Warning: I’m Telling a Story and You Might Recognize Something There

As a writer, I wander around absorbing my next story. It’s not that I’m conscious about it all of the time, but the details work themselves into my mind and pop into stories that I tell.  I am always taking mental notes about conversations, settings, scenarios and characters around me. Sometimes I’m aware of it as I write, but not always. That’s what good writers instinctively do, right?

On occasion, someone I know tells a story that I find to be compelling fodder for my writing, so I ask for his permission to use that story. I’ve been doing this for years.

Of course, the stories, settings, and situation or the snippets of other people’s stories are just kernels that evolve into a much larger story or wither to a tiny detail used within the fiction I write. I assume this is how all writing, art, music—anything created—begins. Sometimes the writer can acknowledge her inspiration for specific characters, dialogues or situations, but sometimes she has no idea from where they’re coming. Who owns these details? Is it the person who inspired them or is it the writer who has borrowed from the inspiration?

More importantly, does it matter?

I’ve done some Google research on this topic. Here are two articles I found very useful.

https://litreactor.com/columns/five-legal-issues-all-writers-need-to-be-aware-of In this article, “Five Legal Issues All Writers Need to Be Aware Of,” Jessica Meddows discusses five important legal issues to which writers should pay attention.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/28/the-right-to-write/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1  This is an interesting article by Roxana Robinson that delves into “The Right to Write.” The following lines particularly hit home for me:

“We draw on our own experience, but, since that includes everything we encounter, this means drawing on others’ stories as well.”

Amen.

What do you think? Feel free to leave your comments.