3 Ways to (Ethically) Steal Writing Ideas

There’s no such thing as “original” writing

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

When I was writing a novel, these thoughts constantly haunted me:

• My writing isn’t original enough.
• People will think I’m just copying [writer].
• This is too similar to [book/blog/movie].

Sound familiar?

Most writers (fiction and non-fiction) have similar thoughts.

You stress because you don’t think your ideas are “original” enough. You’re afraid you’ll have nothing to add to a topic and will just come off as a hack.

Luckily, I discovered a solution to this problem, even though I’m reluctant to admit it.

The biggest creativity secret

Want to know a trade secret? The best writers steal from other writers.

Hear me out before you dismiss it.

When I say “steal,” I don’t mean they steal content and I’m in no way advocating plagiarism here. What I’m talking about is stealing:

• Frameworks
• Topics
• POV

Then, make them yours. Expand on them, refute them, or remix them by adding your…