Unconcious plaigerism repost from DW

[threecee.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I get what seems like a good idea for a story, but as I start fleshing it out, it starts to seem very familiar. I will start to feel pretty sure that I have read a similar story at some point even if I can't find it. (I have a pretty good memory for things I've read, so I could easily have read it a couple years ago.)

I don't want to accidentally take over someone else's story, but there are a limited number of possible plots unless you go to AU. For example: Napoleon and Illya are hiding from THRUSH in a deserted cabin and one of them is hurt. Used a lot, but is my variation really different or am I remembering it?

Does this happen to other people? How much do you worry about using a similar situation as long as you (think you have) put your own spin on it?

Added: I have found a term for this! Cryptomnesia

"Cryptomnesia occurs when a forgotten memory returns without it being recognized as such by the subject, who believes it is something new and original. It is a memory bias whereby a person may falsely recall generating a thought, an idea, a tune, or a joke,[1] not deliberately engaging in plagiarism but rather experiencing a memory as if it were a new inspiration." Wikipedia "Cryptomnesia" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptomnesia accessed May 13, 2019

Comments

[threecee.livejournal.com]

Staying within the general area of canon almost forces you to use similar story lines. The show itself did that, especially toward the end. If you go into something way outside canon, it can be very hard to keep the characters true. Tricky balancing act.

What bothers me most is that I will come up with a detail and then I'll read someone's story from a few years ago and they have almost the same detail, even if they are using it differently.

[hypatia-66.livejournal.com]

What did I say? Convergent evolution. Perhaps it's impossible to be truly original - a chastening thought.