The WMF Archives: Watch Your Words with Online Writers Groups

Friday, January 22, 2010

Watch Your Words with Online Writers Groups

6:00 AM

By Rebecca Sebek

Joining online writers groups or writing groups in general is a great way to connect with other writers. You may have a strong desire to share your ideas, but it can bite you in the butt! What happens when you share your ideas and completed projects with the group and one person uses your idea to create a piece of work that mirrors yours? What are your rights? Protect you and your ideas at all times when you participate in online writers groups.

Unfortunately, some people who join online writers groups do not have the morals, integrity, or scruples that you do. You may not copy or plagiarize another writer but someone else will. It's important to get to know group members before you begin sharing your ideas. In fact, you may want to inquire if there's a confidentiality agreement that you must sign.

Online writers groups are supposed to be a safe haven for writers to express themselves. This is not always the case. Some people join these groups because they lack ideas or motivation to create their own ideas. They prey on good, honest people who have a sincere desire to help others and learn at the same time. They turn around and stab them in the back.

Before you join an online writers group, check out the group. Send the organizer questions such as, "...What is the professionalism and confidentiality level of people in the group? Has there ever been an issue with idea stealing? When was the group created? How do I know a member will not use my idea for their own financial gain? What are the rules of the group? How many group members have been dismissed from the group? What is the purpose of the group?" Asking these and other questions will give you a sense for the group and whether or not you want to join.

It's unfortunate that you have to sometimes play "investigative reporter" before you join online writers group, but your ideas are valuable. What gives someone else the right to blatantly copy your idea? It's disheartening, especially if you're a screenwriter, to hear someone share his screenplay with the group that sounds very, very similar to yours.

The next time you find online writers groups, test them out and ask questions. Let it be known that you are there to learn and help others, not have your ideas stolen. If you must, contact a copyright lawyer before you join a group. She can give you valuable information about how to protect yourself. You can share what you learn from the lawyer with other writers so they can protect their work as well.

5 comments:

Carol Tice said...: Hi Rebecca --

Well, I have to admit I'm fascinated! I've never had a negative experience with my groups. I have about a half-dozen, mostly through LinkedIn, and they've been a great place to learn and connect for me.

But now that I think about it, I don't know that I share any story ideas or anything that could really be stolen. Maybe the smart thing is just to use groups to ask questions about how to manage your writing business and get ideas. I probably wouldn't put much out there that could be 'stolen.'

But then I also have a philosophy of not worrying too much about being ripped off. With 2,000+ articles online, I just can't devote too much head space to trying to figure out where-all I may be being plagiarized! I can't imagine hiring a lawyer before I feel OK about joining a group.

I have so many story ideas I will never, ever be able to use them all...maybe another reason I don't worry about it. But maybe you could be more specific about what you felt ripped off about? Did you talk about plans you had to pitch specific markets and then someone else beat you to it or something?

But probably it's a good policy to remember than when you're on group forums, it's like telling the universe something...so watch what you reveal.

Carol Tice
Make a Living Writing blog: http://www.caroltice.com/blog; January 22, 2010 11:13 AM
Rebecca said...: I felt a group member's teleplay was very, very close to my story and themes. I worked hard to finish my teleplay. This person wrote a teleplay in a very short amount of time and presented it to our group. This person would mention to me how much they "liked" my idea and that it was a good one.

I believe it's important for writers to know and understand copyright laws. It's no different from being aware that plagiarizing another person's work is illegal.; January 22, 2010 12:06 PM
Carol Tice said...: Unfortunately...ideas are not copyrightable. If you share an idea, others are free to write in the same vein. What keeps us getting paid is that we can write it better.; January 22, 2010 1:02 PM
Arlene Hauben said...: I admire the many professional writers that come to this site. In my mind, some contributors offer too much information. It's better not to give away the store.; January 22, 2010 2:09 PM
Joyce Finn said...: Hi Rebecca, is it too late to respond to this post? I found this disturbing for a couple of reasons and would like to share my thoughts with you. First of all, I'm a moderator of an international online writers group for women. All the members are published and we willingly share ideas and support. We were highlighted in the March/April 2008 issue of Poets & Writers Magazine and are now planning our third face-to-face conference. Because I've moderated this group and others for years, I was shocked about your comments on the groups you became involved with. Was there no moderator? How big were they? Was inclusion by invitation or a free-for-all i.e. anyone who applied was in? All groups are certainly not equal. Writersandcritters require a writing sample, a bio, and a commitment to writing--inclusion is by invitation. I agree with you that possible members should ask questions, they deserve honest answers but to be adversarial seems to defeat the purpose of a 'group'. Addressing the issue of stolen ideas--my group does a weekly non-compulsory freewrite exercise, a way of snapping and fluffing our brain cells. It's one word, chosen randomly from a dictionary to do with in whatever style or format. We all might start with the same word, phrase, sentence or plot point, but what comes out is individual to each of us. The same word might generate a humor or dark fantasy piece, 2 writers might write on the same theme, but every writer has a unique pace, tone, wording, and style from another. It's impossible to copyright ideas because the execution will most definitely be who you are as a writer. If you feel another took your ideas for a play, does it mean you'll both write identical works. Of course not. Write your's, maybe your's will be the script produced on Showtime or the BBC. Don't stop to lick a hurt, go on. Write!; January 26, 2010 3:26 PM

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