Is It Really Your Idea?
Creativity tends to be a synthesis
A client who was part way through
drafting her first book called me in a panic. "I just realized that none
of these ideas are mine," she cried. "I don't have anything of my own to
say."
I was pretty sure I knew what she was
talking about, but before I jumped into solve her problem asked some
questions.
"Gee," I said, "most of what I've read
seems pretty original to me. Tell me more."
"I don't think I've ever had an
original thought," my client explained. "For example, every single one
of my tips is something I found someplace else."
"Hmmmm," I responded. "Do you mean
you're quoting without giving credit?"
"Well, no," she said, obviously calming
down. "I've added something to each one, or given it my own twist... but
it wasn't original with me... is that okay?"
My answer to her and to you is a great
big "yes!" Here's why:
-
There
are very few, if any totally new ideas. If you look closely, you'll
discover that even Einstein's Theory of Relativity did not come to
him out of whole cloth. Instead, the idea was able to strike him
precisely because he'd studied so much.
- The same thing is true of, for
example, John Gray's Men are From Mars... he'd studied
relationships, then, like Einstein, put what he'd learned into a
new, expanded form.
- My client was in the same
position. She'd made a life-time of working and studying in her
chosen field. She had new insights, but, as she recognized, they had
been built on the insights of others.
It's those insights, those synthesis of
other ideas, your particular twist and experience that make what you
have to say so important.
Of course, you've got to be careful,
and if you're actually quoting or duplicating an idea, give credit where
credit is due. But if you've brought your own vision to it, if it's your
synthesis, then you're fine and you can claim to be original.
This recognition is probably why it's
not even possible to copyright an idea, only its expression. It's the
expression that's unique, or needs to be, not the idea itself.
The difference isn't always obvious -
mostly you'll recognize it in your heart.
Write well and often.
