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Re: This morning's crap idea.

Newsgroups rec.arts.sf.written
From goldfarb@ocf.berkeley.edu (David Goldfarb)
Subject Re: This morning's crap idea.
Message-ID <ntFBDF.216M@kithrup.com> (permalink)
Date 2015-08-21 08:24 +0000
References <mr2cek$4kn$1@dont-email.me> <mr2td9$8vh$1@dont-email.me> <ef6fdef4-f2e5-48a0-abe0-69433ab2f9c7@googlegroups.com>
Organization Mt. Foraker Appreciation Society

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In article <ef6fdef4-f2e5-48a0-abe0-69433ab2f9c7@googlegroups.com>,
Jack Bohn  <jack.bohn64@gmail.com> wrote:
>Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor) wrote:
>> 
>> 	There's also the classic story of an author submitting his awesome 
>> stories and finding out that they were already published by an author 
>> they had previously never heard of (who was obviously time-travelling to 
>> steal the stories and publish them before the original submission). 
>> "Who's Cribbing?" was the title, and the poor author was constantly 
>> being told that his work was wonderful, since it was copying the work of 
>> the great Todd Thromberry...
>
>There was a Clarke story...
>"Herbert George Morely Roberts Wells, Esq." ISFDb has it listed as an
>essay, not fiction, and has a listing for "The Anticipator," so (unless
>they are just playing along) that is the story to reference.  In a
>pre-Internet forum, Clarke had conflated the title of that story with
>"The New Accelerator" and written it as "The New Anticipator".  He was
>surprised to find "The Anticipator" was not and H.G. Wells story, but by
>Morely Roberts.  He then gave a brief synopsis: a writer is finding his
>stories published under another name before he submits them, eventually
>snapping, he plots a murderous solution, but he *is* dealing with a man
>who steals his plots...  Clarke then notes that Roberts had not had many
>stories published; what ever happened to him, and where did Wells get
>his ideas, anyhow...

The Clarke essay is an explanation for a goof he made in a short-short
entitled "The Longest Science Fiction Story Ever Written".  From memory,
it went something like this:

===
Dear Mr. Jenks,
	I'm afraid your idea is not at all original.  Stories about
writers telepathically stealing stories from other writers date
back to H.G. Wells' "The New Anticipator".  About once a week we
receive a manuscript beginning:

	Dear Mr. Jenks,
	        I'm afraid your idea is not at all original.  Stories about
	writers telepathically stealing stories from other writers date
	back to H.G. Wells' "The New Anticipator".  About once a week we
	receive a manuscript beginning:

		Dear Mr. Jenks,
        		I'm afraid your idea is not at all original.  
		Stories about writers telepathically stealing stories 
		from other writers date back to H.G. Wells' "The New 
		Anticipator".  About once a week we receive a manuscript 
		beginning:

			Dear Mr. Jenks,
			...
				...
					...

				...
			...
			Better luck next time!
			Mark Belvedere
			editor, _Flabbergasting Science Fiction_

		Better luck next time!
		Mark Belvedere
		editor, _Flabbergasting Science Fiction_

	Better luck next time!
	Mark Belvedere
	editor, _Flabbergasting Science Fiction_

Better luck next time!
Mark Belvedere
editor, _Flabbergasting Science Fiction_
===

I realize that I'm infringing on Clarke's copyright here, but as I
have quoted less than 10% of the story, I feel that I can claim "fair use".

-- 
   David Goldfarb          |From the fortune cookie file:
goldfarbdj@gmail.com       |
goldfarb@ocf.berkeley.edu  |"You have at your command the wisdom of the ages."

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This morning's crap idea. William Vetter <mdhangton@gmail.com> - 2015-08-19 12:57 -0400
  Re: This morning's crap idea. Shawn Wilson <ikonoqlast@gmail.com> - 2015-08-19 10:04 -0700
    Re: This morning's crap idea. Kay Shapero <kay@invalid.net> - 2015-08-19 23:40 -0700
  Re: This morning's crap idea. petertrei@gmail.com - 2015-08-19 10:07 -0700
    Re: This morning's crap idea. djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2015-08-19 17:16 +0000
  Re: This morning's crap idea. djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2015-08-19 17:11 +0000
    Re: This morning's crap idea. petertrei@gmail.com - 2015-08-19 10:17 -0700
    Re: This morning's crap idea. William Vetter <mdhangton@gmail.com> - 2015-08-19 13:40 -0400
      Re: This morning's crap idea. Don Bruder <dakidd@sonic.net> - 2015-08-19 11:22 -0700
        Re: This morning's crap idea. Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> - 2015-08-19 17:19 -0700
      Re: This morning's crap idea. djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2015-08-19 20:06 +0000
        Re: This morning's crap idea. William Vetter <mdhangton@gmail.com> - 2015-08-19 16:35 -0400
        Re: This morning's crap idea. Don Kuenz <garbage@crcomp.net> - 2015-08-20 04:35 +0000
          Re: This morning's crap idea. djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2015-08-20 13:44 +0000
            Re: This morning's crap idea. William Vetter <mdhangton@gmail.com> - 2015-08-20 09:55 -0400
              Re: This morning's crap idea. ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) - 2015-08-20 14:26 +0000
                Re: This morning's crap idea. William Vetter <mdhangton@gmail.com> - 2015-08-20 10:35 -0400
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Lawrence Watt-Evans <lwe@sff.net> - 2015-08-20 13:12 -0400
                Re: This morning's crap idea. "Brian M. Scott" <b.scott@csuohio.edu> - 2015-08-20 14:01 -0400
                Re: This morning's crap idea. "Michael R N Dolbear" <me@privacy.net> - 2015-08-21 00:48 +0100
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> - 2015-08-20 18:18 -0700
                Re: This morning's crap idea. ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) - 2015-08-21 03:26 +0000
              Re: This morning's crap idea. Kevrob <kevrob@my-deja.com> - 2015-08-20 08:29 -0700
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Don Kuenz <garbage@crcomp.net> - 2015-08-20 19:09 +0000
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Kevrob <kevrob@my-deja.com> - 2015-08-20 13:23 -0700
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Don Kuenz <garbage@crcomp.net> - 2015-08-20 23:19 +0000
              Re: This morning's crap idea. Richard Hershberger <rrhersh@gmail.com> - 2015-08-20 08:29 -0700
              Re: This morning's crap idea. Kay Shapero <kay@invalid.net> - 2015-08-20 16:34 -0700
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Don Bruder <dakidd@sonic.net> - 2015-08-20 18:41 -0700
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Jerry Brown <jerry@jwbrown.co.uk.invalid> - 2015-08-21 18:31 +0100
                Re: This morning's crap idea. goldfarb@ocf.berkeley.edu (David Goldfarb) - 2015-08-22 06:58 +0000
                Re: This morning's crap idea. djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2015-08-22 13:46 +0000
                Re: This morning's crap idea. "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)" <seawasp@sgeinc.invalid.com> - 2015-08-22 10:27 -0400
                Re: This morning's crap idea. David Harmon <source@netcom.com> - 2015-08-22 16:04 -0700
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Kevrob <kevrob@my-deja.com> - 2015-08-22 16:30 -0700
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Shawn Wilson <ikonoqlast@gmail.com> - 2015-08-22 16:36 -0700
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Kevrob <kevrob@my-deja.com> - 2015-08-22 17:53 -0700
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Shawn Wilson <ikonoqlast@gmail.com> - 2015-08-23 14:56 -0700
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Robert Carnegie <rja.carnegie@excite.com> - 2015-08-23 07:55 -0700
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Kevrob <kevrob@my-deja.com> - 2015-08-23 08:00 -0700
                Re: This morning's crap idea. wdstarr@panix.com (William December Starr) - 2015-08-24 08:37 -0400
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Robert Carnegie <rja.carnegie@excite.com> - 2015-08-24 07:35 -0700
                Re: This morning's crap idea. djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2015-08-23 00:47 +0000
                Re: This morning's crap idea. William Vetter <mdhangton@gmail.com> - 2015-08-23 14:42 -0400
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Kevrob <kevrob@my-deja.com> - 2015-08-23 13:13 -0700
                Re: This morning's crap idea. William Vetter <mdhangton@gmail.com> - 2015-08-23 16:54 -0400
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Ahasuerus <ahasuerus@email.com> - 2015-08-23 14:06 -0700
                Re: This morning's crap idea. William Vetter <mdhangton@gmail.com> - 2015-08-23 17:19 -0400
                Re: This morning's crap idea. Cryptoengineer <treifamily@gmail.com> - 2015-08-22 20:11 -0500
  Re: This morning's crap idea. "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)" <seawasp@sgeinc.invalid.com> - 2015-08-19 17:46 -0400
    Re: This morning's crap idea. ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) - 2015-08-20 00:23 +0000
    Re: This morning's crap idea. Jack Bohn <jack.bohn64@gmail.com> - 2015-08-20 10:01 -0700
      Re: This morning's crap idea. goldfarb@ocf.berkeley.edu (David Goldfarb) - 2015-08-21 08:24 +0000
  Re: This morning's crap idea. wdstarr@panix.com (William December Starr) - 2015-08-19 20:34 -0400
    Re: This morning's crap idea. Greg Goss <gossg@gossg.org> - 2015-08-19 20:59 -0600
      Re: This morning's crap idea. William Vetter <mdhangton@gmail.com> - 2015-08-20 10:00 -0400
        Re: This morning's crap idea. Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> - 2015-08-20 22:25 -0700
          Re: This morning's crap idea. ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) - 2015-08-21 05:40 +0000
          Re: This morning's crap idea. William Vetter <mdhangton@gmail.com> - 2015-08-21 11:21 -0400
  Re: This morning's crap idea. Robert Carnegie <rja.carnegie@excite.com> - 2015-08-20 15:24 -0700
  Re: This morning's crap idea. William Vetter <mdhangton@gmail.com> - 2015-08-27 15:40 -0400
  Re: This morning's crap idea. William Vetter <mdhangton@gmail.com> - 2015-10-19 10:37 -0400
    Re: This morning's crap idea. ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) - 2015-10-19 14:45 +0000
      Re: This morning's crap idea. Don Bruder <dakidd@sonic.net> - 2015-10-19 07:52 -0700
    Re: This morning's crap idea. Walter Bushell <proto@panix.com> - 2015-10-19 17:19 -0400
      Re: This morning's crap idea. Kevrob <kevrob@my-deja.com> - 2015-10-19 16:09 -0700
        Re: This morning's crap idea. William Vetter <mdhangton@gmail.com> - 2015-10-20 01:02 -0400
        Re: This morning's crap idea. leif.roar@dimnakorr.com - 2015-10-20 03:52 -0500
    Re: This morning's crap idea. Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> - 2015-10-20 21:18 -0700

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