Do you google your "original" idea before you write?

[Betok_Haney]

When I have an idea for what I think is an original story, I don't like to search to see if it has been done before. I like to explore and discover the story on my own without the taint of another perspective.

To be honest, I am afraid that I will discover that someone has not only thought of my original idea, but developed it into something that is beyond my talents. Selfish, I know, but that ball of fear is in there.

Curious if others feel the same way? When you decide on an idea for a novel, do you search to see if it has been done before, and do the results influence your decision to tackle the project, and change your perspective and writing?

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

Nope. Even if I happen to pick on a storyline that's been done before, I'm fairly confident that I'll put my own spin on it so I never worry.

 

[CupofJoe]

Never dream of doing it! Ideas are easy.... writing them out is the tricky bit for me.
The only place a search engine comes in to play is if I think I've come up with a really cool character name [villain, hero, love interest et al]. If I think I've got something really great, I'll do a quick dip in to the interweb [and not always google] to see who pops up. I don't want to get deep in to the story only to find out it's the real name of a neo-Nazi with a string a rape convictions [and they were going to be the love interest...].

 

[AnyaKimlin]

I am not convinced I have ever had an entirely original story idea.

There are lots of my really "original" ideas that I know exactly where they have come from.

 

[Laura R Hepworth]

Never. I use search engine for research, checking character names (and sometimes place names), and maybe to check that the title I want to use isn't already in use, but never to check if my idea has been done before. Loads of books are based on similar ideas, yet greatly vary in how they are done. I'm honestly not worried about using a similar idea to someone else's book. The odds are very slim that the way I write it would be too close to how someone else did. Besides, I think it would actually increase the risk of writing a book that's too similar to someone else's if I actually know of another based on the same/similar idea. Also, if you know there's one out there, you'll always be comparing yours to theirs and likely won't write as freely as you would in blissful ignorance of the other book's existence. Why worry about more than you need to?

 

[Betok_Haney]

Wow, I am quite surprised at these answers! I fell into the "I am the only one feeling this way" trap. I am really glad I decided to join this group and put myself out there. Only a few days in and I have learned so much. Thank you.

 

[HareBrain]

The only place a search engine comes in to play is if I think I've come up with a really cool character name [villain, hero, love interest et al]. If I think I've got something really great, I'll do a quick dip in to the interweb [and not always google] to see who pops up. I don't want to get deep in to the story only to find out it's the real name of a neo-Nazi with a string a rape convictions [and they were going to be the love interest...].

Admirably organised of you. I only bother to do this after the name has become so embedded that I can't easily change it.

 

[alexvss]

Weird; up until now, I'm the only one who does it!

Yeah, I do exactly that: I always google to see if someone had that same idea. I'm aware that ideas are just ideas though, and I believe that everything has been done, but I still like to do my research. The reason being I can now differentiate my work from the others. What I do is to always read/watch everything that I can on that subject, so I can engage in a technique called "pastiche". Kinda like what Tarantino does, I steal a small thing from a movie, a dialogue line from an anime, a description from a short-story, a idea from a comic book...Then I patch everything up. That's it. Now I've got a story. That's why I almost never give up on my ideas.

Off the top of my head, I can only remember the one time that I gave up on a story idea. I came up with a cyberpunk story with a female-lead that I'd title "Cyberpink". Well, I googled it, and...

There you have it.

 

[CupofJoe]

Admirably organised of you. I only bother to do this after the name has become so embedded that I can't easily change it.

And that is why I now do the check. I had to drop the story and just walk away from it...

 

[goldhawk]

All original stories have been done before. Strive for distinctiveness; it's much easier.

 

[Biskit]

Definitely not. It hadn't even occurred to me to do that.

 

[Flaviosky]

No, not at all, although I wouldn't know how to do it properly to avoid Google's algorithm.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Oh I do it the other way round. Google other people’s writing ideas and then do it better

 

[Mouse]

No. Usually my ideas are super vague and develop as I write, so couldn't google them anyway.

 

[atsouthorn]

Oh I do it the other way round. Google other people’s writing ideas and then do it better

Putting the old Einstein spin on it - spot on!

I never really thought about it, seeing as that even pillar stone stories such as Lord of the Rings and Star Wars have their origins and ideas traced back further.

 

[Venusian Broon]

I only google titles, proper names and the made-up words that occasionally appear in my work.

Titles to see if it would stand out or not, and made-up words to see if I have unknowingly put in a swear word in another language.

As for plots, I'm usually very clear where the influences for the story have come from - I'm sure many others have had similar inputs in their own stories- but as @Kerrybuchanan states it's your own spin that is most important.

 

[AnRoinnUltra]

Just throwing in another two cents from a new writer perspective -it's not something I'd ever considered untill I discovered this forum, and this thread. It got me researching my latest story, which turned up something from Dr.Who (link was busted), the website of a Venezuelan DJ, and an Atari game from the '80s. I don't think it matters unless the writing is purposely copying other stuff, but I've been wrong before.
If I'm aware of something influencing my thinking I put a note at the start (inspired by xyz) -don't think anyone cares, but it seems like the right thing to be at.

 

[Wayne Mack]

If I have an idea to write about, then I am going to write about it. Why would I let Google be an excuse to not write? Besides, I figure no idea is truly new, so it probably has been written about already. Why worry?

 

[paranoid marvin]

If I have an idea to write about, then I am going to write about it. Why would I let Google be an excuse to not write? Besides, I figure no idea is truly new, so it probably has been written about already. Why worry?

TI agree. There are no new ideas, just variations on existing themes. It's far more important to write something that is interesting to read than it is to try to find something to write about that is totally original.

 

[Mon0Zer0]

I generally don't - but, having said that, I had the opportunity of on the spot pitching a comic to Eric Stephenson from Image, and, much to my increasing mortification, I realised that everything that came out of my mouth just sounded like a rehash of Star Wars - yet on the page it was nothing like Star Wars! Something something Hero's Journey... something something 7 plots.


Originality is overrated, anyhow. *cough*

I do, tend to try and do some research though, like if I have a concept, I'll read other writers treatments of the concept to try and avoid repeating what's already been said. I tend to find ideas sometimes from being opposed to how certain concepts have been used in the past.