tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post5518851740232503762..comments2023-05-24T08:06:43.882-04:00Comments on Romance Writer's Revenge: The Gift Christopher Columbus Gave to WritersTerri Osburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17176989488447450585noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-12373788704599815402012-10-08T22:49:46.160-04:002012-10-08T22:49:46.160-04:00I post under the name JulieJustJulie. Why? Because...I post under the name JulieJustJulie. Why? Because my name IS Julie and Just calling me Julie is Just fine with me.<br />Its also fine with a few other Julies ... <br />•There are 547,265 people in the U.S. with the first name Julie.<br />•Statistically the 101st most popular first name.<br />•More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Julie are female.<br />Well.<br />There are 547,265 Julies out there. i Could change my name to cut down on being confused with some other Julie But I like my name.<br />You could change Steves name too. But if you really like it then heck why not keep it? Because Statistically speaking: <br /><br />•There are 386,859 people in the U.S. with the first name Steve.<br />•Statistically the 153rd most popular first name.<br />•More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Steve are male.<br />So my advice is stick to your guns and stick with your story, stick with Steve, I'll stick with Julie and every now and then ... I'll stick my nose umm ....well I'll stick with sticking up for writers who want to write.<br />( ckeck out http://howmanyofme.com/ ) JulieJustJuliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05944447023263004591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-17811854171339311762012-10-08T22:34:51.166-04:002012-10-08T22:34:51.166-04:00Anyone freak out like this?
Me? Nevahhhhhh ... N...Anyone freak out like this? <br /><br />Me? Nevahhhhhh ... Not.<br /><br />What do you do to curb your panic?<br /><br /><br />Why I would take your advice! Be Christopher Columbus. Be the first “European” to step foot on your new land and keep moving forward because no place, or for that matter any story is exactly like another! Half a million people went west during 1841-1869. Think about that! 500,000 different people all doing the Same Thing, but doing the same thing differently because no one person is exactly like another. That being said why wouldn't there couldn't there be two fictional stores... similar bur at the same time very different? Makes perfect sense to me. If you think about it, history/historic moments rarely involve just one person. Kind of like if nature abhors a vacuum, then a historic moment loves a Crowd. IMO . <br />Therefore my answer is: History is on the side of your story being Your Story to tell, just as every one of those half a million people had their own story to tell. <br />Also on your side? Are statistics. <br /> JulieJustJuliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05944447023263004591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-27563391337064427282012-10-08T15:29:51.324-04:002012-10-08T15:29:51.324-04:00I've been out running around and just now am I...I've been out running around and just now am I caught up on emails. :) <br /><br />Thanks guys, for the boasts to the ego today. :) You guys are awesome.<br /><br />Ter - I agree that you're fine with the last name in MTB. It's common. :)<br /><br />And I agree with Janga too. I think it's hard not to mimic SOMEONE. We are all pulling from somewhere, even if it's a mishmash of places.Marnee Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01533816213473440342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-8401233162328064902012-10-08T14:07:24.041-04:002012-10-08T14:07:24.041-04:00Well, McKennna's Gold is considered a total st...Well, McKennna's Gold is considered a total stinker. Now, I liked it. What's not to love? Omar Shariff, Telly Savalas and Gregory Peck!Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01517092592545660754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-60002112194852873352012-10-08T13:25:33.967-04:002012-10-08T13:25:33.967-04:00Did. Not. Notice. I think you can keep it Terri. *...Did. Not. Notice. I think you can keep it Terri. *LOL* Hellie Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03933713255844695337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-54805606916426048462012-10-08T13:24:55.007-04:002012-10-08T13:24:55.007-04:00I didn't realize until I'd finished MTB th...I didn't realize until I'd finished MTB that I'd picked the same last name for my main family as Crusie used in some of her books. At first I thought I should change it, but it's a common name and it's who they are. Joe showed up with that last name. So I'm keeping it.Terri Osburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17176989488447450585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-84735238826212860052012-10-08T13:23:07.071-04:002012-10-08T13:23:07.071-04:00Janga, very true--and I love how you always have s...Janga, very true--and I love how you always have sources to quote from way beyond what we would typically pull from...I would say a lot of us are mimicking Georgette Heyer...who was in a sense mimicking Austen (though I think Georgette really just made it her own while Austen was basically writing a "contemporary of manners" for her time. While Georgette WAS writing a historical she hadn't lived in--I don't think anyway.)<br /><br />Anyway...as you were saying, there is always someone to point to to say you're mimicking them. :) Hellie Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03933713255844695337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-43497050454063838212012-10-08T13:20:28.416-04:002012-10-08T13:20:28.416-04:00P.Kirby, I know you're right--I've cast ar...P.Kirby, I know you're right--I've cast around in that same way. "What is wrong with this book--that mind you a million have read and enjoyed?"--it MUST be them; it couldn't possibly be me and not the right time to read it or something. :) <br /><br />I have favorite-favorite-favorite authors I read but if I read too many of their books in a row, I start accusing them of plagiarizing themselves! It's almost as if we're not reading widely enough so we don't get burned out on what we like most. Even white cake with white icing (my favorite--what can I say? only thing I like about weddings) can get old if it's all you eat. Hellie Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03933713255844695337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-75933063217742831502012-10-08T13:18:08.783-04:002012-10-08T13:18:08.783-04:00Gregory made a bad movie? When?Gregory made a bad movie? When?Hellie Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03933713255844695337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-56957841064820135962012-10-08T13:17:51.272-04:002012-10-08T13:17:51.272-04:00Mo, buzzard I'm sure tastes like chicken so th...Mo, buzzard I'm sure tastes like chicken so they'll think we're copying. :)Hellie Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03933713255844695337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-9521286884623877992012-10-08T13:17:20.562-04:002012-10-08T13:17:20.562-04:00Terri, I'll add Beverley's books to my TBR...Terri, I'll add Beverley's books to my TBR pile. But please be reminded, YOUR pile is still bigger. *LOL* (Do you think I might have skipped them due to the names? Rothgar is about the sexiest one of that bunch...)Hellie Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03933713255844695337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-46997593558180693582012-10-08T12:55:12.389-04:002012-10-08T12:55:12.389-04:00Beverley's Malloren series started in the earl...Beverley's Malloren series started in the early 90s with <i>My Lady Notorious</i>; Balogh's Bedwyns were introduced in the late 90s in <i>One Night for Love</i> and the series proper began a few years later with <i>Slightly Married</i>. Even so, I don't think Balogh was imitating Beverley. Family series that focus on siblings with one brother as the head of the family predate Balogh, Beverley, and Lindsey--and modern romance fiction as we know it. Canadian writer Mazo de la Roche started writing her hugely popular Jalna series in the 1920s. Jangahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-61844978275580284872012-10-08T12:40:12.813-04:002012-10-08T12:40:12.813-04:00In general, I think whenever someone says, with an...In general, I think whenever someone says, with an imperious sniff, "It's just a rip-off of so-and-so's Story," the issue really isn't originality. Instead, the reader just wasn't engaged with the story (for whatever reason), so their mind starting looking for reasons why. If that story resembles something they really enjoyed, they glom onto the complaint that it was trite and unoriginal. (Maybe it was.)<br /><br />But, given the example cited above, it's obvious that readers will accuse writers of ripping off other writers, even if it isn't true. So again, why worry about it?<br /><br />My character, Regan, from the first book, isn't Buffy or Stephanie Plum. She's the result of a kind of "What if?" inspired by the characters. Basically, what if you have a vampire slayer/paranormal agent who wasn't terribly competent? But my character is very much her own person, and the world building vastly different. In particular, I didn't go with the standard black and white, good versus evil approach (Judeo Christian definitions of demons, etc.). <br /><br />I think it's quite possible for a story to have very strong fannish origins and still be original.<br /><br />Of course, that may be because, if it weren't for TV, movies and books, I'd stare a blank screen with nothing to write. ;)P. Kirbyhttp://www.patriciakirby.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-51094654777718320392012-10-08T12:20:41.904-04:002012-10-08T12:20:41.904-04:00The Greg is divine. I even like his bad movies...The Greg is divine. I even like his bad movies...Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01517092592545660754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-58695571663523090702012-10-08T12:20:18.962-04:002012-10-08T12:20:18.962-04:00The whole argument that 'you can't do that...The whole argument that 'you can't do that, it's been done already' is hilarious. Man, if cooks did that we'd all starve or survive on the most bat crazy stuff out there.<br /><br />"I'd make you a cake but it's been done already...would you like some buzzard flambe?"Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01517092592545660754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-12039404061884152032012-10-08T12:19:36.553-04:002012-10-08T12:19:36.553-04:00Beverley's heroes are wonderful! She had one g...Beverley's heroes are wonderful! She had one guy who did some toolish things at the start of the Rogues series, but he had good reason. Cyn, Bryght, Brand, and Rothgar are such sexy heroes. You need to go read them.<br />Terri Osburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17176989488447450585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-38047341670421355082012-10-08T12:15:40.634-04:002012-10-08T12:15:40.634-04:00I didn't even read the Beverley series I don&#...I didn't even read the Beverley series I don't think, but most of her heroes are kinda on the toolish side, if you get my drift, and I think Balogh gives her heroes a bit more sensitivity. It's not like she stole the idea of writing a series about siblings. *LOL* Come on. *LOL* Hellie Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03933713255844695337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-19242942564548704962012-10-08T12:12:23.645-04:002012-10-08T12:12:23.645-04:00Janga, didn't Balogh and Beverley write those ...Janga, didn't Balogh and Beverley write those at the same time? It's not as if the Mallorens were out for years before the Slightly series came along. And Lindsey had the Malory series long before both of them. Which I adored so much my daughter's middle name is Malory.Terri Osburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17176989488447450585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-39516661806456090132012-10-08T12:12:21.318-04:002012-10-08T12:12:21.318-04:00"What has been will be again,what has been do...<i> "What has been will be again,what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."</i><br /><br />True dat! <br /><br />This makes me think some tired father was writing this about his teenage sons. *LOL* "Look, Jack, you didn't make up sex...so don't even act like you did." Hellie Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03933713255844695337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-5400864916462516322012-10-08T12:10:35.585-04:002012-10-08T12:10:35.585-04:00Mo, I like that--that's true. Everything touch...Mo, I like that--that's true. Everything touches something. That's a nice thought. (And I do love Gregory Peck in anything he wants to do. *LOL* *swoons* Him and James Garner.)Hellie Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03933713255844695337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-9646722548370059592012-10-08T12:08:22.999-04:002012-10-08T12:08:22.999-04:00Hellie, your voice is so distinctive that I can...Hellie, your voice is so distinctive that I can't imagine anything you write seeming less than original.Jangahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-88285263871484945842012-10-08T12:06:27.498-04:002012-10-08T12:06:27.498-04:00I once had a rather heated exchange online with so...I once had a rather heated exchange online with someone who thought Mary Balogh's Slightly series was out and out plagiarism of Jo Beverley's Mallorens. And I know Christina Dodd got a lot of criticism because of the similarities between <i>Lost in Your Arms</i> and <i>White Lies</i>, one of Linda Howard's category romances. I love both Beverley's Mallorens and Balogh's Bedwyns, and while I was aware of the similarities in the two series, I didn't read the Bedwyn books thinking Balogh sure lacks originality. And although <i>Lost in Your Arms</i> is not my favorite Dodd book by any means, I didn't read it thinking that it was a bad rewrite of <i>White Lies</i>, which is a keeper that I've read half a dozen times.<br /><br />I think the words of the writer of Ecclesiastes apply to fiction as well as life: "What has been will be again,what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."Jangahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-1831161951096210602012-10-08T12:01:20.570-04:002012-10-08T12:01:20.570-04:00P.Kirby, ha! Love it!
My first writing was a fan...P.Kirby, ha! Love it! <br /><br />My first writing was a fan-fiction of THE YOUNG RIDERS back when I was a teenager. (At the time, I had a big crush on The Kid, but towards the end, my bad boy crush blood willed out and I was totally for Josh Brolin. Oh, and I liked Gregg Rainwater because I loved the forbidden of dating the Native American. :)<br /><br />Chrissy isn't a big heroic fan in my book either. The Indians show you hospitality and you give them small pox and syphilis? Come on, guys. Be classy. Then again, for the next 400 years after him, few if any of the white guys were particularly classy to the Native Americans. *sighs* All in the name of Christianity too...Hellie Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03933713255844695337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-30476936481132383672012-10-08T11:59:36.945-04:002012-10-08T11:59:36.945-04:00I have many authors on my hit list for writing the...I have many authors on my hit list for writing the books I was writing, did write, thought about writing... But then I decide mine is different enough, I'm not going to sweat it.<br /><br />As Pat said, everything touches something. And with some of us, our things touch many things. I'm done freaking out about it...for now...<br /><br />I love the name Steve. Big Bad Steve...yeah. Works for me! Always loved Gregory in Westerns...that nice slow delivery worked so beautifully!Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01517092592545660754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-80470710622727945972012-10-08T11:38:06.958-04:002012-10-08T11:38:06.958-04:00My father-in-law is an Easterner who came west, an...My father-in-law is an Easterner who came west, and met, fell in love with and married a rancher's daughter. I don't think there was an evil Steve in my in-laws' story, but in their case, the scenario is real life.<br /><br />I don't sweat the "originality" thing too much. Pretty much everything I write is "inspired by" something else; usually a conglomeration of something elses. For instance my first novel was the result of watching too much Buffy and Angel, and reading Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. The steampunkish WIP is sort of China Mieville with a lot more romance. Space opera WIP has deep roots in...uh, never mind.<br /><br />*Shrugs* Point is, I'm nothing if not completely, utterly unoriginal. :)<br /><br />Since I'm out here in the wild west, where Native Americans are a significant part of the culture, Chrissy Columbus and for that matter, the conquistadors, aren't exactly heroic figures to me.P. Kirbyhttp://www.patriciakirby.comnoreply@blogger.com