Seeking advice: I just watched a movie that is almost identical to the story I wrote (but have yet to publish). How do I keep going now?

I took time away from this story to tend to my dying mother, and then to deal with the consequent depression and anxiety that came after. Sometimes people drown themselves in work as a way to grieve - I do not. I also published other works while working on this, as I prefer to work on stories simultaneously. I managed to finish this, slowly, while working an average of 60 hours a week (+10 for commuting) between 2 physically demanding jobs, one of which I suffered a brain injury at that set me back another 6 months. Both leave me with little energy, mental or physical. If you want to shame me for my timeline, go right ahead, but just understand that you're a dick.

Scratch that: get bent.

Also, I did not divulge all details of anything. The opening scene in question was typically what I would use (or parts of) to get feedback from fellow authors, as well as to send to potential beta readers who might be interested. While I agree I should have copyrighted it well before showing anyone anything, it's kind of difficult to copyright something that isn't complete, no? In any case, copyright laws state that the creator owns the copyright the moment they create the thing - in the event of plagiarism, even without a registered copyright, I have all handwritten notes, maps, character biographies, and probably most important, original files dating back a literal decade. Any potential thief is not going to have that.

And even if I didn't? No one deserves to have their work stolen or altered without permission, as you are suggesting.

Again, get bent. Literally piss right off with that.

/r/writing Thread Parent