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Stealing Ideas!
- April
- 9
2:40 pm Christian magazines, Magazines, Reading, Updates, Writing
Flicking through a recent edition of Woman’s Day, I was stunned by their theme: Fab at 50! Hey! I thought. They’ve stolen my idea!
Because the next issue of Footprints (due out in May) is our 50th, it will feature quite a few articles relating to the big 5-oh – including Life Begins at 50, and the Year of Jubilee.
So did Woman’s Day really steal my idea? I doubt it! But even if they did, the truth is that’s where a lot of editors (including me) get their inspiration from – other magazines!
As Mia Freedman, former editor of a number of Aussie glossies including Girlfriend and Cosmo, says … “An editor once told me ‘there’s no copyright on ideas’ and I’ve never forgotten that. Provided you did your own version, I saw nothing wrong with being ‘inspired’ by other sources … Editors get many of their best ideas from other magazines.”
I know that as I browse through other magazines, I am constantly mulling over page layouts, article ideas, headlines, and graphics that would work well in Footprints. Some magazines are more helpful for this purpose than others. I love “Psychology Today” for layout ideas, and “Notebook”, ”Marie Clare” and “Reader’s Digest” when I’m brainstorming topics and titles.
But other magazines are not the only places which provide me with inspiration. I also find ideas for articles in Scripture and from sermons, on TV shows and at conferences, as well as whatever is happening in my own life or the lives of family and friends. Many a chat with friends or at our small group has become fodder for my writing!
As the Good Book tells us, I guess there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9)!
PS a note of thanks to Footprints supporter and frequent blogger Michelle, who has favoured us with this “sweet award”!
This award goes to a blog that you always visit and hate missing anything that they’ve posted. So here are some of my personal favourites …
Accept the award if you wish – copy and post it, share the love!
5 comments
Hi Joni, thanks for stopping by. I have subscribed to your blog and look forward to reading more … you have already got me thinking that it’s time I wrote a letter to our sponsor child!!!!
Love Janet (Footprints editor & blogger) xxx
Posted by Webmaster, on April 10th, 2010, at 2:34 pm. #.
Thanks Janet 
I agree that there are no ‘new ideas’ – why re-invent the wheel?! So long as we share from our own experiences and/or point of view and don’t copy or steal! I think most of us writers respect that rule
Congratulations on 50 editions of Footprints. I know there will be many, many more.
xox
Posted by Narelle Nettelbeck, on April 10th, 2010, at 10:11 pm. #.
YAY for No 50
Posted by Kelly Burstow, on April 17th, 2010, at 7:47 am. #.
[...] know I blogged about ”Woman’s Day” and it’s “fabulous at 50″ theme a couple [...]
Posted by footprintsaustralia.com » Fabulous at Fifty!, on April 30th, 2010, at 12:25 pm. #.
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Happy 50th-issue-birthday! What a milestone! I’m really looking forward to receiving the issue – I’ve just subscribed (it seems I’m a bit slow on the up-take
))
I found you on Cath’s connect2mums christian blogging mums group – isn’t she wonderful?! She’s so talented where online communites are concerned – very inspirational
)
So I thought I’d drop by and say hi. If you feel like taking a look at my blog, I’m at http://every1matters.wordpress.com The blog has the purpose of raising awareness of the need for Godly people to do their part in God’s amazing story and for God’s amazing people.
xo
Posted by Joni, on April 10th, 2010, at 1:29 pm. #.