I have issue with "Assassin's Creed." I take issue with it because plot stealing from another genre (so to speak) is exactly what it did. The plot, as revealed in Assassin's Creed 2 is that aliens seeded earth with people and imposed religion on them to control the masses." Yawn.
The game series, while lacking in some intensity of excitement (but still a lot of fun to play) has been praised for its plot. "It's so brilliant," people say. "So clever. " "I never would have guessed that, not in a million years." Obvious none of these people have ever seen "Star Gate."
Stealing plots. Not a cool idea. Ultimately it will be difficult to ever be original. And by original I mean completely original. The near impossibility of this task comes because of the Bible. Yes, that's right all you Christian hating people out there. Every plot ever devised was first hashed out in the Bible. Sister is raped and brother goes out to seek revenge? Judah, the son of Israel (Jacob) and his sister. Chick flicks? The book of Ruth. Wrongly imprisoned: Joseph and the coat of many colors. My friend is getting married but I really like the girl? I won't tell you that one, you'll have to find it yourself (but it's in there).
When I started writing "The Name of God," I wanted to do something original and unique but I knew that a story about Gladiators was not anything new, though infrequently done. And I knew that the Bible contained lots of stories about intrigue and great warriors. I did not want to do warriors, I wanted to do gladiators. People always tell me, write what you know. Well I only know one thing really well, and that's personal combat, and how to hurt people. I've never actually read a book about gladiators being gladiators. It's always the Spartacus story of escaping to freedom. I did not want that either. When I started the story, about a year ago, I really did not know what I wanted. I knew what I didn't want, but not what it WAS that I WANTED. Then it finally came to me in a conversation I had with friends.
I tell you this because I don't know how other people conjure their ideas. I know how I conjure mine. Plot stealing is not cool. It's really not. Everyone is going to figure it out. A lot of movies and books get away with it, because they do it well and that's okay, but I, personally, will always hold them in contempt for not working harder to make a better story. Abandoned and heading out to seek revenge is not unique to that story you're talking about. It's quite a popular one, actually. Or at least it was, for a time. Instead of plot stealing, why don't you ask yourself what themes you're wanting to discuss. When you figure out the themes you want, then you'll start to see how those themes appear in the real world. When you see how they appear in the real world, you'll start to see the elements that make up those themes. And then you'll start to have your story.
So to continue my story of how "The Name of God," came about and to give you an example of what's I just mentioned about Themes . . .
While I was pondering on this I was spending time with a friend who is a druid and his wife (sort of) who is an atheist. I am neither. Between them and some of their friends I met, I heard some interesting conversation pieces that made me think of actual Bible stories I had read. For a time, a short time, I studied things like the "enlightenment period," and how much a colossal waste of time that was. The irony of the French Revolution and the so called Enlightenment period was that they had an actual funeral for God. If you've ever looked at the French Revolution you'll realize one thing: It was one of the worst periods of time in human history. That's why there are so many old movies made of that time period. The irony comes because that the very people who instigated that came to say, and I'm only paraphrasing here, "Whether or not God exists, we can not without him."
I mentioned this to my friends and their friends and I was mocked to embarrassment. I learned a great deal about these people and their lives and from my study of this Enlightenment period I began to see similarities in their lives to those of the French at the time. "This is like the Tower of Bable. Let's all go tell God what to do." And then I thought: "What would the world be like if these people were right. I mean, what would happen if the Tower of Bable had actually been successful?" And there it was. Political intrigue between Man and God, with Gladiators. I still didn't want to do a bit "pro-christian" piece. I just wanted to tell a story on a very large scale involving politics, God, war, and gladiators. Throw in some crazy magic and "The Name of God," was born.
I suppose I could say I stole the plot, tower of Bable from the bible I mean. But I really didn't. This story is MY story. I'm writing it, because I want people to read this story and feel the same way I do about it. When you steal someone's plot, then it is not YOUR story. It is THEIR story retold by you. And everyone is going to be able to see that, even if they don't know the plots origin. I certainly did, though I admittedly would not have guessed you lifted it from a book about spaceships. when you plot steal, your story will feel hallow to you. Again, because it's not YOUR story. That's why Avatar was so successful, despite similarities to other movies. James Cameron was not plot stealing, he just really wanted to tell that specific story. So he did. It was HIS story HIS way. And that, Cynic, is what you need to do.