How can you protect your story from being stolen?

[OnePaleChick]

Hey guys, longtime lurker, I finally decided to sign up! I'm hoping you guys can give me some advice

I love to write, and I'm always making up new stories. I would like others to read my stories and give me advice on what I can do to improve, but I'm always afraid of people stealing my ideas. When I was younger, I wrote a story and let my friends read it. One 'friend' of mine stole my story almost word for word and used it in a class assignment. It really hurt to see someone else getting credit for all my hard work. Since then, I have many stories that go unread I don't like letting my stories collect dust, but I'm just so afraid of sharing them with people I don't know. I would show them to my friends, but friends and family won't give me the brutal advice and constructive criticism that I NEED!

So I guess my question is, how do you guys share your ideas without worrying that other people might steal it? I want to one day make one of my stories in comic form but it will be impossible to do so if I can't share my idea with an artist >__<

Thank you!

[YakkitySax]

A person once told me "Every story has been told. What makes the story unique is the way you tell it."

Honestly there is no way to keep someone from stealing your story. The best way to prove that it's yours is to host it on a site that specifically has dates of when you finished it. Dates mean a lot, showing that you are the original creator. Since you created it, technically, it is already copyrighted to you, but dates help to prove WHEN it was made.

[Wander Tones]

I agree with Yakkity, although each Word document itself has a "Date modified" feature. You can use that to back up your claim as well, unless you change the story at a later time (or, like me, you merge multiple stories into a single document to save space).

I personally use DeviantArt to upload my stories for viewing. It automatically applies a copyright to your works, unless you manually put it under "Creative Commons". I think Writing.com also does that, and it's more reliable than DeviantArt, but it limits you to 10 works unless you get a paid membership.

[Sonic-ock]

Laser grid and wall mounted turrets.

[Seven Rain]

Laser grid and wall mounted turrets.

This is how I do it.

[darkenergy]

Laser grid and wall mounted turrets.

This is how I do it.

Interesting, I was thinking about building a solid layer of hairy man yaoi around it.


But seriously, either don't show it to anyone or show it to enough people where there won't be a doubt. The former comes with the whole 'but I want to share this', and the latter comes with the 'if this is good enough, some dick is going to steal it anyway but maybe I can get them for it.'

[OnePaleChick]

Thanks for the replies I did not know DA did that, I just signed up there about a week ago, so I'll definitely check into it. I do have them saved on a word document, but I always thought you could edit the dates?

What exactly could you do though, if someone did steal it? Offline and online are two different things... I mean, how could you prove you did it online (besides like DA), which in this day and age you could easily photoshop a fake date? For example, let's say someone stole my story, and I pointed out that DA said I created it on 1-01-11. What if the person who stole it simply made a fake print screen of 'his' story made on a word document that says he made it on 1-01-10?

I mean, I'm not saying my stories are OMFGAWESOME that people are going to steal it, I actually don't really think anyone would... but if someone did steal/copy my work, I would be extremely upset and not sure about what I could actually do to stop them.

[YakkitySax]

You don't make a print. You send the link over DA. The link itself has the date on it. You never screencap.

[Gibson Twist]

If you want to show your work to someone for critique without fearing that they'll steal it, try showing it to writers you think are better writers than you. I don't mean to put down your work, but someone who has more experience or more success in the writing field, or someone whose work you admire will generally have little to no incentive to swipe your material. Plagiarism is harder than it sounds, which is why so many students get caught. On top of that, more established writers usually give better critique than your friends will, unless your friends have some kind of literary background. More writers will give you a critique than you might realize.

[corruption]

Laser grid and wall mounted turrets.

This is how I do it.

Interesting, I was thinking about building a solid layer of hairy man yaoi around it.


But seriously, either don't show it to anyone or show it to enough people where there won't be a doubt. The former comes with the whole 'but I want to share this', and the latter comes with the 'if this is good enough, some dick is going to steal it anyway but maybe I can get them for it.'

. . . We are meant to be talking about ways to stop other people using it. Those men would attract some people who would twist into a BL comic.

[OnePaleChick]

You don't make a print. You send the link over DA. The link itself has the date on it. You never screencap.

Yeah I know the DA one would work, but I meant if someone stole it and used it somewhere else and claimed it as their own But it also makes sense that screen capping probably wouldn't be taken seriously over a legit date from a site such as DA.

If you want to show your work to someone for critique without fearing that they'll steal it, try showing it to writers you think are better writers than you. I don't mean to put down your work, but someone who has more experience or more success in the writing field, or someone whose work you admire will generally have little to no incentive to swipe your material. Plagiarism is harder than it sounds, which is why so many students get caught. On top of that, more established writers usually give better critique than your friends will, unless your friends have some kind of literary background. More writers will give you a critique than you might realize.

That's not a bad idea at all, but I don't really know anyone who likes to write. That's why I want to post my story here or DA or something, cause people tend to be brutally honest online, and that's what I need

. . . We are meant to be talking about ways to stop other people using it. Those men would attract some people who would twist into a BL comic.

LOL! I have noticed SJ hosts alot of BL/yaoi comics :p I remember reading a comic a while ago that had no hint of man on man romance what so ever, yet the poor author was getting a ton of comments asking "Will this turn into yaoi?" and "omg you should make this a bl!". It would be kinda funny if someone stole my work and turned it into a bl story =)) =))

[kevansevans]

Put a water mark on all of your posts, that way, it will be hard to "Photoshop" the images out.

[ApaFox]

. . . We are meant to be talking about ways to stop other people using it. Those men would attract some people who would twist into a BL comic.

corruption, mah boi, twisting comics into BL comics is what all SmackJeevers strive for.

[Twickitybix]

I worry about this too, but I think that there comes a time when you just have to bite the bullet and go for it. There is no way to make sure that no one will ever steal your work; it happens to professionals. However, I think it's worth the risk. You've been hurt and you don't that to happen again, but if you really want to share your work, then follow the advice on this page and take a chance.
Good luck!

[Gibson Twist]

That's not a bad idea at all, but I don't really know anyone who likes to write. That's why I want to post my story here or DA or something, cause people tend to be brutally honest online, and that's what I need

Understandable, but people tend to be more brutal than they are honest online. You can find some decent criticism if you wade through the garbage, but the internet is a place where a lot of people find it acceptable to release the vitriol and hate that they feel because they've turned their own lives into a complete shit stain. There are a few places where this isn't true, but for the most part people who review your work will either gush about it or pick it apart unfairly. Just make sure your skin is thick and you take everything said with a grain of salt.

Besides, people get their work stolen from deviantArt all the time. Seriously, all the time, and the only thing anyone can do about it is send fans to harass them. Not just deviantArt, everywhere. Not long ago, Jessica Fink had an image of hers stolen that was used for a t-shirt she sold on Threadless, one of the most successful t-shirt companies online. The person redrew the image and sold it as a t-shirt on Etsy. The date stamp, or anything else for that matter, is absolutely useless unless you're willing to go to court.

I agree with Twickitybix. The threat of having work stolen or being plagiarized is is just one of those risks that goes along with displaying your work publicly. It's not a risk that goes away once you're a pro, it's always there.