Inspired by...or stolen from?

There is such a fine line between a story being inspired by another tale or being stolen from another source, it can often be hard to tell the difference from a reader's point of view.

I'm not referring to copyright infringement or plagiarism. Those are illegal and have legal definitions that make it clearer when someone is in the wrong.

What I am thinking of is stealing a story, i.e. the names and quotes are different enough that it's not illegal, but the second author's/creator's work is simply taking from the first.

To illustrate this, I will bring up the controversial subject I can without actually getting hate mail: Star Wars movies.

Don't worry. This isn't about the prequels. Or sequels. Or Solo. (Man, that movie series is a minefield.)

George Lucas has often said how he had many influences when creating Star Wars, ranging from Kurosawa's films and Flash Gordon serials to Joseph Campbell's The Hero with A Thousand Faces. It's no secret that aspects of the plot and characters have their roots in other works.

However, this has given some critics (I use the term loosely, as it includes both professionals and social media complainers) the boldness to say that Lucas was not merely inspired by these other works, but that he was consciously stealing from them.

R2D2 and C3PO? Stolen comic relief from a Kurosawa film.

Han Solo? Stolen from Flash Gordon.

The Skywalker-Kenobi relationship? Stolen from Campbell.

Are these accusations legitimate? And what of others that have come about? Are Dungeons and Dragons novels just stealing Tolkien's ideas? Were the Twilight books a case of double-theft from Bram Stoker and Jane Austen?

To be perfectly honest, it can be hard to tell as a reader. Because you aren't just evaluating the content of the stories. You are also evaluating the intent of the writer, and a writer who is inspired and one who is taking someone else's work can seem very similar. It's like seeing two people praying - how can you know who is placing a matter of great concern before God, and who is wondering if he should put $500 on the Lakers.

I sometimes read potential authors in writing groups on FaceBook say that they have a story idea, but they don't want to even start writing it because they feel like they stole it from somewhere else. But if every time someone feels inspired by something, they think they're stealing their ideas from the source, we would never have any new art.

But while it may be hard for readers to differentiate inspired from stolen material, I think there are ways for writers to know which one applies to their own work. So here's my litmus test, to see if your idea is from inspiration or theft.

Did you give the idea your own flavor? Sure, the romantic couple your story follows is similar to that other story - but did you give them a new obstacle to overcome? Sure, the combat between the two armies in your fantasy story is similar to that other series - but did you give the officers and soldiers unique qualities?

If you can add your own angle, your own style, your own pizzazz to the story or story element, that's a sign you were inspired by the previous story, and not just taking someone else's story.

Star Wars does have all the elements listed before. But no one put them in the specific environments and situations that Lucas did. Dungeons & Dragons has some of Tolkien's fantasy elements, but the D&D universe functions sufficiently different enough from Middle Earth that it would count as inspiration. The Twilight books...okay, full disclosure, I never read those. Someone else will have to fill that in.

For your own ideas, you will have to evaluate for yourself. And if you're a bit uncomfortable that maybe you are on the wrong side of the line, write that first draft anyway. Along the way, you might find your own twist on the older story. The original's inspiration will always be there, but you can find your own original ideas to perfect your own tale.

Next week: The side-gig