# Can someone help me with my Kleptophobia of stories?



## Taffer (Nov 3, 2009)

I've been wanting to post a story on here for months, but something has been urging me not to.

In the past, I've heard frightening stories about people stealing other people's stories and claiming that they created it. I don't want that to happen to my stories because they are mine, I put a lot of thought into them, I care about them, and I have a lot of writing talent.

I have a Pokemon fanfiction that I'm writing at the moment, but I know that one's safe because Pokemon is already out there. Anyone who would try to copy Tajiri's ideas without his consent for their own profit would face the wrath from him, his company, and his fans.

But my new story isn't even close to that point, so I'm a vulnerable guy. I want to show you guys the story I'm writing, but I'm worried that some literature thief is going to take my story and publish it for himself. I have talent. My readers, parents, and even one of my teachers all tell me that I have great potential. I just don't want my work stolen.

If someone with a brain can answer these questions, I will be more than happy to post my story. These questions are:

1: How often does work get stolen?
2: Can I claim that my work is copyrighted when someone else tries to publish it for him/herself?
3: If my work gets stolen and published, can I sue? If so, how?
4: Will the mere fact that I posted it online be enough evidence to present in court?


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## M. LeRenard (Nov 3, 2009)

Three things:
1.) If someone is going to be looking for ideas to steal, they won't search the writings of Furaffinity.  Unless it's pornography, but that kind of stuff is almost completely unpublishable anyway in mainstream markets, so it's not a big concern either way.
2.) Anything you post online (or anything you come up with period and write down) is your intellectual property, and hence is protected under copyright laws.  Yes, you would have perfect legal authority to sue someone if they copied your work.  (The problem with this, though, is legal fees, which would stack up very high.  You have the right to sue, but most people can't/don't want to spend the money to do so.  But you have legal rights.)
3.) If you really think your work is that great that people would want to claim it's their own, maybe you should be trying to earn a little money off of it.  That way, you wouldn't be posting it online, but you would still have a readership base in magazine markets or what have you, which would mean that any copyright infringement would be taken care of by the publisher rather than yourself (because by then the publisher would own the legal rights to it).

The thing is, though, this isn't something you need to worry about, and in fact it's something you shouldn't worry about.  If you never share your work with people outside of your trusted circle of friends and your family, you will never get proper feedback, and you will never improve.  I'm not saying your work is bad: I don't know, because you haven't posted it, and hence I've had no chance to read it.  But I am saying that your mother is not always the best judge of quality when it comes to these kinds of things (it's like, say, when you made a crummy macaroni picture in kindergarten and she hung it on the refrigerator: sure, it looks like butt to everyone else, but she's your mom, so to her it's a treasure up there with the Mona Lisa).  Right?
So if you want to improve, you have to jump into the shark tank and take the risk that someone will copy you.  Frankly, though, it's a small risk.  We're talking, maybe about the same chances that you'll break a leg by sitting down the wrong way on a cushy sofa.  People tell me my work is pretty good, and I've been posting on this site for about 2 years now without any incidents of copyright infringement (that I know of), and the same goes for everyone else I know.
So don't worry.  The only thing you really have to worry about on this site is critique sharks, which really aren't a bad thing anyway, if you listen to them.


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## kitreshawn (Nov 3, 2009)

Will just echo Renard here, but with my own take on it.

1) Not very often.  People MAY borrow characters (even though this is very rare) or take ideas from scenes you have written, but that itself is not stealing.  I have only heard of one person trying to claim credit for a story, that was 4 years or more ago, and he didn't even do more than link to where the story was originally hosted.

2) Your work is copyrighted the moment it is written in any form that can be accessed by others.

3) Technically the moment your work is publicly posted anywhere, it is published.  You can sue, but you need to register the work first.  Registering the work does not give you additional protections but it makes it easier to sue.  Registering can be done at any time, though, and I believe it carries a fee so there is no point in doing it.  That said, nobody is going to steal anything you write.  There is also the possibility of a DMCA takedown notice.

4) Yes, although you should also keep a hard copy of the final and all drafts.  These show that you are the originator of the ideas.  Basically in these types of cases it is very easy to fall into a he said she said type of thing.  Again, you don't need to worry about it.

Basically the main point here is that nothing you write is going to be stolen.


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## AshleyAshes (Nov 3, 2009)

Aspie Shapeshifter said:


> 2: Can I claim that my work is copyrighted when someone else tries to publish it for him/herself?


 
Let's be honest here. Your stuff is gonna have to be TOTALLY FUCKING AWESOME for it to ever be published under your name or under anyone elses name. It almost certianly isn't that good enough.

Also, no one would be able to publish pokemon fanfiction for profit without the express permission of Nintendo. Remember? You're using some of THEIR copyrights and tademarks for your writing.  Maybe you'd feel less paranoid of your stuff being stolen if you wern't stealing ideas from Nintendo first?


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## TakeWalker (Nov 3, 2009)

If you're that paranoid about your work being stolen, don't post it on the internet. That's the surest, safest way to go about things.


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## panzergulo (Nov 4, 2009)

This whole idea of "stealing"... it feels so... amusing to me. Those who have something worthy of stealing are pretty much safe... because they are probably published authors already, their writings will be around and their style distinguishable. The fraud will be caught without any difficulty. And those who aren't published... well, why would you steal stuff you can't be sure is worth anything? Aside from expanding your ego, I see no use to steal written works if you can't make money with it. And I have to agree with Ashley on this... a work of literature has to be rather awesome before the publisher even touches it.

I dare you to steal my stuff. After you have been able to sell my horrible scribblings to a publisher, you'll be neck deep in a ton-load of shit, because your next work (if it isn't stolen too) won't be even near to the style of the previous work. Some people are afraid plagiarizing too, you know, but I'm not really bothered... I have so quirky style any conman will have serious difficulties copying it. First, you'd have to be native Finn with language skills in both English and Swedish, plus some vocabulary in German, Russian, Spanish, Latin... I dare claim you can't write a set of several short stories and impersonate me with them, for example.

So, yeah... OP, I wouldn't be too concerned. Like MLR said, there are great writers and published authors around here too... and I haven't heard about anyone stealing anything. And, it's true... if you want to find anything worthy of publishing in FA, you'd have to wade through huge amount of porn and poorly-written fanfics first... You're giving too much credit to the users of FA, really. Just relax and start uploading. More than likely, noone will even read your first few stories... if they aren't porn or relating to the interests of the reader... like those Pokemon fanfics of yours.

Keep it up.


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## M. LeRenard (Nov 4, 2009)

Take's going the abstinence only route.


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## Atrak (Nov 4, 2009)

AshleyAshes said:


> Let's be honest here. Your stuff is gonna have to be TOTALLY FUCKING AWESOME for it to ever be published under your name or under anyone elses name. It almost certianly isn't that good enough.
> 
> Also, no one would be able to publish pokemon fanfiction for profit without the express permission of Nintendo. Remember? You're using some of THEIR copyrights and tademarks for your writing. Maybe you'd feel less paranoid of your stuff being stolen if you wern't stealing ideas from Nintendo first?


 
He already said he wasn't worried about the fanfiction, just the one that is his idea alone.

Oh, and OP, if you're really worried, make some moderator friends, and ask them to critique it for you. As they are staff members, it's not very likely they lack the morality that they would steal your stuff  . Ren, you listening?


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## StormKitty (Nov 4, 2009)

I've had one of my stories reposted without permission three times that I'm aware of (which is less than half the number of places I've posted it to myself).  In only one of the three instances did someone try to take credit for it as their own (that site apparently was only frequented by a small circle of active users and was virtually dead by the time I discovered it, but the admins eventually took it down).  In all three instances, the story was incomplete, fragmented, or so badly formatted as to be virtually unreadable.  Frankly, I'm more amused than upset at these incidents, and a little flattered that someone thought my foray into furry porn was good enough to reproduce.


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## Taffer (Nov 4, 2009)

AshleyAshes said:


> Let's be honest here. Your stuff is gonna have to be TOTALLY FUCKING AWESOME for it to ever be published under your name or under anyone elses name. It almost certianly isn't that good enough.



You're either here to give me good advice that I misinterpreted, or you're just here to make fun of someone who puts true effort into what they write.

If you truly think that my work "isn't that good enough", click this link and read the reviews I received for my Pokemon fanfiction.

http://www.fanfiction.net/r/5023780/

I've asked them about writing and publishing. They say it's a good idea. Read the reviews and give me your opinion (but beware, the mods are watching)

------------------------------------------------------------------

As for the ones who do support me, I appreciate it. Thanks. If I haven't uploaded my prologue already, I'll do it soon.


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## M. LeRenard (Nov 4, 2009)

Glad to see you've overcome your fear.
Maybe this thread has already run its course.  If you'd like a critique of your work, Aspie, you can use the stickied critique thread up at the top of the forum.  Don't anybody use this thread, though, or it will get locked.
Oh damn... I forgot to make a new critique thread on the 1st.  I guess I'll make it now.


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## AshleyAshes (Nov 4, 2009)

Aspie Shapeshifter said:


> You're either here to give me good advice that I misinterpreted, or you're just here to make fun of someone who puts true effort into what they write.
> 
> If you truly think that my work "isn't that good enough", click this link and read the reviews I received for my Pokemon fanfiction.
> 
> ...


 
Yeah I'm not gonna bother.  I have writing on my FA account where people have literally told me that I am the greatest furry writer ever.

Am I the greatest furry writer?  Not by a freakin' long shot.  I'd be shocked infact that if anyone was ever interested in publishing myself outside of some furry fanzine or something.

You have fans?  Everyone has fans who think they are great.  The worst artists and writers have fans who think they are totally awesome.  That doesn't actually make it awesome.


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## Atrak (Nov 5, 2009)

Okay, Aspie, I'm just going to give you a warning about publishing your work  . If you publish your stories, and ask for criticism, be prepared to recieve it. Some of us might say some good things about your story, like Renard, TakeWalker, maybe even me, sometimes  . Others can give you long critiques with lots of big words and really good grammar. Not saying any names... *looks pointedly at Panzer*

Certain people will use extreme vocabulary to emphasize their opinions, as I'm sure you've met one of  . They aren't trying to insult you (usually), but just have an opinion, and use language most consider offensive to communicate that opinion, as it shocks you and makes you pay attention and think about what they are saying.

Some of us are good with grammar, and might help you there  .

The point of this is, if you post your story on here and ask for a critique, we will TEAR IT APART. You might even be reduced to tears at what some of us are saying. But if we do it right, you'll not only cry, but learn something new about writing, and see some of the mistakes you made. After all, if you're perfect at writing, and can't improve at all, what's the point of being a writer? It would be boring as hell if all anyone had to say were good things about you -.- .

You say your friends, family, and teacher think you are good and have potential. No offense, but your friends and family probably aren't that good at writing themselves, and when they say you are good, they are comparing you to themselves, so it's not really saying much. As for your teacher...hell, my kindergarten teacher thought I had potential when I could understood why the e on the end of cake changed the way the a sounded  .

Don't post your stories if you are not prepared and willing to read our crits, and then look at your story and say, "Wow, it sucked. Look at all the mistakes!" This is a good thing  . It makes you want to correct it, or write it or something else even better. This applies to writing, it applies to art, it applies to LIFE.

If you can't do this, then I wouldn't see any point in living. After all, death is the step to another adventure, and maybe you won't be perfect at everything in that one, eh?

Again, not trying to offend you or anything, but this is how it is  . You seem to me like the type that will work to improve, so I wish you well, and hope you have luck in publishing a furry book that is actually furry, and not Brian Jacques grade work  .


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## Atrak (Nov 5, 2009)

Wow, that was long, maybe I should add my name next to Panzer's...


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## StormKitty (Nov 5, 2009)

@atrakaj - The way you talk about it makes it sound like getting your story critiqued is such an awful experience that would make a lot of aspiring authors afraid to dive in.  If the critiquers are doing a good job of it, it's not all that bad.  

I would contend that a properly done critique of a story (or any other type of work) should include pointing out the good with the bad.  I approach any critique with the belief that there is no story that is so bad that you can't find some redeeming qualities, nor so good that you can't find anything that could be improved.  As the one providing the critique, you should look for and be prepared to provide a good dose of each in your feedback.

Talking about the good things you see is not just to boost the author's ego while you're picking apart other things about it.  That's one reason for doing it, but there are others.  Sometimes it's not obvious to a writer whether some element of the story worked as intended, whether it came across properly, and by telling them what they did RIGHT you're helping them understand what they're doing that DOES work.  It also helps an author to know what their strengths are.

Finally, if someone's writing is riddled with all kinds of problems, don't try to point all of them out in your critique.  Most likely that writer simply needs more practice and experience and time to improve.  The most helpful thing you can do is to identify about three things that you think that writer should focus on improving.  For a writer to try to focus on trying to improve too many things at once can be overwhelming, and quite often while they're working on just a few areas of improvement, some of the other problem areas will take care of themselves.


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## Atrak (Nov 5, 2009)

Very true. I myself have problems, and focus on only one or two at a time. The biggest one I have is that I can't plan a story AND write it. I have to do one, or the other  . Working on it  .


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## Poetigress (Nov 6, 2009)

StormKitty said:


> @atrakaj - The way you talk about it makes it sound like getting your story critiqued is such an awful experience that would make a lot of aspiring authors afraid to dive in.  If the critiquers are doing a good job of it, it's not all that bad.
> 
> I would contend that a properly done critique of a story (or any other type of work) should include pointing out the good with the bad.  I approach any critique with the belief that there is no story that is so bad that you can't find some redeeming qualities, nor so good that you can't find anything that could be improved.  As the one providing the critique, you should look for and be prepared to provide a good dose of each in your feedback.
> 
> ...




This, entirely. 

It can be really hard to remember to point out the good stuff, because you're naturally focused on figuring out what doesn't work, but I agree it is important to try. 

I would add, as well, that if you really can't find anything sincerely positive to say about a story -- if you don't like it and don't see potential in what's there -- then you have no business critiquing it and should move on to something else. (This also applies, IMO, if a story is emphatically not the type of thing you normally read and has not won you over to any aspect of its genre or style. I'm okay if somebody starts off a critique with "I normally don't read this kind of fantasy, but this really pulled me in," and then goes on with the critique, but I've gotten crits in the past from people who obviously loathe whatever type of story I've written, who would never read that kind of thing of their own free will, and then are tearing down aspects that are endemic to that type of story. It ends up being a waste of everybody's time, because 99 times out of 100, they're not the audience I'm aiming for, and pleasing them would mean turning the piece into another genre entirely. I can see the argument that it's good to get a range of reactions, but in the end, I find crits most helpful when they're coming from people who are at least in the same neighborhood as the target audience.)


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## Thou Dog (Nov 8, 2009)

Right now I'm helping another fellow edit a series of short stories set in the Warhammer 40,000 world. I know him because both he and I post stories on /tg/ with some regularity.

We're doing a tit-for-tat deal at the moment. He helped me out by pointing out someone had nabbed one of my stories (my least favorite) from /tg/ (or suptg or 1d4chan) and posted it as his own on AFF, where I have an account. So in return for that favor, and also because I like to think of myself as a nice guy, I'm looking over his work. Including the scenes that made me go Â°Ð”Â° "!?"

Long story made shorter: find someone you can trust and ask for his help.


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