A woman on a mailing list I run was excited about creating a book and wanted to collaborate with someone else. Yet she held back because of fear of sharing. She thought if she shared her idea, someone could steal it and do it first. She asked for advice on how to keep a project rather secret.
I know I used to be afraid of talking about projects for this very reason until I had ideas and projects used despite trying hard to hold them in. I realised that in order for something to take wings, you have to give it room to move. Holding on too tight doesn’t work.
I wrote a response to her question and this is what I wrote:
It’s true that sometimes if you share an idea or your work, people will “steal it” or “copy it.” I’ve had this happen twice; first when I submitted a query to a magazine and was told they couldn’t accept it because they only used staff writers. Four months later my article appeared in the magazine, written by someone else. I also shared ideas and information with a friend who took these ideas and made a book and used phrases I use for my sites as the title of her book. I was really shocked and hurt by this but when I spoke with other writers and artists, they told me that, unfortunately, these things happen.
However on the flip side, I’ve shared so many other ideas with people and had nothing but positive come from it. I received amazing feedback, encouragement and ideas that helped me more than trying to figure it out all myself could. Sharing also helped me to relax about my stuff rather than worrying about who would steal it, take it or whatnot. I’ve learned that also sometimes I’m working on a project, out of pure coincidence a friend can be working on a very similar project. It’s not that either was copying or stealing, it just happens that we both had similar ideas at the same time. I don’t worry about this because I know that we will each bring a different and authentic viewpoint which will make each project unique. There’s really no original art or story to be told anyway, all that is new is the view your bring.
If you’re working on a project you know is brilliant and would be popular, there might be a chance someone, somewhere has also thought of this. Don’t worry about this. It can be a good thing because when you have to make a case for your book, you can site other examples and that other books are entering the market because of a need. A good example of this is Andrea Scher’s Photobooth Book; at first, the Amelie movie and the outpour of Photobooks that came out after deterred her because she didn’t think she could bring something new. But what it did was show there was an interest in these kinds of books and that she could make a book on this topic, but in a very different way.
So then, I would say don’t worry so much about trying to keep it all secret and worry about who will steal it. Put that energy into creating what you can and trust that when you’re done creating, there will be a place for it.
A good resource for information on privacy and collaborating: Writing-World.com.
The Chronicles of Girl at Play began in April 2001 as a way for me to chronicle my leaving a successful corporate position to become a self-employed writer.
