Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Leave it to Neil Gaiman to Make You Feel Better

American_godsI just finished reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman, which is a fantastic book, by the way.  I haven’t had time yet to read the online journals he kept, but I did discover something from an outside source that in a tiny way brightened my day.  Apparently his original idea for the book involved a different god for each day of the week.  He’d put some research and effort into it before he had to scrap it because someone else had already written a book with that exact concept.  Gaiman shelved the idea and came up with what became the final version of American Gods.  I don’t remember where I read this, so I can’t verify the truth of it, but we’ll say it’s true.

Why does this story make me smile?  Do I take delight in the minor inconveniencing of the Sandman’s creator?  No, it’s because now I don’t feel so bad.  Last fall when I was putting together my NaNo project, I shared the idea, which I thought was just so original and so awesome, with a friend.  She promptly told this was just like something she’d seen two years ago.  More on that story here.  That’s something that’s happened a lot to me over the years.  At least now, with the internet, it’s easier to discover early if someone stole your idea, then traveled back in time two or three or fifty years to publish it themselves (that’s what happens, right?).

Knowing that kind of thing happens even to established writers takes some of the sting away when I discover the MS I’ve been slaving over for weeks is actually sitting down the street at the library in a slightly altered form.  So no offense, Neil (I call him Neil), but you made feel a little better.

28 comments:

  1. I read in Writer's Digest, that it happens often that 2 people who don't know each other have the same idea at almost the same time. In fact some writers meet up that way and work together on future projects (they already think the same, right?) Neat stuff if it works, sucks if it don't.

    So welcome to the crusade.
    My husband is a paramedic too!

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  2. LOL. I think this happens more often than we'd all like! There's nothing more painful than finding out your original, brilliant idea isn't so fresh after all...

    And hi from a fellow Crusader.

    :-)

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  3. Hey Dan, fellow Crusader here.

    This book is definitely on my must read list. I've heard nothing but great things. The only book I've read of his is The Graveyard Book, and it's an all-time favorite.

    Nice to meet you,

    EJW

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  4. I haven't read anything by this author yet, though I've heard a lot about him. I need to go check it out.
    Fellow crusader saying hi. Thanks for the follow, I'm following back.

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  5. This is going on my TBR list. I think with so many writers and new ideas coming out it's hard not to have one like another. You just have to put your own twist on it. Course that doesn't make it any easier to sell.

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  6. i know how that is. I had a story idea once with vampires, and i was like "maybe they glow in sunlight".
    BAM! Twilight. I don't even like twilight so i felt extra stupid.

    And i love American Gods! In one of his short storie collections there's an American Gods short involving Grendel. Also, i quite enjoyed Anansi boys, which is a pseudo sequel

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  7. Meh. I think that every story has already been told so I say just write your book and the telling will be in your characters, etc. One thing that kind of protects me a little from thinking that my idea has already been put out there is I write gay science fiction with strong positive gay characters. Seems like everyone wants to make gay people villains and most fiction in bookstores is aimed at the straights of the world so yeah...they can all write their straight romances or whatevers and duplicate each other to their heart's content.

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  8. First of all let me say nice to meet you fellow Crusader and VIII, but I have had a particular interest in Anne Boleyn since, well lets just say forever.

    Don't you just hate those writerly time traveling types. They are so annoying!

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  9. It has happened to me more times than I can count!

    SO MANY TIMES. *sigh*
    There are no original ideas, only unique ways of telling the story. :)

    Thanks for stopping by my blog.
    ~Lola

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  10. Damn time traveling theives! Ooh! Idea for a story!
    *looks around for incoming time machines*
    Hi, thanks for stopping by my blog and suffering through my post;) I can't help but notice you're a paramedic though. Hmm, I bet that aversion to bodily fluids rears its ugly head a time or two on the job! ;)

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  11. Hi Dan, Thanks for stopping by! Y'know, I have to agree with what you have said here..but I've also been told to go ahead and write it..it's still going to be in your voice. I recently read 'Swan Song' x McCallum and thought it was curiously like another similar apocolyptical tale by a little known author who goes by the name of Stephen King. You just never know..so don't let any of that stop you...write what the Muse commands! LOL

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  12. Thanks for the comments, everyone. And welcome Crusaders.

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  13. I've hear so many good things about Gaiman, but unfortunately, haven't read any of his work yet. Hoping to remedy that soon. My plots tend to be twisty, so hopefully, I won't run into much of a problem where similarity with someone else's writing is concerned.

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  14. Hey there fellow crusader...following you back. I see we have a common friend. Roland and his dark stories area favorite of mine. Just bought his book on Kindle yesterday!

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  15. I love that book! Did you see where they had a party on the carousel for Halloween?

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  16. Hi from a fellow crusader. I think I must start reading him because I think he wrote Stardust? Glad he made you smile. I started writing a novel which includes amnesia and so far I've read 2 other books that also involve amnesia. I'm worried my MS will therefore seem 'old hat' to the publishers and agents.:O)

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  17. Hey fellow crusader! I am a big Gaiman fan, so this post made me smile! There's an awesome glossary for American Gods online, so many unknown gods!

    And I think there are only a few universal ideas for stories, and everyone chooses another way of writing them, so it becomes uniquely theirs. So I guess you shouldn't worry too much about similarities

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  18. Great post, Dan! I do know the feeling. One of my short stories didn't make it to Analog because of that. I guess that means we just are great minds thinking alike, right? Unfortunately, none of the others have either.

    I'm following you back from my blog. We're in the same group in the Crusade. See you around.

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  19. At least you know your ideas are publishable! That's happened to me too!

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  20. Shh, not many people know about the time machine thing ;)

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  21. Hi fellow crusader...it just goes to show great minds really do think alike. Now following.

    Nikki

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  22. Hello fellow crusader!

    I'm glad Neil made you feel better, he's pretty cool like that. :)

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  23. Hi buddy Crusader, it's nice to meet you! Thanks for following and visiting my blog. :)

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  24. Hello! This sounds like a book that would be right up my alley. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

    I heard once that by the time you have an idea someone else has already thought of it. A ton of stories are so closely related I can't believe the writers have gotten away with it. For instance, there was Twilight and then there was The Vampire Diaries. Those first books in those series were eerily similar.

    I wouldn't worry about it. Are you enjoying your Crusade so far? I hope so.

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  25. Hey there fellow crusader! Gaiman's book is one of the ones on my - teetering - To Read pile. Interesting to find out that he'd started in a completely different direction.

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  26. LOL! Brilliant! (And American Gods? Totally epic. I love Neil Gaiman)

    Nice to meet you fellow Crusader! :)

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  27. I liked that book. I wanted to do a post on it, perhaps musing about the sheer strangeness that only Neil can create.But it seems too much time has passed to remember everything. I do remember, after reading it, I felt really inspired and encouraged, like, I can do this writing thing. I really can! On the other hand, his book Neverwhere made me feel that I could never create anything so good.

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