For the record

[ksmith]

If I don't know you passing well, by which I mean if we have never met in person, please don't send me your great story idea, even if all you want is feedback. I won't respond, and will delete the message as soon as I realize what it is. I could tell you that I do so at my agent's bidding--some folks invoke the legalities, and sometimes it's valid even if folks occasionally find it lame. But the fact is that I don't feel comfortable discussing matters like that with folks I don't know. If that sounds wonky, so be it. I have my wonky aspects.

Comments

[hittite.livejournal.com]

What I don't understand with people who decide that they have a "great story idea" is how those people are totally ignorant of the fact that ideas are a dime a dozen--heck, I have so many story ideas that I'd need an extended lifespan, a trust fund to pay the bills and many years of writing to write stories with all of them. You'd think someone who has decided to write (which I am guessing is the point about telling you about the great story idea--don't tell me they are even more naïve, as in the, hey, I've got this great idea, why don't you write a story/book etc. with it and we'll split the profits, vein...) would at least have done his/her homework on what makes a great story--and the great idea probably would not be at the top of that list.

The best advice I have ever came across about great ideas was, well, why don't you just write something with your great idea and we'll see if the end result is a great story/book--because, in the end, it is the story that counts, not how great the idea it is based on is. I mean, Shakespeare used a lot of non-original, staple ideas--IMHO, it is mostly in the delivery, not the originating idea.

(I probably should not try long posts before finishing the first coffee of the day, of course...)

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

My impression was that this person had thought of this idea with another person, and decided to "ask an SF writer" to see if it had any merit.

Most folks have No Clue, about writing or anything to do with publishing. 99% of the time, there's no reason why they should. But that 1% of the time when they try to dip a toe in that other world...that's when it usually matters.