words-writ-in-starlight asked:
So I've been writing a novel I really adore, and someone told me that it reminded them a lot of Every Heart a Doorway, which at the time I was not aware of (I still haven't read it because free time is a lie, but I read Indexing and haven't shut up about it since), and now I suppose I'm having a crisis about accidentally plagarizing someone else's concept. Do you have any advice?
seananmcguire answered:
You can’t copyright an idea.
A boy with messy black hair and glasses discovers that magic is real and also owls like him. Is his name Harry or Tim?
You can’t copyright an idea.
A boy climbs over a wall a girl rides away on the wind a boy plays the wrong board game is his name Elliot or Tristan, is her name September or Dorothy, is his name Barney or Alan?
You can’t copyright an idea.
You can get close enough that people will accuse you of stealing elements of your work: that can’t be helped. But Anne Rice doesn’t own vampires, Michael Crichton doesn’t own dinosaurs, J.K. Rowling doesn’t own wizards, and I don’t own portals to other worlds. I promise.
antique-romantic
