Question about posting obvious ideas

[F. King Daniel]

I know that you lot have a bunch of rules about posting book ideas (i.e. DON’T DO IT EVER), but I was wondering if we (I) could post some kind of disclaimer saying that we give the idea freely?
You wouldn’t even have to put me in the acknowledgements!


It’s for a book series. It’s not even an original idea. It’s stunningly obvious. I’m 90% sure one of the trek novel writers has already proposed it.

However, I don’t want to start trouble. Can I use a disclaimer before talking about it? Or do I keep bottled up?

 

[GodThingFormerly]

From the TrekLit FAQ:

Questions to Never Ask
-- Which Star Trek books are canon?
-- Why is this month's book late?
-- I have this extraordinary idea I want one of the writers to use in their next novel! Can I talk about the plot of my fan fiction/SNW story here? Would one of the writers here take a look at my story and tell me how good it is?
-- Why are there gay people in the books?

TGT

 

[Christopher]

I know that you lot have a bunch of rules about posting book ideas (i.e. DON’T DO IT EVER), but I was wondering if we (I) could post some kind of disclaimer saying that we give the idea freely?
You wouldn’t even have to put me in the acknowledgements!

It doesn't work that way. We can't be sure who really means it and who's just laying a trap for a plagiarism suit. We can't take the chance. More fundamentally, it just wouldn't be right in any case. This isn't a hobby, it's a paying profession. Ideas are a commodity with value. The originator of an idea deserves compensation for it if the idea produces a marketable story. Make exceptions to that and it undermines the whole system. If publishers or producers could get some people to give their ideas away for free, what incentive would they have to pay the rest of us our living wage?

It’s for a book series. It’s not even an original idea. It’s stunningly obvious. I’m 90% sure one of the trek novel writers has already proposed it.

However, I don’t want to start trouble. Can I use a disclaimer before talking about it? Or do I keep bottled up?

Best to err on the side of caution.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I know that, but this is *so* stunningly obvious, and i'm almost certain it will be done. I just want to talk about it. It's nothing original at all. Thus it doesn't fit into the everyone-thinks-they-are-the-most-creative-person-ever category.
It's like all those people saying they wanted Excelsior books and then it happened. It was obviously going to happen before then, but did you forbid people from speculating on how cool it would be?

 

[Therin of Andor]

I know that, but this is *so* stunningly obvious, and i'm almost certain it will be done.

Feel free to spill your guts over in the fanfic board.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Okay, fine.

You lot win.

(*strains to keep ideas and stories bottled up*)

 

[Dayton Ward]

People post wish lists for book series around here all the time (medical series, ground troops, Excelsior, Aventine, Ship X, whatever). That doesn't constitute a "story idea."

It's when people start rattling off plot lines and arcs for characters that we cover our eyes and put our fingers in our ears and yell "LALALALALAI'mNotListeningToYouLALALALALA!"

(Truth be told, I do that pretty much all the time, anyway, at least so far as certain posters are concerned.)

Now, I can't speak for anyone else here, but unless you can hand me a signed (in blood) and notarized piece of paper that says you, your friends and relatives, and anybody else who ever shows up to read this board from now until the end of time won't try to sue me for some perceived plagiaristic slight....EVER....then I personally don't want to hear about your story idea. If it's that cool, then start writing.

 

[LightningStorm]

Everyone's pretty much answered this, and the simple answer is still, no. However as Dayton said there is a difference between a very generic I'd like to see what happened with X ship or Y character, it's when you start saying I think X ship should do Z thing and Y character specific role in it.

If you are itching to discuss the idea however, feel free to post it in other forums on this BBS (where it makes sense to do so... like FanFic or possibly the specific series it pertains to). Trek Lit is the only forum here that has the no story idea rule.

 

[William Leisner]

(Truth be told, I do that pretty much all the time, anyway, at least so far as certain posters are concerned.)

Suddenly, our online conversations make much more sense now.

And to the OP: if your story idea is so stunningly obvious, why would you even want to lay claim to it? I mean, if you walked into an editor's office and told them, "I have a stunningly obvious story to sell you!" you're not even going to have the time to warm up the chair cushion before your ass is back out in the hallway...

 

[TGTheodore]

"Jean-Luc Picard awoke one morning to find himself transformed into a giant cockroach."

Nah. Too obvious.

Happy New Year, folks. Please be safe out there tonight.

--Ted

 

[Christopher]

"Jean-Luc Picard awoke one morning to find himself transformed into a giant cockroach."

"Q, what are you up to this time?" he cried.

 

[Sci]

"Jean-Luc Picard awoke one morning to find himself transformed into a giant cockroach."

"Q, what are you up to this time?" he cried.

"Why, Jean-Luc -- I just wanted to see you in mites."

 

[William Leisner]

"Jean-Luc Picard awoke one morning to find himself transformed into a giant cockroach."

"Q, what are you up to this time?" he cried.

"Why, Jean-Luc -- I just wanted to see you in mites."

GUARDS!!!

 

[Christopher]

^^There aren't enough guards in the world to respond properly to that one...

 

[Sci]

Muwahahahaha! Mine is an evil laugh!

 

[Marie1]

Even if its obvious... if its good and hasn't been truly done- why not try to write something about it and pitch it for real? Somehow... worst case, at least it'd be good practice if you want to write maybe.

 

[William Leisner]

Even if its obvious... if its good and hasn't been truly done- why not try to write something about it and pitch it for real? Somehow... worst case, at least it'd be good practice if you want to write maybe.

Well, that's something very different from just posting an idea to a message board. Not the least point being, you would need to get beyond the obvious idea into non-obvious territory.

For instance... after the debut of TNG, an obvious story idea would have been, "how about a story about how Riker and Troi met, fell in love, and then separated?" What is far less obvious is the idea that to tell such a story, you would jump twenty-some years to the future, then ten years into the past, involve the Guardian of Forever, the Kreel, a mysterious death, a jungle chase, and multiple versions of Data fighting against one another.

Now, of course, Imzadi could have taken any number of forms. It could have been just a straight "Lost Era" tale without any framing device, or it could have focused more on Wyatt Miller, or it could have delved into the political machinations between Betazed's different Houses and the true significance of the holding the Sacred Chalice of Rixx. None of which, of course, is obvious. And I suspect that it's the non-obvious stuff that made Imzadi the bestseller it turned out to be.

 

[Marie1]

Even if its obvious... if its good and hasn't been truly done- why not try to write something about it and pitch it for real? Somehow... worst case, at least it'd be good practice if you want to write maybe.

Well, that's something very different from just posting an idea to a message board. Not the least point being, you would need to get beyond the obvious idea into non-obvious territory.

For instance... after the debut of TNG, an obvious story idea would have been, "how about a story about how Riker and Troi met, fell in love, and then separated?" What is far less obvious is the idea that to tell such a story, you would jump twenty-some years to the future, then ten years into the past, involve the Guardian of Forever, the Kreel, a mysterious death, a jungle chase, and multiple versions of Data fighting against one another.

Now, of course, Imzadi could have taken any number of forms. It could have been just a straight "Lost Era" tale without any framing device, or it could have focused more on Wyatt Miller, or it could have delved into the political machinations between Betazed's different Houses and the true significance of the holding the Sacred Chalice of Rixx. None of which, of course, is obvious. And I suspect that it's the non-obvious stuff that made Imzadi the bestseller it turned out to be.

True. I'm just wondering how much thought the OP put into it. It just seems like since a lot of thought has gone into it- since it means so much to the OP- therefore if it hasn't been done, maybe it could be. Something I'm typically too big of a chicken to do. ... and if you don't when you think you should... you may lose your chance.
Dunno

 

[The Grim Ghost]

"Jean-Luc Picard awoke one morning to find himself transformed into a giant cockroach."

"Q, what are you up to this time?" he cried.

"Why, Jean-Luc -- I just wanted to see you in mites."

Could this be followed up with a sequel: Metaworfosis perhaps?

--runs for the hills!

 

[terpette]

Now, I can't speak for anyone else here, but unless you can hand me a signed (in blood) and notarized piece of paper

Does it have to be my blood?

Karen