|
FAQ | Members List | Calendar | Mark Forums Read |
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
03-09-2004, 05:14 PM | #1 |
Cardboard Harp of Gondor Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: IM IN UR POSTZ, EDITIN' UR WURDZ
Posts: 6,433
|
How What You Read Effects What You Write
Lately I’ve noticed that a lot of my ideas spring from various degrees of spin-offs from things I’ve read before, or ideas that’ve been put forth in other novels. Some times it’s things like elves (of course most fantasy stories involve elves), or some times its things like a magic ‘system’ that is very loosely based on the Sword of Truth set up that I saw in the first book.
Do you guys find yourself using other author’s ideas, even if very indirectly, most of the time? Now I know that a good deal of it is because after 2000+ years of plot lines, there generally aren’t too many new ideas bouncing around the world, but what I mean is do you use ideas that just popped into your head without any connection to anything else, or do you copy and edit most of the time? Like I said before, a lot of my stuff is copy and edit, but in some cases I’ll have ideas which, although I’m sure have been used before, I haven’t seen in any book I’ve read. |
03-10-2004, 10:31 PM | #2 | ||
Co-President of Entmoot
Super Moderator Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Canada
Posts: 8,397
|
My work is based on my own life experiences, but my style is highly influenced by what I've read. ie. the way I describe battles etc. Not that I'm actually close to the authors that I emulate, but I do draw from what I read.
__________________
"I can add some more, if you'd like it. Calling your Chief Names, Wishing to Punch his Pimply Face, and Thinking you Shirriffs look a lot of Tom-fools." - Sam Gamgee, p. 340, Return of the King Quote:
Quote:
|
||
03-11-2004, 07:10 AM | #3 |
The Chocoholic Sea Elf Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: N?n in Eilph (Belgium)
Posts: 14,363
|
There is a quote somewhere that goes along the lines of "Bad writers steal, good writers borrow."
I must admit that the majority of my story-ideas come from other books. Never identically, mind you. But when I read something that I like, I'm thinking "That's a nice idea, I wonder if I could do something like that in this or that story". Then I take the basic idea the writer offered and see if I could work something like that in my plot. Sometimes I end up turning the ideas upside down from their starting point. I do have some original ideas that I haven't seen anywhere else but they're rather rare. It's not easy anymore, I think, to come up with something that has never been done before. You always get influenced about what you hear or read, even if you don't realise it.
__________________
We are not things. |
03-14-2004, 05:10 PM | #4 |
Elf Lord
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Fountain Valley, CA
Posts: 6,343
|
It's frequent that I've had the initial spark of an idea from a place, and developed upon that, but then in the end thrown out the initial connection as my own work no longer has any place for it.
"Borrowing" ideas from other writers has been done by me. I did it far more in the past than I do now, modeling plotlines and taking words and ideas from other books. I was unaware, frequently, of what I was doing, and when I didn't do it, my work went bonkers. For example, in one book I wrote, I ended up with the evil Scottish enemies bringing in allies from Africa and Russia, inventing gunpowder and losing the technology, and all losing so there was a happy ending, all right there at the end. That story I've looked for quite a few times since then, simply to read the book for fun. There was much too much fighting in the book, and the main character was in love with a girl who only said at most five lines in the whole thing. That was a good learning stage for me . Nowadays I still have some ideas that are filched from other writers. For example, the magical system in my novel was initially Robert Jordan's magical system, twice removed. I read Robert Jordan's books and was deeply impressed with them. So I made a game that was very closely copying his work. My magical system was extremely similar to his. Then in my book, I modelled my magical system upon several ideas from that game. Since then, I've gotten improved ideas of how my magic works. I will soon be alterring my magic so that it bears less resemblance to Robert Jordan's. |
03-14-2004, 05:26 PM | #5 |
Lady of Letters
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Either Oxford or Kent, England
Posts: 2,476
|
I think being re-shaping other writers' ideas in your own words is a phase most writers go through. It helps you test out your way of telling a story against work you admire, and develop your own style. And it's true, there are a limited number of plots. If you're writing a romance, most of the plot has probably been done a million times, so the writer uses that to make the story their own.
__________________
And all the time the waves, the waves, the waves Chase, intersect and flatten on the sand As they have done for centuries, as they will For centuries to come, when not a soul Is left to picnic on the blazing rocks, When England is not England, when mankind Has blown himself to pieces. Still the sea, Consolingly disastrous, will return While the strange starfish, hugely magnified, Waits in the jewelled basin of a pool. |
03-14-2004, 05:28 PM | #6 |
Enting
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Dancing with the Ligers
Posts: 88
|
I use alot of both. I copy and edit descriptions most of the time. Usally smaller plot details popped into my mind but the overall plot will be inspired from a book or movie then after I think about it alot it will become something so different that if I said that it was inspired from fight club or whatever you'd wonder how I get a vampire like pedophile with a strong drug addiction from that movie.
__________________
"In a thousand years, there will be no men and women, just wankers, and that's fine by me. " ~Renton, Trainspotting |
03-19-2004, 08:12 PM | #7 |
Hobbit
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Athgar, Tower of Darkness
Posts: 21
|
As for myself I read only Tolkien, D.J. Machale, and K.A. Applegate books. I use Tolkien's ideas and sometimes plots for my works. There are only two large resemblences or 'borrowed' ides from him.
I used the story of Faramir and Denethor but changed the reason why his father hates him. I mentioned only once a 'rider clothed all in black,' and then named him as a homage to Tolkien a Black Rider. I get a lot of ideas from Tolkien mostly, like using songs, and a lot of semicolins. As for history yes, it is hard to come up with your own ideas, but I think mine is to a degree quite different from others.
__________________
Teacher just called me young man? |
03-22-2004, 06:27 PM | #8 |
Elven Warrior
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: a castle made of clouds
Posts: 459
|
I'm terrible. Whenever I read a good book, I write like the author for the next two weeks. My characters were speaking in British accents for a month after Harry Potter came out.
"Borrowing" is really inevitable. Reading is the most obvious way that writers learn to write better, and they can't help but borrow a few plot or character ideas on the way. There's a difference between outright plagarism and inspiration, of course. You just can't go around writing stories about fairy princesses who happen to be named Arwen. My method of stealing is using themes from mythology, fairy tales, or even Shakespeare in my stories and poetry. That way, I'm not plagarizing... I'm making an allusion.
__________________
Human kind cannot bear very much reality. dreamflower - for all things Lady Galadriel |
03-31-2004, 12:15 AM | #9 |
Fowl Administrator
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Calgary or Edmonton, Canada
Posts: 53,420
|
I prefer to see fiction writing as an evolutionary process. The line between being influenced by something and ripping it off entirely is generally blurry, but think about it this way:
- Can the audience enjoy your work with no prior awareness of the influencing material? - Can the audience enjoy your work more, not less, with prior awareness of the influencing material? - Are you adding enough to the common base that it is possible to distinguish your writing because you offer something different, even if some ideas are shared? If you feel like what you are writing isn't original enough in terms of your prose and style, a lot of it can be solved in the editing process. If it's something more fundamental like the character and story structure, that kind of thing goes in the planning. Of course, being someone who never gets very far because he aims very high when it comes to perceived originality, I'm not one to talk.
__________________
All of IronParrot's posts are guaranteed to be 100% intelligent and/or sarcastic, comprising no genetically modified content and tested on no cute furry little animals unless the SPCA is looking elsewhere. If you observe a failure to uphold this warranty, please contact a forum administrator immediately to receive a full refund on your Entmoot registration. Blog: Nick's Café Canadien |
04-06-2004, 04:21 PM | #10 |
Deus Ex Machina
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Seattle
Posts: 1,951
|
The things I borrow are generally minor plot devices that are so common throughout literature that no one even notices that they're there anymore.
As for the rest of, I would say that I'm influenced by the author's I read in terms of how I write and in terms of what I don't include in my stories. For example I do a lot of background writing like family trees and explanations of how the world I write about works because I think such things add depth to a story, but I didn't start doing that until after reading the background writing that goes with LotR. On the other hand I absolutely refuse to include elves in my writing because I know that if I did I would end up plagerizing.
__________________
"5. Plain Rings with RUNES on the inside. Avoid these like the PLAGUE.-Diana Wynne Jones Tough Guide To FantasyLand ...it's not much of a show if somebody doesn't suffer, and preferably at length. Suffering is beautiful in any case, and so is anguish; but as for loathing, and bitterness... I don't think they belong on the stage at all. - Isabella, I Gelosi |
05-13-2004, 04:12 PM | #11 |
Elf Lord
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Slow down and I sail on the river, slow down and I walk to the hill
Posts: 2,389
|
Well, when I discovered the wonder that is lyric poetry through Emily Dickinson, I began writing lyrical poetry. I also discovered that poetry didn't need to rhyme when I read Jewel's poetry book "A Night Without Armor" and started focusing on rhythm and/or imagery instead of having super structured rhymes. I have only written about five rhyming poems since I began writing, actually, and I've only really liked the most recent.
__________________
“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.” –Bertrand Russell |
05-18-2004, 11:50 AM | #12 |
Elf Lord
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: USA until I find a way to get to Middle Earth
Posts: 681
|
When I write I usually have my own ideas, but they are often influenced by other books. I read mostly fantasy, and write mostly fantasy, so that makes it happen even more often. My Elves were greatly influenced by Tolkien, though there are some small differences. And often I end up writting a story or a part of a story that's similar to something I just read, and don't even realize it until I'm almost done.
__________________
"...but I love not the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend: the city of the Men of Numenor." "'I would,' said Faramir. And he took her in his arms and kissed her under the sunlit sky, and he cared not that they stood high upon the walls in the sight of many. And many indeed saw them and the light that shone about them as they came down from the walls and went hand in hand to the Houses of Healing." |
07-02-2004, 11:11 PM | #13 | |
Elf Lord
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Valinor, right next to Telperion . . . what did you expect, Michigan?
Posts: 1,315
|
Quote:
__________________
The Third Age of Entmoot has begun. Angel of music, guide and guardian! Grant to me your glory! The country I eat and spend the day in is by no means the country I sleep and dream in. Define patriotism. Hold the boat, you spastic monkey! ~ Elenka |
|
07-04-2004, 03:35 PM | #14 |
Spammer of the Happy Thread
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Posts: 3,512
|
Really good poetry, lyrics or novels can somehow affect your way of thinking (at least for me). When it comes to me, I write about my life, how I experience myself and the world around me.
This means that what I read affects what I write. (now that quote is even better, Laurelyn )
__________________
"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. " - C. Sagan My (photography) website My Flickr page |
07-11-2004, 05:50 PM | #15 |
Elf Lord
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: USA until I find a way to get to Middle Earth
Posts: 681
|
That's a really cool quote!!
__________________
"...but I love not the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend: the city of the Men of Numenor." "'I would,' said Faramir. And he took her in his arms and kissed her under the sunlit sky, and he cared not that they stood high upon the walls in the sight of many. And many indeed saw them and the light that shone about them as they came down from the walls and went hand in hand to the Houses of Healing." |
07-15-2004, 09:15 PM | #16 |
Entmoot Secretary of the Treasury
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Campsite-by-Giraffe
Posts: 5,408
|
Let's see:
Tolkein Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Jules Verne Frank Herbert etc. etc and etc. Post #230!!! (only interesting because I didn't even know I passed 200) Teacup Cafe: Drinks still on me, cause I now have my very own library! Food on me too!
__________________
KI6PFA Amateur Radio Operator
Last edited by trolls' bane : 07-15-2004 at 09:17 PM. |
07-19-2004, 05:31 PM | #17 |
Enting
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: MI
Posts: 98
|
television shows as well. My mother and I always writte things off of books or shows.
Sometimes it's a combo there of. What is really bad is the fact that she can sometimes writte an episode that she would like to see done, bt won't send in, then it turns up the next week after it's finished or something. I've only done one thing similer to that. It ended with a car crash, the way it began, and when I put my pen down, bang. Two cars ramed eachother near my house. Now, I'm working with a story set in South America that deals with acient bombs and involves aliens, right? She sent me an e-mail saying that she was starting a story set in SA dealing with aliens. Darn it.
__________________
The three main loves of my life are food, books, and sleep. Come and visit Rathlas. It's always being updated! NEW ON RATHLAS: Links to Stargate Atlantis fanfiction posted. |
07-31-2004, 01:55 PM | #18 | |
The Chocoholic Sea Elf Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: N?n in Eilph (Belgium)
Posts: 14,363
|
Quote:
__________________
We are not things. |
|
08-13-2005, 12:21 PM | #19 |
of the House of Fëanor
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 6,150
|
*bump*
I've been watching "Alias" for the last week on DVD; entire seasons of it, day after day, and the other day it struck me that constant exposure to/immersion in the show was affecting not only my writing style, but my vocabulary and thought process. In a positive way, thank god, but -I definitely got an influence, which goes to show how powerfully any of us can be influenced and affected by what we choose to immerse ourselves in, what we choose to read or watch. Which is also a little scary; think about how much of society does NOT really read or protect their minds, and just casually watches (or reads) garbage on a regular basis - TV, full of its rape and casual murder and wicked politics and advertising...
__________________
Few people have the imagination for reality.
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
08-13-2005, 12:31 PM | #20 |
Master of Orchestration President Emeritus of Entmoot 2004-2008
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Lost in the Opera House
Posts: 9,328
|
Berlioz' writing influenced my own...especially his book "Evenings with the Orchestra". Though Dickens and Tolkien (not the fantasy aspect, here his influence is purely aesthetical).
__________________
ACALEWIA- President of Entmoot hectorberlioz- Vice President of Entmoot Acaly und Hektor fur Presidants fur EntMut fur life! Join the discussion at Entmoot Election 2010. "Stupidissimo!"~Toscanini The Da CINDY Code The Epic Poem Of The Balrog of Entmoot: Here ~NEW! ~ Thinking of summer vacation? AboutNewJersey.com - NJ Travel & Tourism Guide |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
write songs for your favorite characters! | mikey490 | The One Ring Musical | 3 | 12-09-2015 10:09 AM |
In what order to read the writings of Tolkien | jtoney08 | Lord of the Rings Books | 17 | 02-07-2008 06:18 PM |
books to read and books not to read | Gil-Galad 2.0 | Lord of the Rings Books | 25 | 07-29-2006 12:21 AM |
Write or Die... | Dúnedain | Writer's Workshop | 7 | 02-04-2004 09:37 PM |
Writewights | Silverstripe | Writer's Workshop | 291 | 04-23-2003 01:16 AM |