Close Thematic Similarities -- question for writers in particular

[tamaranth]

There are very few new ideas around, and it's quite possible to write a whole new perspective on a timeworn tale. That said ... what do you do if you discover that a published novel reflects a concept you've been maturing for some years?

[A little context: this is the Difficult But Worthwhile novel concept that I don't yet feel ready to start writing. The other day I read a synopsis of a fairly recent novel and realised that the author is writing in the same genre, and likely exploring at least some of the same themes. The author is someone whose writing I enjoy; I simply hadn't registered anything about this novel except its existence.]

Comments

[purplecthulhu.livejournal.com]

I would suggest not reading the novel, not reading anything else about it, and writing your own version when you're ready. If it's your own book with your own take on the subject then it should be able to stand on its own. Then you might become the second author in a new movement, or you can hope that the other's book sinks without a trace :-)

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

There are no new plots and very few really new ideas. The freshness comes less in that area than in how a plot or theme or idea is treated. There are very many books about first contact with alien life, but the Mote in God's Eye and The Pride of Chanur are far from being echoes or copies. Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser inhabit a similar environment to Conan, but they cannot be confused. (And the Princes of Amber are further entries in that catalogue.) Books refract, reflect, distort and twist one another into different directions. I wouldn't worry -- nor would I advise deliberately avoiding the book you mention -- your book will be your book. It can't help being so, because you will be writing it.
And yes, there are imitative books out there, but that's a different matter. It's not an issue of themes, there, it's an issue of homage (or something worse). Done well, these can work too -- think about Pat Murphy's There and Basck Again, which is an implicit very original direct homage to THe Hobbit, for eg.

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

Have already ordered the book, on the basis that if I know what $wellknownauthor has done, I can play up the differences 'twixt mine and hers. (I can spot at least two -- one regarding period setting, one regarding protagonist characteristic -- in the synopsis.)

I suspect she is not going to sink without trace though! (And the book has been out a couple of years: I think I may have been ultra-immersed in the historical novel when it appeared, and I've been off fantasy for a while.) I just don't want to see the words 'the new XXXX XXXXXX' connected with my name ...

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

I think you're right, and if I concentrate on the differences (from synopsis, protagonist of That Novel does something that my protagonist is simply not able to do) I can probably make it look even more distinct than it is. And it's not as though there aren't three or four other novels that inspired my idea, in the 'ah, but what if ...?' sense.

[melusina]

I think this is a good strategy. Also, I've found in my own writing that what seems like a huge thematic similarity to me may not seem all that related to the casual reader. Particularly if the surface details are different (which you can arrange, if you read this book).

[msilverstar]

After fanfic, I've come to believe that there are a million ways of telling a story, showing a theme or three, and there's enough room for all of them. Yours especially: your voice is unique and your imagination very personal -- even when you're in a well-worn groove. Which is to say, please don't spend any time trying to be different: you'll get there just by being you!

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

*basks and blushes* That's ever so good to hear! and does also make me more confident about telling the story my way: I do enjoy this author's prose style, but it's quite distinct from mine.

And yes, fanfic has certainly told me that there are multiple angles on the simplest of stories -- look at the remixes! and the Chinese Whispers thing! (Must do that again.)