AN ORIGINAL IS WORTH MORE THAN A COPY

[This post contains gifted items]

Well, well, well. Here I am again. It wasn't even a full 365 days ago that I hopped on here to speak about this, but sometimes you've just got to get something off of your chest...

I wrote about copying almost a year ago. In August 2018 I wrote a post called 'Being original and not a carbon copy'... before we start, here's a little extract:

"Within the blogosphere, there's been scandals – people copying work, ripping each other off, stealing photos, and so much more, and this IS NOT right. Stealing people's articles and photos is terrible, and this SHOULD be a copyright offence."

When I wrote the above paragraph, I never in a million years thought that under a year later I'd be writing about it happening to me. I never thought that somebody would copy my work and pass it off as their own.. but it happened at the end of May.

I had recently made friends with a girl on Instagram. She seemed lovely. She spoke about body positivity with honesty, she had a lovely feed, and she was just a lovely person. We shared conversations on Instagram, exchanged shoutouts, and I supported a lot of her photos on Instagram too. I thought I'd support her blog as well because I really adored her content. After heading over to her blog and reading a few good articles I stumbled across something that made me feel a bit sick. 

Imagine coming across a title that's exactly the same as one of yours? Not only this, but then reading the first paragraph and it's almost word for word? I cried. I felt so betrayed, so sick, so upset, and I didn't know what to do.

I had worked really hard on my post 'You won't be liked by everyone... and that is okay!' because it's something that I feel strongly about. I wrote it because I had a passion for it... I wrote it because I decided I wanted to write it.

What really got me was that every single paragraph was almost identical. Okay, she did change it up a bit – added in a few points of her own. But the title, the paragraph set out, and the beginning of all of the paragraphs was almost the same.

I composed myself, slept on it, and then the next morning I wrote an Instagram caption. It was frank, honest, it didn't name her, and I wasn't rude. She messaged me within a couple of hours. She apologised, asked to be friends again, told me she had been copied in the past, told me she admired the post so much. She said sorry and took it down instantly. I thanked her, unfollowed her and moved on. I had no hard-feelings towards her – she was honest, she was still kind in her messages, and I really appreciated the fact that she removed it.

I had been so busy with exams and assignments for university that I completely forgot all about it. But then I logged onto my laptop for a blog reading session and she was still in my 'reading list' of blogs to read. I thought that there's no harm in just checking she hadn't reposted it...

And low and behold – there it was again. I laughed. I was fuming but I couldn't help but laugh. Okay, so again, the piece had been changed a whole lot more, but there were/are still a couple of quotes that are word for word, and the title too! 

I just wanted to write this to urge ANYONE who might copy aspects of people's work to STOP. Please stop and think about what you're doing – it's not right!! If you are inspired by somebody's work, then at least give them credit. A simple "[This post was inspired by Mollie Quirk's post]" at the end of the article (with a hyperlink to the original post) would be more than enough to show your appreciation for the source of your inspiration. 

If you're writing a post similar to somebody else CHANGE THE HEADING. Never, ever, ever blatantly copy and paste the name of somebody's article that you're inspired by. The writer of the original piece probably thought up a title that represented their thoughts, feelings and words.

Lastly. Why are you copying somebody? Doesn't your blog exist because you have passion? Doesn't it exist because you love writing? Doesn't it exist because you want to write about something that brings you joy, confidence, or you have a huge undying passion for?

There's nothing wrong with being inspired by somebody. But don't copy. ALWAYS give credit if you're inspired to write something similar... it's really not that hard. 

If the girl in question had messaged me and said: "Omg Mollie, I was so inspired by this post. I loved it! I'm going to write something similar because I feel exactly the same way. Would it be okay if I linked back to your post?" – then I'd have probably cried with happiness. I'd have been so flattered and happy that somebody felt that way about my ideas and my writing. But it wasn't done this way, and that's what I've got the problem with (and the fact that copying is my pet peeve).

I remember a few months back when I wrote my Being Single at 21 article. A blogger I'm good friends with wrote a similar piece and published it – mine was scheduled to go live two weeks later. So I messaged her and told her how much I adored her piece and told her that I had a similar post going live in a few weeks. I wasn't inspired by her post, nor was anything remotely similar other than the theme. But being the worrier (and decent person) that I am, I felt the need to give her a heads up. 

Steal Mollie's Style 

(but please don't steal anything else 😂)

I'm wearing the most amazing Junarose Pink Floral Midi Dress* from Simply Be. It's such a stunning dress and one I feel really accentuates my figure! I adore the style and cut of this dress. The empire line is in the right place which means it nips me in at the waist (perfect for big bums).

I teamed with a floppy hat from Primark (which I picked up for 50p in the sale earlier on in the year), and some Chelsea Boots with a chunky heel from River Island (purchased for £20 in the January sales. 

I also wore my stunning Candy Floss Pink Extra Large Sporran* from The Leather Satchel Co.

I think I've rambled on long enough! I just really wanted to make a point about copying how it isn't cool.

I use my blog as a portfolio for my future career. All I dream about is writing for fashion magazines and one day being the editor. My blog is my outlet – a place where I come up with all of my own ideas, write about things I have a passion for, and share my opinions. I take pride in my blog, I take pride in my writing, and I just don't appreciate being disrespected in that way.

Anyway... what are your views on this? Have you ever had your work copied or stolen? Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear your experiences with this.