~///~
Okay so this is a very important journal ( i understand that it's long) and i would like all of you to share/read/etc. because i feel like this problem has gotten out of hand.
The Problem:
- I'm sure recently you guys have heard of this actually. Fellow writers/readers, have been finding stolen work from DA on other writing sites. Many of us DA writers have had our work stolen; not only that, the work is claimed to be their own, and there are many comments afterwards such as "oh i cried while writing this" or "this is a request from a reader" when they put no effort whatsoever. A few days ago, a person had basically mass stolen works from about 10 authors--it wasn't just one from each author either, it was about 3 or 4. Good friends of mine had their work plagiarized word for word. And the worst part is that we have no knowledge this is happening whatsoever.
- It was just brought to my attention that ANOTHER one of my fics has been stolen and posted on a different writing site. I am not pleased and i really don't want it to happen to anyone else because i know how it feels. And this is NOT just for the SNK fandom.
Why this is a problem:
- Let me break it down for you:
- No matter the quality of the fic, fanfic writers put A LOT of hours into their writing. We take time out of our day, when we could definitely be putting it to other good use, in order to write for the fandom. Many would argue "well, you're doing it for yourself, blah blah, you're doing it cause you're having fun, blah blah" but if we felt no obligation to put out good fics for the fandom, then we wouldn't try. Yes it's fun, yes it was our decision, but we are also doing (in a way) a service to others. We're writing fics for everybody to read, and sometimes (most of the times) JUST for our readers. Writing is important to us. Our writing is important to others.
- It's not just writing and submitting: It's editing, it's making sure it sounds right, it's plot structure, it's thinking up ideas, it's posting and submitting to groups, it's word choice and sentence choice, it's long hours sitting, it's worried that people won't like it, it's worried that it sucks, it's worried that it's not quality. There is MORE to just "oh im writing a fic" (which also leads back to why people should comment more and that's a whole different discussion).
- Besides all this, it should be highly obvious what the problem is. It's STEALING. It's claiming someone's hard work, someone's pure unaltered effort, someone's pride. Because trust me, getting your most famous work stolen, a work that you hold dear to your heart, a work that you put your mind to and thought deeply and purely about, a work that you don't think you could produce again--getting that stolen, also means that the person claims all of this work and effort was done by them. When in reality, they copied and pasted and sat back and enjoyed the fruits without the labor.
- The feeling is horrible, and the action is disgusting. There is no excuse WHATSOEVER. I don't know if these people have emotional problems or are just trolling, but that is NOT an excuse for stealing people's talent and creation and calling it your own. Plus the attention they're getting is what the original author should get, NOT their own. So how does that feel? Does it feel good?
- To all those who steal fics: Do that in college you're out, no ifs and buts, and no other college will ever accept you again.
What you can do to help:
- If you are a reader, and read various writings, it would be highly appreciated if you go to different sites and type in (for example) "Eren x Reader" and see what comes up. If you see a fic you've read before, or is similar, please look for the source, and if it's stolen, REPORT. If you're a writer, you can type in your fic's title in different writing sites and see if it comes up.
- People steal the more popular fics as well, because obviously those are gonna get more attention. So that can give you a direction, but this is not to EXCLUDE any other fics/writers.
- I would also recommend finding the popular writers of any fandom (or those writers who post a lot) and search for their fics in several different writing sites (fanfiction sites). This is not to EXCLUDE any other writers.
- Here are the sites that I'm aware of (or have seen stolen fics) [ If you know of any more, please let me know and ill add to the list] :
- Wattpad
- Archive of Our Own (Ao3)
- Quotev
- Fanfiction.net
- Lunaescence
- Ghosts of the Vanguard (GOTV)
- Here are also journals from different authors/helpers on this site that really broke it down, and how to report etc (you'll also get info of previous offences):
Writers:
- Here are many writers that I'm aware of (if you're not on here, let me know, if you know some others, let me know). I would seriously feel so frustrated and sad if any of their work got stolen (or stolen again). The people listed here are NOT ALL writers who have had something stolen. But im just listing them so people can have a look out for their work and to have sources to check for stolen stories. These writers are not JUST SNK. I want to include as many writers as possible, so please please, let me know, even if they're from a different fandom.
- I want to keep on adding to this list. So please comment and leave any other writers you know.
- AGAIN this is not ONLY for SNK fandom. I want this post to go around for ALL fandoms, all writers, and all readers, no matter who or what they're writing for.
In Conclusion:
- This is a serious problem. It discourages writers, it makes writers defeated. This is horrible honestly. Think of it this way. Imagine you're in a contest, you work so hard to get a trophy, and you get it. It has your name on it. But another person steals it, stands up and gets all the light for it even if it has your name on it. They get all the light for your hard work, and effort. How does that feel?
- Please, at least once a month, look around on those other sites (or even DA) to see if your work, or other people's work has been stolen. It's highly important to all of us.
Thank you for reading this. Again remember to help me add more writers, and please make journals about this and/or spread this journal around.
