Stealing Ideas...

Yes, you can get away with it.

I just realized that one of my favorite novels of all time is actually based on the Law and Order universe. I purchased 'Conflict of Interest', one of my favorite novels, months ago, and have read it through several times, along with its sequel, 'Next of Kin'. Meanwhile, I had absolutely no idea that it was originally a fanfiction about one of my favorite TV shows: Law and Order - Special Victims Unit.

When I found a disabled fanfiction link and (finally) made the connection, I was floored. My brain just kind of... stopped. Seriously. How had I, a huge Law and Order fan, missed this? How had I not been able to recognize two of my favorite characters of all time in an original fiction novel?

The truth was, I did recognize them. At least, my soul did. I instantly bonded with the characters, perhaps because of their familiarity to me, even though I didn't put the pieces together until months after the fact. So, yes, you can get away with stealing characters, ideas, and whatever you want from other novels/TV shows/stories/poems/ect. It is actually a good idea.

Here is Rae's guide to stealing stuff.


1. Pick out what you like the most.

Pick a few character traits that you enjoy the most if you are stealing a character (we L&O fans all love Alex Cabot's sexy, sexy prosecutorial glasses). Pick the one jarring plot point that really tugs at your heart strings (unrequited love? Having to go against your own personal moral code for the greater good?). The other stuff, even if you like it, is just icing on the cake. You have to invent your own icing to cover the cake if you want to pass it off as your own. Okay, maybe I took that metaphor too far. It doesn't make a lot of sense, and now I'm hungry...


2. Hide it well

Once you have chosen the gems you want to steal, hide them well. Bury them so deep that no one will ever find them. Or, if they are not buried deep, at least disguise them cleverly enough that a reader will only feel satisfaction or amusement if they uncover them.


3. Never tell

Take your secret to your grave. Or, if you are Jae (author of Conflict of Interest), you can leave tantalizing clues and just not worry if you are discovered, because the book is original enough and well-written enough that you can get away with it. Which leads me to my last point...


4. Add enough original material so that no one will care if they find you out

Stealing some great characters or plot ideas isn't enough. You have to write a damn good novel to put them in. And that, my friend, will take work and some great ideas of your very own.