How much is it ok to "borrow" from an established universe?

[Quillstine]

I always felt that Star Wars was more of a hybrid of fantasy and science fiction.

I try not banter about Star Wars to often, I was a Trekkie kid from the first time I heard those iconic words, "Beam me up Scottie". Don't get me wrong, I love Star Wars, but I'm also just going to be honest and say, my favorite Star Wars "movies" starred Peter Griffin! Still, seeing as it ties in so nicely to the topic of the thread, I could not agree more more with ecdavis. Star Wars always had a distinctly fantasy feel to it, more so than Sci-Fi. Which makes sense, as Lucas has openly admitted to referencing "The Hero With A Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell (Which on a side note is an interesting read, as is anything you can get your hands on by Campbell) as he wrote the script. Campbell's book basically expands on Adolph Bastian idea that myths from all over the world seem to be built from the same "elementary ideas." ~ see were this is going!
I myself have suffered the daunting plagiarism bug, and now I have a folder full of half finished stories that succumbed to that disease. So often I would be writing an idea, then find another book with exact same concept, after the fact! Or another really big one for me, is knowing an idea would work so well in a story, but hoarding it because I also want to use in another story idea I have brewing.
Now, before I write I always say to myself "Original is not new, it's old re-imagined and personalized."

 

[A. E. Lowan]

I can't help myself...

Tom Lehrer - Lobachevsky - YouTube

The song actually starts at 1:15, but the wind up is funny. This is actually about academic plagiarism, by which I mean academics plagiarizing each other's work in "publish or perish" environments, but it's too good to not include here.

 

[Richard Sutton]

I've always seen the border between scifi and fantasy as a wide demilitarized zone filled with the craters made by poorly conceived material falling at high speed. I'm wondering which hook, among all the many devices writers use, pulls you into a new world construct best? Place and character names? Snippets of language? Descriptive locale narrative? Appropriated iconic stories (mentioned several times in postings)? The ways the construct is recognizable?

 

[Richard Sutton]

$3000 a year for teaching back in the day? A gold mine! Why didn't I think of that, anyway?

Lehrer's work is a treasure. Thanks for posting it and bringing it all back in a geeky, sloppy landslide...>sniff!<

 

[Addison]

In this literary time, with all the great works that have built the foundation, it will be rare for someone to pick up a book and read a magic or power without thinking, "Oh this is like the Force from Star Wars." or "Wow, like the One Ring." But of course, if the book is on the store shelf and not in a court for plagiarism, then it's good. The point is that we grew up on Star Wars, LotR, Harry Potter and so many others so they contribute to our story. Whether it's conscious or sub-conscious. But in our own story and idea we make it different, we shape it to our own way. If you worry so much about distinguishing it you could find yourself writing more about the magic than the story itself-losing the reader. Just cover the basics: the source of the magic, the cost, the difficulty and the scarcity and rules of consistency. Do that and you'll be set.

 

[GeekDavid]

In this literary time, with all the great works that have built the foundation, it will be rare for someone to pick up a book and read a magic or power without thinking, "Oh this is like the Force from Star Wars." or "Wow, like the One Ring." But of course, if the book is on the store shelf and not in a court for plagiarism, then it's good. The point is that we grew up on Star Wars, LotR, Harry Potter and so many others so they contribute to our story. Whether it's conscious or sub-conscious. But in our own story and idea we make it different, we shape it to our own way. If you worry so much about distinguishing it you could find yourself writing more about the magic than the story itself-losing the reader. Just cover the basics: the source of the magic, the cost, the difficulty and the scarcity and rules of consistency. Do that and you'll be set.

Looks like a good place to bust out one of my favorite CS Lewis quotes:

Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.

 

[Steerpike]

I wouldn't call Star Wars a hybrid. It's straight up fantasy in space, in my view. I don't see any real science fiction element to it.

 

[Malik]

I always viewed Star Wars -- Episode IV, anyway -- as a Western, just set in space.

 

[GeekDavid]

I always viewed Star Wars -- Episode IV, anyway -- as a Western, just set in space.

Ironically, when Star Trek was first pitched, it was described as "Wagon Train to the stars," using a popular Western of the time to sell the concept.

 

[Shadowfirelance]

I personally prefer to adapt, or to modify enough from one thing, to make it my own. Eventually, after enough changes and modifications, it becomes personal, and, dare I say, Unique.

Just my personal tastes, however.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

I personally prefer to adapt, or to modify enough from one thing, to make it my own. Eventually, after enough changes and modifications, it becomes personal, and, dare I say, Unique.

Just my personal tastes, however.

Not just personal taste. That tends to be how things are done, consciously or not. We borrow from here, nip from there, and add that particular flavor that makes it "unique." It's how myths have been created and carried on down the millennium, from the earliest heroes to Harry Potter. It's just how humanity tells stories. I know I've said it a million times, and they're eventually going to put in on my urn, but what makes it unique to the writer is the execution. That's what we're all here for, folks.

 

[Dragoncat]

Yeah, call it something else and add things to it/change things, that way you won't have a copyright problem.

 

[Richard Sutton]

All we do, as writers, is borrow, whether it's from our experiences, our friends and family, our world, our cultural background, etc., etc. However, when you adopt another writer's fictional world, you run the risk of being relegated to the "Fan Fiction" side of the aisle. That's not a terribly bad thing if you intend to associate your writing brand with the other writer, but if you want to create your own readers and stay far from any potential legal issues, you'll need to be sure to bury the borrowed form into your work by careful modification, so well that it can't be easily identified.