Abandoning an Abandoned story...again.

Twinklestar75

Twinklestar75

Experienced
I had adopted an story and I tried to spin it the way I wanted it to go. But... Its not working and I want to start from scratch. Can I just kind of write a new story from the beginning with the same ish parts?

Not sure why I am asking this. I just don't want to feel guilty.
 
Do you mean in terms of rules? You can write whatever you want*. AFAIK, just don't actively copy-paste any of the original author's work without a) their permission and b) an acknowledgement that you did not write it.

In terms of ethics? No. As the High Jarl of CHYOA, Chosen by Odin Himself, I hereby decree that you cannot. Sorry bro :/
(Go for it.)
 
insertnamehere said:
Do you mean in terms of rules? You can write whatever you want*. AFAIK, just don't actively copy-paste any of the original author's work without a) their permission and b) an acknowledgement that you did not write it.

In terms of ethics? No. As the High Jarl of CHYOA, Chosen by Odin Himself, I hereby decree that you cannot. Sorry bro :/
(Go for it.)
Click to expand...

Dammit, He outranks me so I can't go over his head on this.

But IMHO, if you're the one doing the work to keep the story alive, and you aren't liking what's happening with it... totally rewrite. Start over, take it where YOU want, and acknowledge your sources IF you're stealing from anybody other than yourself. Heck, fix a few of those typos while you're at it... and maybe rework that original idea a bit to make it more yours... You get the idea. After a while, it's no longer stealing, because you're taking it where you want to.

If you feel bad about this, I would remind you that Sherlock Holmes Fanfic often appears in mainstream media, as well as Shakespeare and Star Wars rip offs. If Hollywood can do it, You can do it. Hell, Shakespeare ripped off from Italian Plays... who Ripped off from Roman plays... who ripped off from Greek Plays... who probably ripped off from some where else, but put enough of a spin on it that nobody's figured it out COMPLETELY yet.

Short Version: EVERYBODY steals ideas from somewhere. You can't help it. It's Author's Nature.

And Random Music
 
As an adopter, you can improve the adopted story and change parts of it as long as you don't change what the original author was aiming for.
So don't completely rewrite an adopted story.


If the difference is too big, create a new branch or a new story.
(Getting inspiration from other stories is fine.)
 
The stories by other authors, abandoned or not, are their work, their copyright. You would be plagiarizing (and violating copyright) if you simply use their work in your own. Stealing their characters is more ambiguous--there is a school of thought that favors fan fiction while others have problems with that. Stealing ideas is also different... because ideas aren't copyrightable. Just don't use other people's words. It's wrong.
 
"There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations."

-Mark Twain
 
robyna said:
The stories by other authors, abandoned or not, are their work, their copyright. You would be plagiarizing (and violating copyright) if you simply use their work in your own. Stealing their characters is more ambiguous--there is a school of thought that favors fan fiction while others have problems with that. Stealing ideas is also different... because ideas aren't copyrightable. Just don't use other people's words. It's wrong.
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This is true and very important, though I would add that if a story is years-long abandoned (as opposed to simply finished) the author likely won't have the desire to pursue any legal compensation, especially as they could simply contact CHYOA moderation and have the copy deleted. I believe this site is overseen with sufficient caution such that, no matter how hard you try, you would probably be banned before ever getting in legal trouble for anything, not just plagiarism.
 
insertnamehere said:
if a story is years-long abandoned (as opposed to simply finished) the author likely won't have the desire to pursue any legal compensation, especially as they could simply contact CHYOA moderation and have the copy deleted.
Click to expand...
CHYOA has a rule on plagiarism and every user can report a violation of the plagiarism rule.

So just don't plagiarize.

If the story you want to tell is so close to the abandoned story in question, add to that story. (or adopt it)

If the story you want to tell is different, make a new story out of it and make it YOURS.
It's fine to get inspired by other stories.
Slightly rewording paragraphs or telling the same storyline is not.
 
gene.sis said:
CHYOA has a rule on plagiarism and every user can report a violation of the plagiarism rule.

So just don't plagiarize.

If the story you want to tell is so close to the abandoned story in question, add to that story. (or adopt it)

If the story you want to tell is different, make a new story out of it and make it YOURS.
It's fine to get inspired by other stories.
Slightly rewording paragraphs or telling the same storyline is not.
Click to expand...

1] Everyone can report it, but not everyone has the same definition &/or would read the same thing & agree it is. (Pauses in hopes brain will stop singing "Lobachevsky" as it's been doing much of day anyway.)

It's a written creation, not a living one... Wait; Regardless, I'm debating myself right now whether or not both can have persons who aren't very active, but also unwilling to have someone else assume ownership/care.
 
gene.sis said:
Actually, plagiarism isn't creation
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Respectfully disagree.

People tell parts of stories, tell them other ways, tell them (for instance, to younger generations), not sure where they first heard them, if it's multiple things they heard they're combining, etc.

gene.sis said:
You can use the definition I used above and report a chapter, even if you're not completely sure if it violates the plagiarism rule or not.
A moderator can then decide about it.
Click to expand...

Don't think that I'm complaining, but I am neither a Moderator nor a person who knows a Moderator offline...

Meaning there's a good chance any Mod has read things (online &/or offline) that I haven't, and vice-versa. Simply because I can't recall or name now something I read 6 months ago doesn't negate its existence, nor does the fact I read it & recalled it but the Moderator did neither.
 
Corunner said:
Respectfully disagree.
Click to expand...
definition:
creation: the act of making or producing something that did not exist before

Corunner said:
People tell parts of stories, tell them other ways, tell them (for instance, to younger generations), not sure where they first heard them, if it's multiple things they heard they're combining, etc.
Click to expand...
As I said before, getting inspired by other people's ideas is perfectly fine.

Some examples of what isn't:
- You copy an existing story, replace the names with new names, fix the typos, and change the structure of a few sentences
- There exists a story about a dragon slayer who walks up the hill, waits there for a few days before going back to the town to sleep in the tavern. You write a story about a dragon slayer who walks up the hill, waits there for a few days before going back to the town to sleep in the tavern.

Now, if you write a story about an orc slayer who walks up the hill, waits there for a few days before going back to the town to sleep in the pigpen, it wouldn't be the same storyline as shown above.
 
gene.sis said:
definition:
creation: the act of making or producing something that did not exist before
Click to expand...

It's time for "Dueling Definitions"!

Creation: The act of making, inventing, or producing as: the act of in uhvesting with a new rank or office

[QUOTE ="gen.sis, post: 53666, member: 23321"]Some examples of what isn't:
- You copy an existing story, replace the names with new names, fix the typos, and change the structure of a few sentences...[/QUOTE]

Truh, ahnd f yue rite a stohrie abowt aneethinng, butt thiss kwalitee, it won't get published, but if one makes the spelling corrections & changes similar to those you mentioned before, it likely will, & they will likely get the credit.

* I have no clue why 1 Quote worked & not the other; Trying to copy HTML longhand/from memory while local PC place is Corona-Closed.
 
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