What is the difference between inspiration and plagiarism in a novel?

Question

What is the difference between inspiration and plagiarism in a novel?

Answer 1

Seren is right, up to a point. Remember, though, that giving the other author credit for parts of his work that you lifted to use in your own does not offer you any legal protection. You can still be sued, and will lose, unless you are writing parody or a review.

Answer 2

What do you mean by that?

Plagirism is taking someone's words without a look back or without giving them credit.

Inspiration would be like........If you read NARNIA and then decided to write a book about kids who go to a different world.  

Answer 3

Plagiarism, I think, is when a person copies off another person's piece of work and then place it in their own novel. I also believe that if that the person changes a word or two or may be sentence, and then place it in their own novel, that would be plagiarism because it's the same content / message. Unoriginal. Inspiration would be taking a very small bit (notice the words  very and small) of a story then changing / adding to make it their own.

Here's an example of what I believe to be unoriginal. When I heard that Ms. Meyer was writing a another story based off of one of her novel, except in the point of view of another character; I thought that was a lot like plagiarism - even though it's her own novel. Authors make money by writing and creating original, different stories. But the same plot, just different point of view, is just a way of getting money and attention.  

Answer 4

Very interesting question. But I have a very simple answer. If you yourself are questioning it and think it might be plagiarism - it probably is.

Honestly I seldom if ever derive inspiration from other literature. My inspiration comes from life and the world around me. News, people, places, things... I think not only is that better, but it keeps me honest.

Of course when I am writing my now famous Twilight satires at The Dark Side, my inspiration is obvious ... the bad writing of Stephenie Meyer. Check them out sometime. Pax-C