What creative ownership really means, writing a sword and sorcery tale I can finally call my own, and how it all went wrong when I wasn’t writing for money
Thanks for this interesting and revealing read, Alec. You never k now ,The Jagged Edge might become a popular story series that develops a cult following and becomes a major Hollywood film long after you are dead.
I am confused as to why you can't just use an original idea more than once. Cram it into an existing IP you write for hire the first time, then later do a more personal version in a creator-owned story. It doesn't seem like that would violate the copyright of whoever you wrote it for originally. If Marvel can get away with having Squadron Supreme appear regularly in their comics that implies that it's okay ro recycle ideas if you tweak them a little (like making the Martian Manhunter a Skrull instead of a Martian in the Squadron Supreme).
I see what you mean, Ghatanathoah, but once you’ve handed over ownership of an original story, you’d have to make any creator-owned variation on that RADICALLY different or else risk legal action from whoever now owns the original. I couldn’t write another werewolf apocalypse story like Age of the Wolf (as much as I’d like to write a complete do-over) without making it a wholly different from start to finish. You can write the same theme, but not so much a distinct premise, concept or character. If you tried to revise it, you’d end up facing all kinds of creative barriers, I think, like having the course of the new story constantly dictated by what you’ve already written, forcing you to avoid everything you’ve done before, even if it’s the best thing for the story. Plus, you’ve likely already exhausted everything you have to say about the material. The good thing is you can always recycle rejected pitches, ideas you had for series that got curtailed, and there are always new ideas to get excited about, so you always move on. You don’t have to worry about the well running dry, I don’t think.
Who could not head over to the NESS site and buy the latest issue based off this? Such an in-depth discussion of your thoughts and creative process makes it an intriguing read.
Also some very useful advice here. I've not written anything of note for a long time but your comments about the first draft, obvious as they might seem, really struck me.
Sorry to hear you've had a stressful time of things lately, I hope this has improved.
Cheers, Luke! Massively appreciated. I wrote the story back in late 2024 and things are way better now. Thank you. Hesitated to mention it the piece. British reserve maybe? :D
Although not glad you had a torrid time back then I'm glad you mentioned it - fighting through stress is relatable and so much stuff is stressful. Something kinda relevant and cool I read just this morning:
“Had they continued to strive, defying their doom, some unforseen wonder might have occurred. And if it did not, still their glory would have surpassed their failure.”
Is that the last one, Power That Preserves? How you finding it...? I read the first one years and years ago, and put it down around halfway, I think. Just picked up Jack Vance's Dying Earth on eBay, a book that seems to be out of print right now. Weird considering its influence.
No, it's book eight I think? There's the two original trilogies and then he wrote another four decades later. I'm a huge fan of the first three books - I can see why they're not popular nowdays betweens Donaldson's dense writing, which sometimes needs to be slogged through, and Covenant's reprehensible action at the start and his dour nature, plus it's very much a study in guilt and sacrifice - but I think it's terrific. The characters and setting is so vivid for me. It helps, I think, that i read it initially in my early teens!
The second trilogy isn't as good for me and the final set of books I've not been digging at all sadly.
I haven't read Dying Earth, let me know if I should! I always get those books muddled up in my mind with Jack Chalkers Well of Souls series... I think from gazing at the cover art for both (likewise the Amtrak Wars) in my local libray as a boy.
I needed some inspiration
Thanks for this interesting and revealing read, Alec. You never k now ,The Jagged Edge might become a popular story series that develops a cult following and becomes a major Hollywood film long after you are dead.
I can only hope. :D
I am confused as to why you can't just use an original idea more than once. Cram it into an existing IP you write for hire the first time, then later do a more personal version in a creator-owned story. It doesn't seem like that would violate the copyright of whoever you wrote it for originally. If Marvel can get away with having Squadron Supreme appear regularly in their comics that implies that it's okay ro recycle ideas if you tweak them a little (like making the Martian Manhunter a Skrull instead of a Martian in the Squadron Supreme).
I see what you mean, Ghatanathoah, but once you’ve handed over ownership of an original story, you’d have to make any creator-owned variation on that RADICALLY different or else risk legal action from whoever now owns the original. I couldn’t write another werewolf apocalypse story like Age of the Wolf (as much as I’d like to write a complete do-over) without making it a wholly different from start to finish. You can write the same theme, but not so much a distinct premise, concept or character. If you tried to revise it, you’d end up facing all kinds of creative barriers, I think, like having the course of the new story constantly dictated by what you’ve already written, forcing you to avoid everything you’ve done before, even if it’s the best thing for the story. Plus, you’ve likely already exhausted everything you have to say about the material. The good thing is you can always recycle rejected pitches, ideas you had for series that got curtailed, and there are always new ideas to get excited about, so you always move on. You don’t have to worry about the well running dry, I don’t think.
Who could not head over to the NESS site and buy the latest issue based off this? Such an in-depth discussion of your thoughts and creative process makes it an intriguing read.
Also some very useful advice here. I've not written anything of note for a long time but your comments about the first draft, obvious as they might seem, really struck me.
Sorry to hear you've had a stressful time of things lately, I hope this has improved.
Cheers, Luke! Massively appreciated. I wrote the story back in late 2024 and things are way better now. Thank you. Hesitated to mention it the piece. British reserve maybe? :D
I'm very glad to hear that!
Although not glad you had a torrid time back then I'm glad you mentioned it - fighting through stress is relatable and so much stuff is stressful. Something kinda relevant and cool I read just this morning:
“Had they continued to strive, defying their doom, some unforseen wonder might have occurred. And if it did not, still their glory would have surpassed their failure.”
Whoah! That sounds cool! Where's it from?
Stephen Donaldson, the third Thomas Covenant series (which I'd not recommend, but has some nice bits)
Is that the last one, Power That Preserves? How you finding it...? I read the first one years and years ago, and put it down around halfway, I think. Just picked up Jack Vance's Dying Earth on eBay, a book that seems to be out of print right now. Weird considering its influence.
No, it's book eight I think? There's the two original trilogies and then he wrote another four decades later. I'm a huge fan of the first three books - I can see why they're not popular nowdays betweens Donaldson's dense writing, which sometimes needs to be slogged through, and Covenant's reprehensible action at the start and his dour nature, plus it's very much a study in guilt and sacrifice - but I think it's terrific. The characters and setting is so vivid for me. It helps, I think, that i read it initially in my early teens!
The second trilogy isn't as good for me and the final set of books I've not been digging at all sadly.
I haven't read Dying Earth, let me know if I should! I always get those books muddled up in my mind with Jack Chalkers Well of Souls series... I think from gazing at the cover art for both (likewise the Amtrak Wars) in my local libray as a boy.
My country's national library has been a godsend with this. I register all my fiction with them for copyrights that are very air-tight and obvious.