Feature & Follow (2): Similarities

Feature & Follow Friday is hosted by both Alison Can Read & Parakunkee’s View. This is a great way to gain blog followers for book bloggers, follow other blogs, and get to know each other. Each week a different question is posted by our hosts and we get to answer. You can find more info about this meme here.

Question: Do you mind books with similar ideas to other books? Similar concepts, backgrounds, retellings or pulled-to-publish fanfic?

My on-the-spot answer is, not necessarily. The reality is that there are very few, if any, original ideas out there. I actually enjoy reading an author's twist on a particular subject, myth, etc, or even their version of an old story being retold. I love that when my kids ask me about zombie or vampire stories, for example, (and they do, which is quite funny), and want to know about them, I can say it depends on who is talking about them or who wrote about them. That's the fun of writing and reading fiction. You can create what you want and make it your own. But authors should still make the attempt to be as original as they can and not rip-off someone else's creativity. As for contemporary novels, I guess the same holds true. How many different ways can someone fall in love? Mix around the characters and the settings and you've got a new story. But they are fun to read and get lost in. Now, there are many "bad boys" falling for "virgins" out there, and that story can get a bit old. But if an author can create something fresh or is just an exceptional writer and can put their own personal touch on it, I don't have a problem with a little similarity. I've not read much fan-fiction, so I don't have much of an opinion there. Just don't be a straight-up copycat or plaigarist - that's just not cool or professional.