Heyaa
Have you ever been accused of copying, cheating the system?
I haven't been. Not yet. But I copy, more often than you think I do. I cheat the system, the algo, and whatever monster in hell is behind our content these days.
I copy, I borrow, I steal. And I make them my own.
I didn't know it was wrong. And I still don't think it is.
As a content creator, I've learned that copying is a part of the creative process. It's a way to learn and grow as a writer (or designer, or artist).
I hear you screaming lazy has gone crazy. 🤣
Maybe.
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OK, back to my story…
It started off on an unknowing note.
I would take someone's phrases, decorate them with my own thoughts, sprinkle some ifs and buts, and there it is something new of my own.
Did you really think I became a writer right off the play school?
No sire, you're absolutely wrong. I learned by borrowing words, copying style, and stealing topics.
Even this newsletter topic is stolen. Thousands of intellectuals have spent hundreds of hours writing about copying content.
And here I'm scribbling it again. That's what I do.
Taking inspiration from someone else's content, and using it for my own. It's about using what you've learned to improve your own. It’s about using it to create something new and unique.
Build on the work of others and make it your own.
Yes, of course, you can't just take someone else's content and pass it off as your own. Oh sorry, you can, you SHOULDN’T.
That’s plagiarising. That’s blatant plagiarising. Copyright Infringement.
If you do so, you might land in a creamy legal soup. Yes, you might. No exaggeration.
If the original creator is determined to single you out, for copying dot to dot, you'll spend a significant chunk of your remaining life proving you didn't.
Shot at Sight.
However, stealing ideas ensures you don't always have to start from scratch.
Ideas are plenty afloat. You need to combine them in a way to make sense. As long as you’re stealing from different sources, putting them together, and building your content empire, you're good.
By copying and taking inspiration from others, you can only get better. Copy and add your magic to them.
And that’s all for today.
Bidding adieu.
Live long and prosper.
See you next week, with another story.