~From the Desk of Sarah~

[I wrote this, and I decided not to put it on my site, but then it happened again this afternoon, and, well... This is getting out of hand. If it happens to these authors, who knows, it could happen to me. And thanks to these thieves, one of my very favorite pages ever is gone. And knowing her tempermant, it's not going to be coming back.]

I know that many of you don't read slash, but this topic got dragged into the non slash world (on one fiction board in particular) and because I never address issues like this, I decided to.

Plagiarism.

Last week, a story was stolen. Actually, someone found out that several stories had been stolen from one author by another author. Word. For. Word.

I felt sick. Honestly, I did. I was in the library when I got six emails about it in the space of an hour. I felt ill. I felt nauseous, I felt... I don't know any other words for sick, but I felt them.

The author's excuse was pitiful. Complete and utter B.S. And the people who defended her... The responses they wrote to the brave person who chose to make the board known of the plagiarism were words I never wanted to see written to a fellow author in my life. On a public board, no less. Not. Cool.

The same thing happened about six months ago to one of my favorite authors. My reaction was the same then (the only difference being that I didn't know of anyone defending the accused author's work.)

Fan fiction is supposed to be fun, guys. F.U.N.

It's a way for authors to play with the written word in anonymity. This past summer was the first time I told one of my best friends— the one who knows more about me than I'm comfortable with people knowing— that I wrote fan fiction. I've been writing fan fiction for two years.

It's a way for authors to meet other authors. I've met authors who should be published. I feel privileged to say that I knew some of them before they became the names of the fan fiction world. I also feel privileged to call them friends. When they give me positive comments about my story, or link my page, or mention it to other authors who I would do anything (short of killing) to be... I float on a little Sarah cloud for a week. Sarah clouds are fun places to be.

It's a way to escape from the reality of the world around you. Heck, when things get stressful, I go on vacations to Mill Creek. 42 chapters, 600 pages of vacations. My non writer friends don't understand. They think something's wrong if I hole myself up with my computer for days on end. They don't understand that writing is the equivalent of breathing for me. It's making things in my life right.

I want to be a writer. I've decided that in the last month. I respect the written word (can't spell worth crap, but I respect it). There is nothing better in the world than a well written story. When I see someone steal other people's... It makes me wonder what sort of world we live in.

How can someone call themselves an author when they don't write their own things? Over half the pleasure of writing a story (for me) is the actual writing of it. Often times it's frustrating as hell, but when I type the last word, the feeling is beyond compare. I love coming up with plot twists. I love surprising myself and my readers. I love when people email me and say, "Sarah, what the hell are you doing?" I smile as I type my reply: "Just trust me." By taking someone else's story, well, you miss out on all of this.

The only reason (inexcusable, though it may be) I can see for taking someone else's story is that the author wants the feedback and recognition that comes along with the story. The other author worked hard for their feedback and recognition. What good is feedback if you didn't write the story? What glorification can you get from people saying you have talent, when the words you post aren't your own? I just don't understand. If someone can explain it to me, please, tell me.

Maybe the author wants the respect that comes along with being one of the 'well-knowns' in the fiction world— one of that clique that rests at the top of both the het and slash worlds. Those people who can do no wrong. Stealing someone else's story is not the way to gain this respect, 'cause the people who are the authors everyone else wants to be, well, they self admittedly stalk each other's sites. They know each other's stories probably better than the author herself does. So steal a story, someone will find out. It's as simple as that. And the results will not be pretty. Sites have been shut down, people have been banned from lists...

I know that I'm not that well known of an author. A year and a half ago, when I started this site (in white, with big gaudy pictures, no less) I wanted to be. Like every other aspiring fan fiction author, I wanted to be. I wanted to be one of the big names. I wanted to have fans. I wanted to have people check my site daily for updates. I wanted to win awards and be listed with FictionLyn and Twinkie Girl. I wanted the hundred emails a day that some authors were rumored to get.

Now I'm glad I'm not. I freaked when I realized I had 100 people reading 'Middle of Nowhere'. We're talking full-on, 'oh my god' freaking. I'm doing this because it's a way to call myself a writer. I've gained a confidence in my own writing ability (which now borders on arrogance when reading stories from my fiction writing classes. ) I've made friends who are there to vent to about more than writing. I've had the opportunity to read stories before they're up, and to hopefully help other authors as much as they've helped me. And most importantly, I've had fun. More fun than I've ever had doing anything in my life. Ever.

I never got consistent feedback on a story until 'Middle of Nowhere', and even now, when I know that I have over 250 people reading each and every chapter, I still don't get comments on most postings. I know I have fans though. I know that people check my site daily, just hoping that maybe I'll update early. (Which I won't. Sorry. Not until my buffer is above ten chapters again.) I know that people have skipped class to read the story. People have stayed up all night to read the story. I've had people tell me that this is the only story out of every fan fiction they've started that caught their attention. Lots of authors get these same comments, I'm sure, but these emails made my day, and still make my day when I read them over. They wouldn't have meant anything if I didn't write my own story.

So here's what I have to say. Plagiarism is stealing, and stealing sucks. People will find out. That's the sort of thing that will get you kicked out of college, or high school, or wherever, for. If you want into the fiction world as more than a reader, write your own stuff. If you don't think you can do that, give feedback to the author whose story you want to steal and leave their story where it is. They'll appreciate it a lot more.

And just as a note of warning, a threat, whatever. If anyone ever steals 'Middle of Nowhere', the story leaves immediately. No ifs, ands, or buts. Obviously, if they think they can pass it off as their own, than they've got better ideas of how it should go than I do. And quite frankly, I don't think that's possible.

I apologize for any offense taken to any part of this letter, vent, whatever it is. It is not my intention. I just had add my two cents worth. So, thank you. And g'night.

S