Since Duj Asked
Several people have noted similarities between my WIP Book of Shadows and duj's Who Lives in Disguise. Both are set during HBP (at least mine will be for half its length), both involve Snape teaching Hermione Occlumency at Dumbledore's urging, and in my fourth chapter and her first, there's even a comment by Dumbledore that such an arrangement would not work with Ron.
duj commented on the similarity in a review, and I responded on my LJ--as I do to FanFiction.Net reviews. I don't like answering them by email since such responses don't appear with the review, and I find it intrusive to invade someone's inbox uninvited (especially if it would be unpleasant). duj's email to me on the issue of the stories' similarities is behind the cut below. She asked I post on this in my LJ.
I'm glad this finally is out in the open, because this has bothered me for months and has even contributed to some of the dread I feel about posting updates. I was all the more upset since early on duj was a favorite writer of mine, and I still have her marked as such on FFN and Ashwinder. She was the much rec'd and respected author, while I was the newbie, and I feared that people would assume I copied her.
penname: duj
profile: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/257907/
--------------------
I happened upon your Live Journal and was quite perturbed to read your
comment (re "Book of Shadows" and "Who Lives in Disguise") that "Duj
was an early reviewer of this story on FFN. I was quite startled actually
when Who Lives in Disguise came out two weeks after my fourth chapter,
and I've deliberately avoided the story since, because I don't want to
be said to be influnced."
The unwary reader might assume from that that I copied your story,
which is very far from the case. Your lead-up is completely different and
there was no indication in your early chapters that you were going to go
in a similar direction to my fic. That didn't come till your ch 4,
which I didn't read till several chapters of "Disguise" had been posted.
Bellegeste could testify (if you were in any doubt) that I had started
planning "Disguise" before you posted any chapters of "Shadows", but
didn't want to start writing it till I was finished Post-mort". I think I
may have also discussed the idea with Cecelle and Whitehound prior to
your fic 's first chapter being posted, but can't be sure without
checking through too many emails.
Please note in your Live Journal that we came up with our ideas
independently and neither plagiarised the other.
duj
================
These are the dates and fics in quesion btw - which you can find on FFN
Book of Shadows
by Harmony Bites
Published 9/14/05
Chapter 4 uploaded 10/16/05 (you can tell from the reviews--that's when the earliest review for the chapter was posted)
Who Lives in Disguise
by Duj
Published 11/03/05
duj commented on the similarity in a review, and I responded on my LJ--as I do to FanFiction.Net reviews. I don't like answering them by email since such responses don't appear with the review, and I find it intrusive to invade someone's inbox uninvited (especially if it would be unpleasant). duj's email to me on the issue of the stories' similarities is behind the cut below. She asked I post on this in my LJ.
I'm glad this finally is out in the open, because this has bothered me for months and has even contributed to some of the dread I feel about posting updates. I was all the more upset since early on duj was a favorite writer of mine, and I still have her marked as such on FFN and Ashwinder. She was the much rec'd and respected author, while I was the newbie, and I feared that people would assume I copied her.
penname: duj
profile: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/257907/
--------------------
I happened upon your Live Journal and was quite perturbed to read your
comment (re "Book of Shadows" and "Who Lives in Disguise") that "Duj
was an early reviewer of this story on FFN. I was quite startled actually
when Who Lives in Disguise came out two weeks after my fourth chapter,
and I've deliberately avoided the story since, because I don't want to
be said to be influnced."
The unwary reader might assume from that that I copied your story,
which is very far from the case. Your lead-up is completely different and
there was no indication in your early chapters that you were going to go
in a similar direction to my fic. That didn't come till your ch 4,
which I didn't read till several chapters of "Disguise" had been posted.
Bellegeste could testify (if you were in any doubt) that I had started
planning "Disguise" before you posted any chapters of "Shadows", but
didn't want to start writing it till I was finished Post-mort". I think I
may have also discussed the idea with Cecelle and Whitehound prior to
your fic 's first chapter being posted, but can't be sure without
checking through too many emails.
Please note in your Live Journal that we came up with our ideas
independently and neither plagiarised the other.
duj
================
These are the dates and fics in quesion btw - which you can find on FFN
Book of Shadows
by Harmony Bites
Published 9/14/05
Chapter 4 uploaded 10/16/05 (you can tell from the reviews--that's when the earliest review for the chapter was posted)
Who Lives in Disguise
by Duj
Published 11/03/05