How to Avoid Plagiarism

How can you avoid plagiarism? And what is plagiarism anyway?

Simply put, it is the copying of someone else’s work and presenting it as your own.

“I would never do that!” you are obviously thinking.

As sincere as you may be, there is the very real danger of copying someone else’s work unconsciously and passing it off as your own.   

How can you avoid doing this?

Before we can discuss specific strategies on how to avoid this, firstly, let us discuss to what extent you can go before your work can be classified as plagiarism.

It is a well-known fact that writers read a lot. Therefore, whether they like it or not, writers have to be exposed to other people’s works, otherwise they will not be good writers.

Of course, I have heard of ‘non-reading’ writers, but I am not really sure in what context this is meant. Obviously, it refers to writers who hardly read other people’s works.

Nancy Mitford, a British writer who lived in the 20th Century is quoted as saying:

 

“I have read only one book in my life, and that is White Fang.”

 

Interesting to think that a writer of great calibre would hardly read any book but write several.

So, interestingly, the natural tendency of a writer is to write a lot and read less (because she is so busy writing). And if she reads a book, she can’t help thinking, “I can do better than that.”

This reminds me of a friend who said; after I had made a comment that I was not so well-read a writer:

 

“It is better that way, because you will not be a plagiarist!”

 

To whatever extent this is true, that writers who read less have a lesser chance of plagiarizing, I am not really sure. But I would hardly condone this course for a few reasons.

Firstly, it is quite impossible to write about certain topics without doing some research or peering into other people’s work.

Secondly, every writer, even a writer of fiction, has to know something about nearly everything. In other words, he has to broaden his horizon, so to speak. And of course, the best way of doing this is to do some reading.

Thirdly, one can learn how to write by studying other people’s writing. By paying particular attention to the techniques they use, you can elevate your writing to a higher level.

Therefore inferring or getting ideas from another person’s work is not plagiarism per se. You can make quotes of a person’s work and even expand on ideas and theories that she promulgated. You would not be classified as plagiarist if you don’t pretend that some work is yours and if you give credit where it is due.

And there are some topics which are so factual and proven that there is some sort of standard way in which to write them, but this does not mean you can lift the work of someone else. You would still need to write them in your own particular way or style.

So as you can see, avoiding reading other people’s works is neither the practical nor the best way of beating avoiding plagiarism. There must be another way.

Of course, my concern is avoiding unconsciously plagiarizing other people’s work. I cannot help those unscrupulous fellows who are too lazy to come up with their own work. I think the best help I could give them is beating the laziness out of them.

The following are some of my suggestions of how you can avoid plagiarism:

1. Write about your own experiences

Surely, if you write about your own experiences, there is no way some guy you hardly know can claim that you stole his ideas! Of course, most of the stuff we go through is similar, but your experiences will always be uniquely your experiences.

Most of the short stories I write are grafted from my own experiences. A particular event may form the basis for a story. In fact, most of my friends will find something of themselves in my stories.

Often I look at a certain aspect of my life and think to myself:

How is this going to turn out? What would happen if things went in this manner?

And guess what? A story is born, but more importantly, one that is uniquely mine.

2. Keep your Eyes and Ears open

Most writers write about what they hear and see every day. Yes, there are a lot of stories out there. All one has to do is keep his eyes open and he will surely find something to write about.

A fight you observe in the streets or a news item can make a good basis for a good story.

3. Take note of what you read

If you read a story or a book that you love very much, take a note of it. Try to recall the narrative or story line. If possible, keep a notebook where you can write down a synopsis or a brief summary of the stories that you find very interesting.

In future if you suddenly have an idea that you think would make for a brilliant short story, go back and consult your notebook and ensure that your idea is not simply a mirror of something you had read earlier.

4. Use a fresh Perspective

At the same time it is true that a story, play, or movie can give one a great idea of a story and the particular direction she has to take. But exercise caution that you do not replicate the story. Though you adopt the theme, try as much as you can to make the setting, characters and circumstances different.

If you feel inspired to adopt a certain idea conveyed in a story, do not replicate it! Try to view it in a different perspective.

For example, say you have read the play of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare and you feel inclined to write something similar. Rather than just merely changing the name of the characters and the setting, try to see things from a different or fresh perspective. 

You could, for instance, envision that the ‘Romeo’ and ‘Juliet’ in your story stayed in modern day America, say New York. Your aim should be not to simply replicate the story line, but to convey the same theme. Endeavour to use your own views and your own way of looking at and interpreting situations. In other words, step out of Shakespeare’s shoes and be yourself!

5. Use your Imagination

Most of the time, plagiarism is attributed to lack of imagination. One of the definitions of imagination is the creation of mental pictures. So try to create something, yes, come up with something new.

Admittedly, creating something new is not always easy nor really possible. Most of the time, we find ourselves ‘creating’ something which may already exist or simply a redefining of something already established. But all the same, it pays to use your imagination.

At times, writers say that the characters themselves tell the story. In short, it is almost as if they surrender to their imagination and let it lead the way.  

So long as you are using your own imagination, and you are writing from your own unique perspective, you are bound to avoid plagiarism.

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There are probably several other ways in which you can avoid plagiarism, but I think the ones I have mentioned here will suffice.

In the end, I think, what will really help you to avoid unconsciously copying other peoples work is whether or not you are willing to stand up in the crowd and speak in your own voice.

Yes, writers are interactive people and sometimes they may need to infer from each other, but in the end, all we simply want is to tell our own stories in our own way.

 

 

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