When does an idea or concept become something you own and can copyright?

[skip.knox]

This thread is again coming down to definitions. One person uses the word thoughts to mean what another means by the word ideas. What we have here is failure to communicate.

I'll try this.
Thoughts are basic and take many forms. An opinion is a thought. I can think I'm hungry. I can think my way through a math problem.

Ideas, and here I limit the discussion to ideas in the context of telling stories, are exactly that. They are a bundle of thoughts about a premise or character or setting or plot device. Such ideas can be sketches or detailed, but that's all they are.

Writing is words. In our context, it's telling a fantasy story. I can have a brilliant idea for a picture, but until I put paint to canvas, I'm just a guy standing around. The same goes for music or any other art form. It's the work that counts. You know how to tell? Look at an art auction and see how many ideas are up for bid.

 

[Reaver]

Again with the insults. See, no matter what I post you narcissistic ones gotta come poke poke poke. Can't help yourself, can you?

No, you can scribble out 100 thoughts. The ideas are the ones that become stories. So you three can have all the butterfly farts all you want, the rest of us have real ideas turning into stories.

So, ignoring whatever you three are, regardless of what the rest of you think this is a legitimate eureka I'm having, still trying to put into the right words to help anyone who will really listen, when I've finally got it sorted, from losing any more good ideas, and stop more writers from getting ripped off.

I'm going slow because I'm using my phone to write while you all type type type away on keyboards.
You take EVERYTHING for granted.

Seems to me that the only insults are coming from you. I'm going to respectfully ask that you follow the forum rules and keep things respectful and drop the negativity. If you find this request unreasonable then I suggest you look elsewhere for further discourse on this topic.
Thanks!