICTION) by Harvey Stanbrough. For more fun in your writing, also read WRITING INTO THE DARK by Dean Wesley Smith. Both of the writers above have websites that are well worth visiting on a regular basis. | 0 | 14,354 | 1.5 | ||
vz6365 | writing_train | 0.82 | How to stop hating my own work? Every time I write I read back I really hate my work. Others say it's good so I know it is not too bad but I hate it with all my guts when I read it and it almost always makes me completely stop writing the book after the first few pages. How can I solve this? | ig7o0lc | ig6zdt3 | 1,657,851,626 | 1,657,840,341 | 3 | 2 | First, realize your critical mind is beating up your creative mind and it's up to you to kick your critical mind's ass to the curb so that your creative mind can safely come out and do its thing. Read QUIET THE CRITICAL VOICE (AND WRITE FICTION) by Harvey Stanbrough. For more fun in your writing, also read WRITING INTO THE DARK by Dean Wesley Smith. Both of the writers above have websites that are well worth visiting on a regular basis. | Stop identifying with it so much. There’s nothing personal at stake—writing is your practice, not who you are. | 1 | 11,285 | 1.5 | ||
vz6365 | writing_train | 0.82 | How to stop hating my own work? Every time I write I read back I really hate my work. Others say it's good so I know it is not too bad but I hate it with all my guts when I read it and it almost always makes me completely stop writing the book after the first few pages. How can I solve this? | ig73nv6 | ig7o0lc | 1,657,842,242 | 1,657,851,626 | 2 | 3 | Sometimes you can't. It's not a rational feeling, but you can push thru it since others apparently enjoy your work, so who are you gonna believe? A lot of readers paying money for your work or some freeloader impostor syndrome living in your brain? It's not even paying rent. Rude. | First, realize your critical mind is beating up your creative mind and it's up to you to kick your critical mind's ass to the curb so that your creative mind can safely come out and do its thing. Read QUIET THE CRITICAL VOICE (AND WRITE FICTION) by Harvey Stanbrough. For more fun in your writing, also read WRITING INTO THE DARK by Dean Wesley Smith. Both of the writers above have websites that are well worth visiting on a regular basis. | 0 | 9,384 | 1.5 | ||
vz6365 | writing_train | 0.82 | How to stop hating my own work? Every time I write I read back I really hate my work. Others say it's good so I know it is not too bad but I hate it with all my guts when I read it and it almost always makes me completely stop writing the book after the first few pages. How can I solve this? | ig6lwoj | ig7o0lc | 1,657,834,669 | 1,657,851,626 | 0 | 3 | Get gud | First, realize your critical mind is beating up your creative mind and it's up to you to kick your critical mind's ass to the curb so that your creative mind can safely come out and do its thing. Read QUIET THE CRITICAL VOICE (AND WRITE FICTION) by Harvey Stanbrough. For more fun in your writing, also read WRITING INTO THE DARK by Dean Wesley Smith. Both of the writers above have websites that are well worth visiting on a regular basis. | 0 | 16,957 | 3,000 | ||
vz6365 | writing_train | 0.82 | How to stop hating my own work? Every time I write I read back I really hate my work. Others say it's good so I know it is not too bad but I hate it with all my guts when I read it and it almost always makes me completely stop writing the book after the first few pages. How can I solve this? | ig6s8bi | ig6lwoj | 1,657,837,272 | 1,657,834,669 | 2 | 0 | When you're working on the first draft, just keep writing. Don't go back to read until you're done. If you do look back over it remember that it's only the first draft therefore it is the worst it's going to be right now (it is going to get better as you continue to edit) | Get gud | 1 | 2,603 | 2,000 | ||
vz6365 | writing_train | 0.82 | How to stop hating my own work? Every time I write I read back I really hate my work. Others say it's good so I know it is not too bad but I hate it with all my guts when I read it and it almost always makes me completely stop writing the book after the first few pages. How can I solve this? | ig6lwoj | ig6zdt3 | 1,657,834,669 | 1,657,840,341 | 0 | 2 | Get gud | Stop identifying with it so much. There’s nothing personal at stake—writing is your practice, not who you are. | 0 | 5,672 | 2,000 | ||
vz6365 | writing_train | 0.82 | How to stop hating my own work? Every time I write I read back I really hate my work. Others say it's good so I know it is not too bad but I hate it with all my guts when I read it and it almost always makes me completely stop writing the book after the first few pages. How can I solve this? | ig6lwoj | ig73nv6 | 1,657,834,669 | 1,657,842,242 | 0 | 2 | Get gud | Sometimes you can't. It's not a rational feeling, but you can push thru it since others apparently enjoy your work, so who are you gonna believe? A lot of readers paying money for your work or some freeloader impostor syndrome living in your brain? It's not even paying rent. Rude. | 0 | 7,573 | 2,000 |
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