The Good News And The Bad News

[bloodyrosemccoy]

The good news is that I am POSSESSED BY SCRIBBLEDEMONS and have been furiously stitching together one of the stories I've been kicking around for years, and every writer's block in the story's path is being obliterated in great blasts of inspiration.

The bad news is that this is the story with hobbits in it and it is not actually something I could publish.

Oh, well. Take inspiration where it comes, I suppose. Now if you'll excuse me, MUST WRITE OR THE SCRIBBLEDEMONS WILL EAT MY BRAIN

Comments

[jennyanydots21.livejournal.com]

Just file the serial numbers off! I hear that's what all the cool authors are doing these days...

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I would feel like a cheater!

... Although I also feel like the Tolkiens cheated a bit by copyrighting hobbitses. They're not QUITE as universal as dwarves or elves, but it's really only the word that's completely unique to JRRT.

[stormteller.livejournal.com]

I'm not aware of Hobbits or halflings as a pre-existing concept prior to Tolkien's works, but if that's the case, using a generic version would be completely acceptable.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I don't think the terms "hobbit" or "halfling" were applied. However, one slightly more literal version of Celtic folklore (or you might call it metafolklore) holds that there was a race of small people in the British Isles whom the larger Celts displaced, and they took to the hills and forests to live in secret.

Plus there are the more humanish varieties of elves, gnomes, goblins, etc.. It's just that "hobbit" is the best word.

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

Techncially, you can't copyright a concept, like hobbits. AIUI their claim would have to rest on anything using hobbits being considered a "derivative work" of Tolkein's writings.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Although they do seem to be trying to make the case that ALL fantasy is derived from Tolkien's work at this point. Gotta hand it to 'em for trying.

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

Yeah, good luck on that one (but not really).