Copy Cat
Thursday, August 12, 2010 So today, I'm over on Writer Unboxed talking about the wily situation of self-plagiarism...as in, how do you prevent yourself from writing the same book or the same characters over and over again? This is something that I am really, really aware of as I polish the draft of The Memory of Us, and in fact, was concerned about with The One That I Want. I'm an author who always wants to be doing something new - not just for readers but for myself - but at the same time, you have to honor the fact that you are who you are and that readers enjoy what you've given them before. It's tricky, that line.
Anyway, head on over and check out how I try to ensure that I keep reinventing myself while still drumming the same beat. I'd love to hear how you guys do it as well.
Reader Comments (4)
I loved that post, Allison! I think it's a must read for authors, both upcoming and established.
great post, Al. at writer unboxed! I think you are right and it is tricky. I had a great teacher in grad school, the amazing writer John Wideman, who said we write about what haunts us. I think that is totally true--and thematically, we hit those themes again and again. I think the key is hitting them in new and interesting ways. your ideas for how to do so are ones that should be utilized.
that said, 10 books like your last ones? I'd take em!
After spending the better part of two years on a novel, I ended up in yet another dead end and stagnated for a few months. Then (of course!) another idea came to me and I began working on a synopsis for that. And (of course!) the first thing I ran into was self-plagiarizing the first book. I found it a bit fascinating, actually, and enjoyed taking this challenge head-on, instead of: 1) just letting it slide, or 2) just letting it beat me.
Never mind that the prior, plagiarized novel itself was stealing ideas from the dead-ended project before it. If this keeps up, in twenty years, I'll have twenty, highly-similar unfinished manuscripts (and a really great idea for the twenty-first!)
Great tips, Allison-- I had to jot them down to keep them ever before me as I wrap up my first work and look toward my second. Can't wait for The Memory of Us :)