Should I be flattered that somebody has copied my story series, Fucked Stupid?

[ElectricBlue]

I must admit that I regretted reaching out to him shortly after, although maybe not for altruistic reasons, if I am honest. I read a little more of the the first part of his version and realised it had little to commend it anyway, since it uses some of my style superficially, but seems to lack a sense of pace or deeper purpose.

Which adds insult to injury, stealing but not doing your material justice.

I am probably crediting my own writing with greater refinement than it deserves, but nevertheless it would be onerous and pointless work to try to help him improve his own version when I have far better things to be doing, including writing my own stories! I'll take heart from the fact that he was drawn to plagiarise my writing, but I won't be helping him and hope it is removed. I am sure he is good enough a writer to produce his own original work.

I doubt the last statement very much, but I suppose it's reverse flattery in a way. You're taking the right approach, I reckon, to affirm your writing in your own mind, and deciding not to help this person.

Hope your writing goes well, and helps your well-being. That's an important side effect of writing!

 

[soulhouse]

I would hope that if someone found a plagiarized version of one of my stories, they'd report it immediately as well.

I would indeed. While I have been too unwell to publish here since 2021, I have managed to create a little on DeviantArt and have always reported plagiarism when I have seen it, although I do so to the author and leave it for them to report it to DA, but that's just my thing.

 

[lovecraft68]

How would you feel if somebody broke into your flat, but only stole a package of crisps and an old jumper? Theft is theft.

Its his work and his decision how to handle this, let him do so.

 

[soulhouse]

Hope your writing goes well, and helps your well-being. That's an important side effect of writing!

Thank you. It's a shame that the Parkinson's tremor has been so debilitating and painful as to put paid to writing erotica almost entirely for so long. Fortunately, the short, erotic AI videos on DeviantArt have been easier, because being creative in one form or another has nurtured my spirit since 5 years old or so, when I first began as an artist.

At the risk of over-sharing (which has only become worse since the DBS had an odd effect on my brain function - something even the neurologists have observed), I have to be a little turned on all the time that I am writing erotica, or it simply fails to be sexy. The tremor has been so extreme and painful that even wanking was nigh on impossible for about 5 years until recently!

 

[RoyalAuthor]

I'll take heart from the fact that he was drawn to plagiarise my writing, but I won't be helping him and hope it is removed.

This is the right approach, I think. Be flattered someone thought you were good enough to be worth plagiarizing, then report them for plagiarism. Win-win.

I got you (not that I do much reading outside of requests)

Is that all it takes to attract readers? I've been doing this all wrong. I humbly request that you and anyone else reading this read my entire body of work.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

It’s his work and his decision how to handle this, let him do so.

It is and I would never suggest otherwise. This is, of course, a discussion page, a modern agora. One asks for opinions and gets them.

 

[ElectricBlue]

wanking was nigh on impossible for about 5 years until recently!

Now that's pure magic!

As one of the heroines says in one of my stories, "Keep doing that..."

 

[AwkwardMD]

Is that all it takes to attract readers? I've been doing this all wrong. I humbly request that you and anyone else reading this read my entire body of work.

I wish. Omenainen and I have a story feedback thread that is about to hit its 6th anniversary. This accounts for at least 50% of all stories I've ever read on this site.

 

[lovecraft68]

It is and I would never suggest otherwise. This is, of course, a discussion page, a modern agora. One asks for opinions and gets them.

Understood, but he responded to Stillstunned's analogy as in he's not taking it that seriously (compared to an actual crime) but then you came in and pushed it further which led to my reply. It had the tone of "Oh, well, how about now?"

I think he has the right approach, no need to get crazed and the OP is also dealing with serious health issues and can't afford to get that stressed or its literally detrimental to his wellbeing.

You would obviously pursue this which would be the right thing for you, but he's not you.

 

[MillieDynamite]

My father's mother died after I was brought into the family. I saw her several times as she became less and less herself. She always thought I was a daughter from a fling Pops had with a black woman in the 1970s, despite Dad telling her every time, "No, Mom, this is my adopted daughter." She had Alzheimer's and slowly and surely slipped away. In the end, on Mother's Day, 2006, she forgot how to breathe, while we watched her die. It was the first time I saw someone die.

I only said that so you understand I get what you're going through. Parkinson's Disease would scare the shit out of me. I'm so very sorry you have to go through this.

 

[soulhouse]

I only said that so you understand I get what you're going through. Parkinson's Disease would scare the shit out of me. I'm so very sorry you have to go through this.

Thank you Millie! Hopefully, things will never get that bad for me, particularly since I have what is loosely termed tremor-dominant PD, for which the prognosis is generally better than its more conventional form, at least if the tremor can be brought under control. but I agree it can get scary if I worry too much about what might be. At present, my greatest concern is that I might lose my house of 40 years, and right now I can't rely on my energy and resourcefulness to the degree I am accustomed to.

I lost my father to mesothelioma around the time I first started shaking 7 years ago now, after giving up half my time and much money to care for him and Mother (who had to go into a care home the same month he was diagnosed). Both had different types of dementia in their final years, and in her last 6 months or so my mother would often introduce me as her brother, which would make the carers laugh. That didn't bother me in the least, because I understood that meant she recognised me as somebody she loved deeply. She was plagued by dreadful ill health for ten years. The doctors would quip that she must be made of iron girders, and I only wish I had more explicitly told her how much I had admired and was inspired by her lifelong fortitude.

My sister and I were at my father's bed, holding his hands, when he died, which was a great comfort, My mother died during the pandemic, after we had been refused entry for a year to see her in person (although, as great fortune would have it, I had installed a video screen by her chair, allowing us to drop in on her by video every day, something she found so reassuring that she would frequently try to pass me cake under the screen), but, again most fortunately, we were given special dispensation to visit her daily for the last three months that she lived. Because it was a 2.5 to 3.5 hour drive to see her, I wasn't there when she died in the morning, although I was the night before. That would have been deeply distressing, were it not for the knowledge that the end-of-life medication meant she was largely unaware of my presence the night before.

Let's say it has been a tough seven years or so, but I have faith that life will improve.

 

[soulhouse]

Understood, but he responded to Stillstunned's analogy as in he's not taking it that seriously (compared to an actual crime) but then you came in and pushed it further which led to my reply. It had the tone of "Oh, well, how about now?"

I think he has the right approach, no need to get crazed and the OP is also dealing with serious health issues and can't afford to get that stressed or its literally detrimental to his wellbeing.

You would obviously pursue this which would be the right thing for you, but he's not you.

Thanks for appreciating how much I must try to avoid stress for the sake of my health. It's something most commenters online fail to grasp, but I am a sensitive soul prone to obsessive thinking and even an unintentionally critical comment can cause me extreme pain these days; pathetic, I know, but that's the way I roll! That's partly why I try to be compassionate to strangers online, even if I frequently fail, because it is too easy to forget we are dealing with other humans who may have terrible tribulations to deal with.

It's cool though. I had a feeling I would probably encounter some personal criticism for my approach, so was prepared for it. It was a mild rebuke at worst, and TarnishedPenny has been kind enough to reach out with a sympathetic and most informative PM.

 

[lovecraft68]

Thanks for appreciating how much I must try to avoid stress for the sake of my health. It's something most commenters online fail to grasp, but I am a sensitive soul prone to obsessive thinking and even an unintentionally critical comment can cause me extreme pain these days; pathetic, I know, but that's the way I roll! That's partly why I try to be compassionate to strangers online, even if I frequently fail, because it is too easy to forget we are dealing with other humans who may have terrible tribulations to deal with.

It's cool though. I had a feeling I would probably encounter some personal criticism for my approach, so was prepared for it. It was a mild rebuke at worst, and TarnishedPenny has been kind enough to reach out with a sympathetic and most informative PM.

I've been fortunate to have good health, the epitome of only the good die young so I have plenty of time left, but my wife had had several bouts of cancer, almost lost her in 2014 and she just came home after 62 days in three different facilities. Cancer gone, but bullshit led to a severe infection. She's been through hell and back and her struggles have opened my eyes to other people's struggles and feel a greater empathy toward them. Illness and also addiction are two things to never make light of and two types of people to try to be kind to, understanding of, and try to help if one can.

I'm not surprised to hear @TarnishedPenny reached out; they're good people as my grandmother always used to say.

 

[alohadave]

An old jumper you'd knitted by hand, after you'd sheared the sheep, carded and spun the wool and designed the pattern.

Ooh, are you a fiber crafter?

 

[MillieDynamite]

All that for that fucking 14-foot-long scarf the Doctor wore for about 10 years.

@StillStunned

An old jumper you'd knitted by hand, after you'd sheared the sheep, carded and spun the wool and designed the pattern.

 

[lovecraft68]

All that for that fucking 14-foot-long scarf the Doctor wore for about 10 years.

Sorry, no idea what that means.

 

[soulhouse]

Sorry, no idea what that means.

As a Briton in his 60s, I would guess the long scarf refers to the one Tom Baker always wore as the fourth Doctor Who back in the 70s, but I haven't figured out how that relates to the struggles your wife has been through.

 

[MillieDynamite]

It doesn't I quoted the wrong post. HUM. Not sure how that happened.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I fixed it.

 

[soulhouse]

If anybody is interested and just for your information, since it was never really a big issue for me on a personal level, I thought I'd post the author's response to my message to him:

Many thanks for your note. I did indeed read your original story, I enjoyed the themes and was influenced enough to want to build on your premise. I’ve asked the team to remove my stories and close my account. I write for myself and a few friends who suggested I share. There was no intent to plagiarise just to build on the themes. I also read that you hadn’t been well so didn’t intrude. I hope you have recovered.

I noticed last night that all his stories had been removed.