Sunday, January 27, 2013

Liars, cheaters and frauds. Oh my.

Hey everyone, I'm in Las Vegas! My very first trip here. Possibly my last!

The thing I like most about traveling are the weird dreams I get fitfully sleeping in a foreign bed. And nothing shakes up the dreamworld more than the ridiculous over-stim of Sin City.

Right now, I'm sure you're all like, Oh, God, is she going to detail her dream last night? I hate that! Well, so do I. But hear me out. This one deals with something many writers face, particularly writers in long-standing writers' workshops.

In my dream, I was helping another writer flesh out an idea. The writer was this anonymous guy who tried his hand at a tropey little RomCom and was dissatisfied with it. I took a look and got all inspired and found all these ways to deepen it, strengthen it, get it off the ground. He liked the enthusiasm behind my counsel, but was all, "Nah. I think I'll just throw it in the garbage. I sort of hate the idea, anyway."

At this point I was thoroughly invested in the book. In my dream I contemplated asking him if I could steal his idea and make it my RomCom. But, even in my dream, I decided that was completely unethical, so I watched the manuscript fly off a building (similar to the Flamingo Hotel) and into the great black netherworld of aborted WIPs. I was horribly sad when I awoke. As though someone had died.

So, I guess I have a question to you writer folk. Have you ever been tempted to adopt someone's abandoned WIP? Where's the line between inspiration and thievery? 

5 comments:

  1. Some days I absolutely think it would be much more fun to finish someone else's book! The grass always being greener....

    I'm glad to hear you survived your trip to Vegas. I've only been a few times, but that was more than enough. Anytime someone mentions planning a trip there for a group of friends, I cross my fingers and hope I'm not on the invitation list!

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    1. Back in rainy, predictable Portland. Do you hear the Dorothy heels clicking? Right now my big battle is to haul my kid out of bed. He's lobbying hard not to go to school, but Vegas has toughened me up. I suppose if I'd spent a week there I'd be making him run down the street barefoot.

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  2. Anonymous7:36 PM

    I haven't been tempted, but only because I haven't heard anyone's description of an abandoned WIP. If I do, believe me I'm not above it. I'd peck around the edge of the plate going, Do you want that? Because if not, I'll finish it off. . .

    I'm so glad you've made it out of Vegas in once piece, and I trust you to be too sensible to have blown much money while you were there. And now I can say, See? Why'd you think I wanted to get outta there so bad?

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  3. Hi Averil. Yes, I am in one piece. Barely. Massive digestive disturbance, however. Earth-to-Suz: Sushi? In land-locked Vegas? What were you thinking?

    Did not lose $. Played an electronic roulette game for 20 minutes and won a few bucks.

    Yes, I see why you left. Good God yes.

    On way home, my kid finds an iPhone 5 in the seat pocket and we spend a half hour trying, and failing, to find personnel willing to deal with it. Next day, managed to return it to the owner's daughter here in PDX and were slipped an envelope with $40 as reward. It was a sort of Vegas-Portland Karma thing. Weird, eh?

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  4. Goodness is rewarded! The Vegas story has a happy ending, I love it.

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