Nathan Bransford - The Forums

J. T. SHEA wrote:And...And I'll stop now.

Haha nice, J. T. :)

Anyway, I have a confession to make: the most I know about Neil Gaiman are the passing references I've seen on this forum. What are his topics? They sound similar to mine, and I don't want to be accused of plagiarism. If he writes about gods from all the different pantheons co-existing, a good portion of my current WIP may be sunk.

Fenris wrote:Anyway, I have a confession to make: the most I know about Neil Gaiman are the passing references I've seen on this forum. What are his topics? They sound similar to mine, and I don't want to be accused of plagiarism. If he writes about gods from all the different pantheons co-existing, a good portion of my current WIP may be sunk.

For a lot of us, Neil is the gold standard in contemporary fantasy. His novel AMERICAN GODS, featuring gods of numerous pantheons (but starring the Norse) plus a few newbies, is wildly popular. I suggest that anyone who is serious about writing contemporary fantasy at least try to read American Gods. Some people find it too dark. If you find it's not to your taste, I'd suggest at least tracking down some professional reviews and any summary you can.

Thanks, Margo, I'll see if I can find it. "Dark" doesn't matter too much to me (my WIP falls into shadow a couple times itself). Besides, I think I'd better stick with the novel rather than the summary since I'm worried it might be too similar to what I'm writing. If it is, it'll suck but at least I'll know. Better than getting published and getting sideswiped by a lawsuit.

Fenris wrote:Besides, I think I'd better stick with the novel rather than the summary since I'm worried it might be too similar to what I'm writing.

Having read AMERICAN GODS and your synopsis, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Vaguely similar ideas or situations (gods of multiple pantheons all actually exist and sometimes interact with one another) does not count as plagarism. Kevin Hearne also appears to be doing this in his Iron Druid series. I'm very anxious to get my hands on his upcoming debut in April. I have high hopes for it.

Yeah, what Margo said. Ideas can't be copyrighted nor usage of an idea rise to rights infringement. The risk is writing an idea that's currently in great supply and low demand won't be well received. That's not an absolute though. Sometimes a narrative stands so far above the common fray of similarly themed or motifed products that it trumps reluctance.

polymath wrote:The risk is writing an idea that's currently in great supply and low demand won't be well received. That's not an absolute though.

Yeah, pretty much. Contemporary fantasy is a special animal. There would seem to be two levels of ideas at work, and they are hard to define and differentiate. One level can be used and reused, and the reader doesn't seem to mind. Multiple pantheons coexisting. Particular creatures : vampires, werewolves, faeries. No one looks at those ideas and thinks, "Oh, you are such a copycat! You stole that from so-n-so!" Other ideas can only be used a very limited number of times before the reader quickly dismisses a writer as derivative. Those ideas...are hard to define. I think it's relatively safe to say they're the ideas that are more tailored, more specific, more like one author's personal extrapolation of myth or magic. For instance, in Ilona Andrews's books, either magic works or technology works but not both that the same time, and the switch occurs without warning. I don't think someone else could use this without drawing reader rancor. I don't think someone could write about a professional zombie-raiser without being dismissed as a Hamilton rip-off.

Fenris, if you don't already, you gotta start reading voraciously in the genre. Gaiman, De Lint, Mieville, Hamilton, Briggs - these are a handful of the leaders on the adult side. However, I thought I saw you call your work YA somewhere on the forum. I don't know who the stars of YA contemporary fantasy are, but I bet a few people around here could tell you if you asked.

Edit: I should amend this to point out that while AMERICAN GODS is adult contemp fantasy, Gaiman is just as famous for writing for other age groups. Coraline, for instance.

Thanks Margo (again), Polymath. Your replies were comforting.

Margo wrote:I don't know who the stars of YA contemporary fantasy are, but I bet a few people around here could tell you if you asked.

Well, me neither--I basically read what interests me, focusing more on the content rather than authors. But the most recent book (or in this case, series) that's come closest to the subject I'm writing about is Riordan's Olympians, at least based off what I've read. I am keeping an eye out for similar stuff, of course, but today YA seems to be inundated with paranormal romance. Wonder where that came from.

Margo wrote:I think it's relatively safe to say they're the ideas that are more tailored, more specific, more like one author's personal extrapolation of myth or magic.

So, say, a kid possessed by a god who blows up planets and warps space-time for a day job? :D

Fenris wrote:I basically read what interests me, focusing more on the content rather than authors.

I'd suggest really stretching yourself more then. You really realllly need to know what's already been done and how. I can understand not wanting to read YA paranormal romance, but there's more out there in YA contemp fantasy than paranormal romance.

I bet Sommer could suggest some titles, and maybe Regan. Then there's Amazon and the feature "Others Who Viewed This Book Also Bought..."

I can't say this enough. Know your genre. In this context, you're not a reader browsing what interests you. You're a writer learning about your industry. There's a lot of heartache involved in writing 100K words and finding out six established authors already beat you to the same idea.

Margo wrote:There's a lot of heartache involved in writing 100K words and finding out six established authors already beat you to the same idea.

That's true, that would suck. Well, I'll take a stab at Amazon, I guess, or more likely my local library. I'm too poor to buy things.... I guess I'll just keep cracking. But you're right, keeping my eyes peeled is definitely a good thing. I have a lot of friends who read even more than I do; I'll peruse their collections. :)

Fenris wrote:I'm too poor to buy things.... I guess I'll just keep cracking. But you're right, keeping my eyes peeled is definitely a good thing. I have a lot of friends who read even more than I do; I'll peruse their collections. :)

That's not a problem. You've got the idea. Use Amazon for research purposes. Read the summaries. See if there are sample pages available to read online. If something looks like your kind of fantasy, see if the library or a friend can lend it to you or keep your eye out for it in a used book store when you might have a couple bucks to spare.

I dunno, Twilight still did pretty well despite ripping off half a dozen popular vampire things... [cough]

sierramcconnell wrote:I dunno, Twilight still did pretty well despite ripping off half a dozen popular vampire things... [cough]

Haha true perhaps, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

A listing of Contemporary Fantasy novels, by no means comprehensive, from which to follow trails and choose titles for possible interlibrary loan borrowing;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempora ... y#Examples

My library hasn't let me down but once. Though the selections are limited, all but one title I've ever requested has been delivered. They do charge postage, about a buck or three per book. Then there's regional intrasystem borrowing. The headquarters library is an hour away, each way. Their selection is pretty fair. I'm about one in twenty from the local branch, one in three from the headquarters, one in three interlibrary from wherever. Online, used book sales, and an occasional new purchase fill out my reading. I'm so poor I don't have a paper bill to wipe my nose with.

Fenris wrote:

sierramcconnell wrote:I dunno, Twilight still did pretty well despite ripping off half a dozen popular vampire things... [cough]

Haha true perhaps, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Like I said, two categories of ideas. One that can be used pretty much eternally (provided you have some aspect that is yours alone) and one that verges on proprietary so far as reader reaction goes. Reading heavily in the genre will help you start to recognize which are which. It also wouldn't hurt to read fan blogs and forums dedicated to your particular subgenre. The readers will make it clear what they consider intolerably derivative.

I've also been going to the library for my books recently, because I too am dirt poor. Like Polymath, my town has a small library that is also inter-regional. I can pretty much take a book out from any library in western Mass.
In fact, I found a book just yesterday there on Japanese folktales. I'm gonna go read it now.