Collaboration

[Josh2Write]

I'm looking for people I can trust to tell some of my ideas to, to help critique me. And I can definitely help in return any way I can.

 

[pmmg]

I'm looking for people I can trust to tell some of my ideas to, to help critique me. And I can definitely help in return any way I can.

You dont need collaboration. You just need to write something and put it in the critique section.

I hate to say so, but when I see something asking for collaboration, what I hear is, 'I need someone who can do the work for something I want credit for'. It isn't gonna happen with me. I put in the work so I could write my own stories. You need to do the same. There are no shortcuts. It either a passion or it not. It okay if its not, maybe something else is really your thing.

 

[Josh2Write]

Can I trust the people who read it?

 

[pmmg]

Trust them to do what?

Some will critique it. You may or may not like the results. Most are gonna forget it a day or so after they post their review.

 

[Josh2Write]

I can handle negative criticism. I expect it. I want and welcome constructive criticism. But can I trust those who read it not to take my ideas? What you post online others can claim as "prompts" because you can't copyright ideas or unpublished works or WIPs. Anything posted is public domain unless you have a copyright, which I don't because nothing I have is finished.

 

[Josh2Write]

Trust them to do what?

Some will critique it. You may or may not like the results. Most are gonna forget it a day or so after they post their review.

Trust them not to quickly rewrite anything they might read and quickly upload to WattPad, or some other publishers, as their own "original" story. I've been working on these ideas for awhile and I'm just asking if I can trust the people who see it.

 

[pmmg]

I can say that in all my time here, I have never been made aware of someone stealing an idea, or a name, or anything that would seem unique to another's creation. But life is risk...there is always some. You can't get by without taking any.

The people here have their own ideas. They dont care about yours.

 

[Josh2Write]

I can say that in all my time here, I have never been made aware of someone stealing an idea, or a name, or anything that would seem unique to another's creation. But life is risk...there is always some. You can't get by without taking any.

The people here have their own ideas. They dont care about yours.

Which is why I'm looking for collaboration first, so I know someone else trustworthy has seen it before (in case) someone steals it

 

[pmmg]

Well...I wish you luck in your search for one who will collaborate.

No one here is going to steal your idea. We all have our own ideas.

 

[Josh2Write]

I will then have to take a leap of faith.

 

[skip.knox]

Nobody is going to steal ideas. Ideas are cheap. There are millions of them and neither you nor I have had a single one that doesn't owe something to someone else. Guaranteed. I can list a dozen writers within the space of four eyeblinks to whom I owe concepts, ideas, turns of phrases, and plain old inspiration. What I owe to the community here is beyond estimation.

I echo pmmg on this. Post some of your writing. Not your ideas, for I can't do a thing with ideas. That's like saying I have an idea for a painting or a song, whaddyathink? Paint the painting, play the song, write the story, and ask for feedback, and folks here will gladly tell you what they think. I'm absolutely certain you'll be glad you did.

 

[Josh2Write]

We force our brains to see similarities because that what we've beem taught to do, by narcissists with no imagination who can only create by copying others.

 

[pmmg]

I'll Just say, I am unaware of the narcissist who trained me to see patterns.

But, I cannot help but think there are a million other ways I can come thinking about any given criteria.

I hope there are some who have penetrated the veil that can help me see past the narcissist who influenced me.

 

[Incanus]

I can relate a bit to the OP here.

I sometimes wonder about the concept that ‘ideas are cheap’. I feel I can say with some confidence that not all story ideas are of equal value.

It took me somewhere around ten years to come up with an idea for a novel that I really liked. It didn’t, and still doesn’t, feel like a ‘cheap’ idea. The ideas I use for short stories are comparatively rare. I have to really fall in love with an idea for me to use it, and that does not happen often at all. I don’t consider ideas I don’t like and would never use to be ‘story ideas’. Those are garbage ideas.

So, I do worry a little about sharing out my best ideas. I’m a pathetically slow writer, and someone could run with one of my ideas and finish a story while I’m still drafting or editing.

I guess I have a couple of questions for those who consider ideas cheap: first, if it took you ten years to find an idea you liked, would you still consider it cheap? Second, are you are OK with spending years of effort working on a story based on cheap ideas?

I’m all but certain I’m missing something here. I’d be happy to be enlightened. But one thing I do already understand is that no two writers will develop an idea out the same way. No need to bring up that old chestnut here.

 

[Mad Swede]

I'm with skip.knox here. Story ideas are ten a penny. That doesn't mean all story ideas are appropriate for what I'm writing now, but they might be useful later... I've had quite a few story ideas over the years, and these days I write them down in the random text file. Like everything else in that file they will eventually get used somewhere in my writing. Some are used as the core of a story arc, others become parts of sub-plots and so on. The way I develop those ideas won't be the same as the way others would do, and that is in my view where our originality as authors comes in. It's what we do with those ideas that makes our writing unique to us.

 

[pmmg]

I can relate a bit to the OP here.

I sometimes wonder about the concept that ‘ideas are cheap’. I feel I can say with some confidence that not all story ideas are of equal value.

It took me somewhere around ten years to come up with an idea for a novel that I really liked. It didn’t, and still doesn’t, feel like a ‘cheap’ idea. The ideas I use for short stories are comparatively rare. I have to really fall in love with an idea for me to use it, and that does not happen often at all. I don’t consider ideas I don’t like and would never use to be ‘story ideas’. Those are garbage ideas.

So, I do worry a little about sharing out my best ideas. I’m a pathetically slow writer, and someone could run with one of my ideas and finish a story while I’m still drafting or editing.

I guess I have a couple of questions for those who consider ideas cheap: first, if it took you ten years to find an idea you liked, would you still consider it cheap? Second, are you are OK with spending years of effort working on a story based on cheap ideas?

I’m all but certain I’m missing something here. I’d be happy to be enlightened. But one thing I do already understand is that no two writers will develop an idea out the same way. No need to bring up that old chestnut here.

If I can relate a personal story

I have had an idea stolen from me on a website. It was an idea I knew no one else had, and it was one that was unique for what we were doing. And I felt pretty ripped off and steamed about it. And to this day, it has made me more guarded and more wary about posting up stuff that is anywhere close to the big story.

How does it feel?...Awful. And there is not much you can do about it.

And even worse for me, when I complained, I was treated like I was just being a jerk, and the other person had written a good story and I should respect that. Crazy.

Anyway...I am very guarded with my stuff, as I think anyone should be. If I post up stuff, it is usually for a site activity, or for a short story I dont intend to publish. But...I have put in a lot of years and know pretty much where my writing is. I am not often looking for reviews to improve. And when I am, I would try to use a select group. As I have said before, having a team that will read your work, is like finding gold...only...the gold doesn't make you rich

Daaaah...both my hands are twitching now from the meds, making it hard to type. I'm gonna have to ease off.

 

[Josh2Write]

If I can relate a personal story

I have had an idea stolen from me on a website. It was an idea I knew no one else had, and it was one that was unique for what we were doing. And I felt pretty ripped off and steamed about it. And to this day, it has made me more guarded and more wary about posting up stuff that is anywhere close to the big story.

How does it feel?...Awful. And there is not much you can do about it.

And even worse for me, when I complained, I was treated like I was just being a jerk, and the other person had written a good story and I should respect that. Crazy.

Anyway...I am very guarded with my stuff, as I think anyone should be. If I post up stuff, it is usually for a site activity, or for a short story I dont intend to publish. But...I have put in a lot of years and know pretty much where my writing is. I am not often looking for reviews to improve. And when I am, I would try to use a select group. As I have said before, having a team that will read your work, is like finding gold...only...the gold doesn't make you rich

Daaaah...both my hands are twitching now from the meds, making it hard to type. I'm gonna have to ease off.

You told me I don't need collaboration, and to just post my stories because ideas aren't important they're a dime a dozen and no one cares and no will steal because they're too busy with their own ideas.

NOW you're saying you're guarded because a unique original idea was snatched up and written by someone else because you posted it and it still effects you to this day!

This is why I don't post anything!
This is why I don't talk about my ideas!
This is why I'm looking for a partner or group!
And this is why I don't trust anyone!

 

[Josh2Write]

You dont need collaboration. You just need to write something and put it in the critique section.

I hate to say so, but when I see something asking for collaboration, what I hear is, 'I need someone who can do the work for something I want credit for'. It isn't gonna happen with me. I put in the work so I could write my own stories. You need to do the same. There are no shortcuts. It either a passion or it not. It okay if its not, maybe something else is really your thing.

I don't take credit for things I didn't do. I want a collaboration so me and the partner(s) can bounce ideas off each other, see how it sounds, help each other to make it better. You are very arrogant, and in that arrogance I assume you have yet to actually publish, (maybe even finish) a novel? People like you are why collaboration is so hard to find because people like you are why no one can truly trust each other. You have the right to voice your opinions, but that's all they are.

 

[Incanus]

Hold on. There may be a communication issue here.

In writing terms, collaboration usually means two or more people writing one story together. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong about that.)

But what Josh2Write is describing sounds more like a workshopping group, or a discussion group.

Is it one of these two things?

 

[pmmg]

Hold on. There may be a communication issue here.

In writing terms, collaboration usually means two or more people writing one story together. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong about that.)

But what Josh2Write is describing sounds more like a workshopping group, or a discussion group.

Is it one of these two things?

Yes, that is what it is. Two or more people writing a story together (and hopefully proving equal value to the project).