It’s not imitation, it’s theft.

There have been a few instances over the last couple of days where I’ve seen my writing (my terminology) just wholesale swiped. It’s been a bit amazing, the places I’ve seen it happen. I guess I should be flattered but, I just find myself a bit pissed. Possibly part of the reason is the people doing the swiping aren’t ready to own up to it or at the very least give me the credit for the masterful weaving of words. The thieves in question whether they be strangers or friends just come along and basically pirate ideas as their own.

It’s nothing new. Years back I would work on story concepts, rolling the things over and over in my mind. As part of the process of working out a story, I’d talk about the concepts, settings and themes before they had fully germinated only to watch as another would come takes those unrealized threads and spin them into a hackneyed and bland cloth, full of holes and clichés.

There are a few very popular and well-known plotlines (in a medium I choose not to designate), I have no doubt were commandered from me. I know full well who committed the theft and how they came by the information. In one or two cases, I am glad it was done because the fact is when you take something still incomplete and claim it as your own, you had best be able to see it through. Even if a foundation is poured, it doesn’t mean you’ll be able to build a strong and beautiful house. You need to be a skilled carpenter for that otherwise you end up with a shack. I guess it’s hard to imagine someone who finds it necessary to steal in such a way would be a skilled builder themselves.

Anyway, what I find amazes me though is that with the incredible wealth of ideas and words we are surrounded by, is it still necessary to steal? Are these thieves just f**kin’ lazy?