I was scrolling on my phone, browsing a selection of soon-to-be-released books when one in particular caught my eye.
I read the blurb and let out an audible gasp.
The author stole my book idea.
This man who I’ve never met, somehow managed to reach inside my brain, pluck out my story idea, write the book I am writing right now, and turn it into a fully fledged novel. He beat me to print, and now the novel I’ve been working on for the last few months is headed for the trash because how can I continue to write a story that has already been written?
It feels like my “life's work” has been stolen, cruelly whipped away from me overnight. The story that has been building and percolating inside me for years, preparing itself to arrive in my brain and out onto the page.
Although, it’s possible that he didn’t actually steal my idea. It’s probable even because he couldn’t have. I don’t even know the guy. The far more likely scenario is that it is just an astonishing coincidence. He happened to have the exact same book idea at the same time as me, but the difference is: he’s a well known, successful, professional crime writer who actually managed to finish the story (and probably did a fantastic job), and I am an unpublished novice writer, who punches out a few hundred words here and there when inspiration strikes.
The best theory as to what has happened is that I have become the victim of a phenomena known as “simultaneous invention”.
Simultaneous invention is the concept that inventions and ideas are conceived independently by different creators, but at the same time.
“Rather than being the products of the individual mind, multiples (aka - simultaneous discoveries) are said to prove that creative ideas are the effects of the zeitgeist, or spirit of the times. At a specific instant in the history of a domain, the time becomes ripe for a given idea. The idea is “in the air” for anyone to pick, making its inception inevitable.”
- Dean Keith Simonton, creativity researcher
There are mind-boggling cases of simultaneous invention documented throughout history. Here are some of the most famous instances:
1600s: Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz both discover calculus.
1770s: Carl Wilhelm Scheele and Joseph Priestley discover oxygen.
1800s: Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace both describe natural selection.
1839: Louis Daguerre and Henry Fox Talbot invent the first photographic methods.
1869: Louis Ducos du Hauron and Charles Cros present the earliest workable methods of colour photography on the same day.
1876: Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell independently, on the same day, filed patents for invention of the telephone.
1879: British physicist-chemist Joseph Swan independently developed an incandescent light bulb at the same time as American inventor Thomas Edison was independently working on his incandescent light bulb.
1950s: Jonas Salk and Albert Bruce Sabin invent the polio vaccine.
2015: Takaaki Kajita and Arthur B. McDonald are jointly awarded the Nobel prize for finding that neutrinos have mass.
It sounds like something from a Blake Crouch novel. The idea that two complete strangers, anywhere in the world could come up with the exact idea at the same time. It would be written off as pure science fiction if it weren’t so thoroughly documented.
It came for Charles Darwin, it came for Alexander Bell, and now, it has come for me.
Since I’ve had a solid 48 hours to walk around the house moaning in despair, I figure it’s probably time to put my big girl pants on and think about what to do next.
What does one do when someone else publishes the book you were going to write?
If there’s one thing this sad experience has taught me, it’s this: Do not sleep on that creative idea.
I thought I had all the time in the world to write my story. Donna Tartt took 9 years to write The Secret History, after all. Maybe I could take 9 years to write my debut novel too. But modern life and our shared experience may lead to someone else coming to the same conclusions – or ideas – as you have, somewhere in the world.
This doesn’t just apply to writing. It can happen in any field where creativity and imagination are at play.
Where does this leave me and my manuscript? I think I’ll hold onto it a little longer before sending it to my computer’s trash bin forever. Even though the original premise and core of the story is no longer viable, perhaps there’s something there worth saving. Maybe a shift in perspective or narrative voice. Could it be a white collar crime thriller instead of a murder? Could I set it in a different era? Could I change the genre? Who knows. Maybe this whole saga is a good thing and will force me to pivot. Now, I’m compelled to look at how I can better improve upon what the story was set to become.
One of the people in my writer's group said that this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If his book sells well, publishers will be frothing to produce more of the same. That said, I’m not sure how I feel about being the runner-up for the prize of cool and interesting story ideas.
So what’s the solution to this confounding mystery of the human mind? How can you ensure your work remains true and original to you when at any point in time, some random person out in the world might be working on the exact same thing?
Maybe the answer is to simply try and be the first to launch, and to do your best not to let perfectionism hold you back from getting started. Maybe done is better than perfect. Or, if you instead find yourself in the same boat as me, is there room to move and change your approach? Could you see it as an opportunity to pivot and find a fresh, unexpected angle?
The truth is, I was stuck in a bit of a rut anyway. I fell out of love with the story idea a few weeks back. When I started writing months ago, I kicked off with a hiss and a roar, smashing my daily word count goal and picking up steam until I hit a wall. I didn’t like the characters and writing became a slog. Instead of feeling inspired and excited by the story, I felt bored and disillusioned. It became something I thought I simply had to finish to avoid the “sunk cost fallacy”.
This uncanny coincidence has forced me to open doors to new possibilities with the story that I hadn’t allowed myself to consider before. Now that the original plan has gone out the window, the idea of returning to the old draft feels strangely exciting again. Like anything is possible and the book could go in any direction.
But I guess you’ll just have to wait and see… Maybe I’ve already said too much.
That's rough! My first instinct is to say that even if you have similarities/similar premises, the execution and theme of the book may be different enough to sell -- and you could use that famous author's book as a comp title.
I'd take the time you need, plot our the rest of your novel to hold it in your head, then read that other book. Then make your decision.
This was an insightful read! So sorry this happened to you 😢