A Writer's Dilemma

Have you ever noticed how a particular plot for films will come out within months of one-another bearing a similar concepts? Take for instance the Zombie-fest we had for a few years. Shaun of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, Remakes for Day of the Dead and Dawn of the dead, Resident Evil (named after games, not based on them), Boy Eats Girl, House of the Dead 2, Automation Transfusion, etc. The list is quite extensive in a short few years, say 2004-2007 were the highlight years for zombie films this decade. Er - last decade. My does time fly?

Not big on zombies? Check out urban-Superheroes from Jumper, Hancock, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and Push. Or all of those Volcano films (like Volcano, and Dante's Peak) that came out around the same time. What about the two very different, yet eerily similar films Ghost Ship and Event Horizon? Different setting, nearly identical actual plot.

How does that happen? I mean these films came out so close together with eerily similar plots, but they're playing from different angles, or character situations, or even released within a few weeks or months of one another. So it doesn't appear to be an actual copycat situation. No plagiarism, no stealing, just a lot of people having similar thoughts at approximately the same time. Spooky, huh?

Now, mine isn't quite the same situation since I'm not a published novelist, but I have had a strange experience recently. You see, I have been in the process of writing a book this summer break between semesters. Cranking out rough drafted chapters like a machine powered by Mountain Dew Supernova and grapes when I hit a strange hurdle in my research. See, the science based research went well. The industry and government research is fine. I even have an actual map of the city with the characters routes and whereabouts clearly marked so they make sense. It's the other-works-of-fiction research, which I didn't even think to do until now, that jumped out and speared me between the eyes.

In my search for similar plots that may help me write or show me what not to do, I watched a film you may recall from earlier this year. It's called Limitless. The basic plot synopsis is that a writer gets a hold of a super-drug that unlocks his brain. Basically this drug gives him incredible abilities, but he has to stay on it. When he gets off the drug, it makes him sick. Not like “withdrawal” sick, but rather “eventual coma” never-recovering sick. His sources of information through the film explain that this drug will kill him if he goes off cold turkey. Later in the movie a different character shoots up the drug because he claims it's better, and eventually the main character gets a tweaked version of it that won't kill him and allows him to be more free while still maintaining his great abilities – like an antidote.

This plot, or at least the substance (see what I did there?) of the plot is so uncannily similar to my outlined, already-started novel that it's making me a bit frightened. I had never seen this film, nor read the book (The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn), but very similar made-up information was in my head somehow.

On one hand I'm glad I sat down and watched the film to discover that I may be accused of copyright infringement if I publish what I have, but on the other hand it completely ruins my entire story. Several hundred pages of work, pretty well screwed unless I can find a way to tweak it (my own antidote) in a way that still works while not seeming forced or unreadable.

How does stuff like this happen? I mean, a lot of people (especially having worked in the medical industry) are against the pharmaceutical companies and have theories about a terrifying “what comes next” drug. But to have two very different stories take on a nearly identical plot device on their own is just – weird.

I now have to sit down and figure out how to crawl out of this hole. Part of me is leaning a bit supernatural, but that may push me too close to John Dies At The End by Justin Wong. I want to stay in the realm of urban mystery or cyberpunk, so I'll lean toward that type of solution (making sure to stay clear of the RedEye drug of Cowboy Bebop that resembles steroids, or any other fantastic drug as best I can. It is a fairly popular plot device, especially with all the pharmaceutical ads we deal with daily).

It's entirely possible that the term “overreacting” may be applied to my current situation. I mean, loads of stories have some sort of fantasy drug in them – but this is certainly a discouraging discovery.

Realizing everything is based on something else is one thing. Actually running at that brick wall head-first with no helmet is a bit different, and makes for a sad Kat with a hypothetically bleeding skull.