DragonOfTheAerie
Vala
Lately, I've found myself in a strange dilemma that I've never heard talked about among writers.
Basically, I'm always juggling multiple story ideas, taking place in different universes. And I'm always coming up with new ideas for worldbuilding elements or characters or concepts or elements to enhance the aesthetic I'm going for to use in the story. My problem is: how do you know which story to put which ideas in?
Can you plagiarize yourself?
Okay, plagiarism isn't the right word, but I constantly have the urge to reuse ideas I like in different stories. Do I have to pick *one* place to put this idea? my muse whines. For example, I've had a few characters that keep getting reincarnated in story after story, finding a home in a new story after the old one was left unfinished. I suppose there's nothing wrong with re-metabolizing ideas after a story fails, but when BOTH stories are working, it's different, isn't it?
An example of this: My current WIP includes a magical plague that inflicts mysterious wounds on its victims. This idea wasn't original to my WIP; it was plucked from an earlier story that I stopped working on and intend to return to. So now the same distinct idea is in two unconnected stories. It's the same with the eyes growing throughout the city that my evil dictator uses to watch the city (yes, I'm writing a weird story); it was pulled from an earlier story I intend to return to, and now it exists in both. And, honestly, I'm not sure which story to remove it from.
Theoretically, if both these stories were published, readers would want some explanation. A connection between the worlds. Right? (Or would I be That Author Who Includes Eyeball-Loving Dictators In All Her Stories?)
I guess the clear answer is that I should think of *more* ideas. (The two examples I gave were not much more than worldbuilding accessories, anyway.) But, how do you decide where to put an idea?
Is anyone else familiar with this problem?
Basically, I'm always juggling multiple story ideas, taking place in different universes. And I'm always coming up with new ideas for worldbuilding elements or characters or concepts or elements to enhance the aesthetic I'm going for to use in the story. My problem is: how do you know which story to put which ideas in?
Can you plagiarize yourself?
Okay, plagiarism isn't the right word, but I constantly have the urge to reuse ideas I like in different stories. Do I have to pick *one* place to put this idea? my muse whines. For example, I've had a few characters that keep getting reincarnated in story after story, finding a home in a new story after the old one was left unfinished. I suppose there's nothing wrong with re-metabolizing ideas after a story fails, but when BOTH stories are working, it's different, isn't it?
An example of this: My current WIP includes a magical plague that inflicts mysterious wounds on its victims. This idea wasn't original to my WIP; it was plucked from an earlier story that I stopped working on and intend to return to. So now the same distinct idea is in two unconnected stories. It's the same with the eyes growing throughout the city that my evil dictator uses to watch the city (yes, I'm writing a weird story); it was pulled from an earlier story I intend to return to, and now it exists in both. And, honestly, I'm not sure which story to remove it from.
Theoretically, if both these stories were published, readers would want some explanation. A connection between the worlds. Right? (Or would I be That Author Who Includes Eyeball-Loving Dictators In All Her Stories?)
I guess the clear answer is that I should think of *more* ideas. (The two examples I gave were not much more than worldbuilding accessories, anyway.) But, how do you decide where to put an idea?
Is anyone else familiar with this problem?