Forum: Author Hangout

That quote is from the Bible, not a random American.

I wasn't claiming that the person I mentioned was the origin of it, merely that he, someone in another creative endeavor,was fond of using in and used it frequently.

Take it in context. No doubt the preceding paragraphs/scenes and the following paragraphs/scenes present a context in which the 'similar' scene uniquely advances your story thread.

Wise words, I think.
AJ's dilemma concerned me - until reading your comments.

To AJ, perhaps you could post your draft ASAP, with a note heading the text:

* * *
For reasons I will not discuss, I ask regular readers to delay reading this chapter until after I post a revised version not prefaced by this note.
* * *

To what purpose?

Just a thought, but to establish the timing of your unfortunate coincidence in case anyone does ask in the future.

to establish the timing of your unfortunate coincidence

... with the certain unfortunate side effect of raising questions and doubt where none would otherwise exist. Better to simply leave it. As for those who go through life holding magnifying glasses the better to spy the mote in your eye, let them decry the cliché: how numberless the paragraphs spit up from the bubbling broth of stereotypical phrases.

Better to simply leave it.

I just looked at the original posting dates of AJ's latest chapter and four chapters before that.
My conclusion was AJ should NOT do what I just suggested. He has been posting chapters too regularly to establish anything, thus it would only tend raise more questions - but not provide suitable explanations.

I'm as certain as can be that the other author wrote their version of the scene before me.

I think when they wrote it is irrelevant. The relevant date is when you could have first seen his version.
My thought could only have any benefit if you posted your draft almost immediately after the other author first posted theirs.

Okay, I understand now. Thank you.

I sometimes "play Devil's Advocate", tossing up potential ideas - even if I haven't thought them through - in the hope of prompting others to modify them into something that would work.

Importantly, I urge you to stand by your integrity and creative process. I suggest your answer if ever questioned should be:
(a) I wrote my draft before seeing their work for the first time
(b) Please look at my body of work. I have written a wide variety of somewhat experiment works in a relatively short period of time.

I once had the opportunity to have a conversation with a lawyer who is often quoted in the mainstream press as being an expert on copyright. The sentence I remember most: "You cannot copyright information; you can copyright words." In other words, if the scenes are very much alike, but different words were used, it is not a violation of copyright.

Did you revamp your scene, or publish the original?

I have attempted to revamp scenes but then it doesn't feel right to me. I may end up posting the originals, but the I worry that someone will say I stole their idea. It's very frustrating thinking you have something original only to find it posted by someone else. :-(