Dear Readers,
I am compelled to respond to a review to my story that I wrote almost a year ago. My first inclination was to ignore the review since I cannot find the story that the writer referred to in the review. I was not a fanfic reader 4 years ago and don't recall ever having read a story form this person or by the title.
My accuser wrote the following:
I came across your story after taking a break from reading fanfiction and was quite surprised by what I read. It's said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I guess I will feel flattered instead of violated. In my fanfic, "The Measure of a Man," written over four years ago, Jim Brass's middle name is Elliot. In your fanfic, Jim's middle name is Elliot as well. This is not an uncommon name, but it was a surprise to see that you chose the same middle name as I had. Imagine my bigger surprise when Brass and Sophia's son is a junior and in order not to confuse father and son, the child is called by the acronym of his three initials—Jeb. This is not a coincidence.
I would really appreciate you giving credit where credit is due for this name. Your story is very enjoyable and would have been made even more so had you not borrowed my idea. Since I stopped reading your fanfic at this point, I have no idea how many other fanfic writers you have borrowed from, but they all deserve credit otherwise your flattery is just plain flat out plagiarism!
Brette O'Connell
First let me say, I never said Jim Brass's middle name was Elliot and the baby was not a junior. I wanted to use the acronym JEB. As I was writing, I was watching DVDs of The West Wing. If anything, the character Jeb Bartlett inspired the acronym. So I had to figure out what the "E" would stand for. I debated between Evan, Edward, and Elliot. Edward sounded a little stuffy and Victorian, James Evan Brass just didn't "ring" for me, and so I went with Elliot. Besides, it is the name of a very dear friend. The reviewer says the idea was no coincidence but it was. As I stated earlier, Idon't recall ever reading the other story.
The writer of the review asks for credit where it is due. Okay, that person had the same good idea I had. I don't 'borrow' ideas from other writers. I put a great deal of thought into the stories and this one was especially dear to me. This forum as a way to hone some very rusty writing skills and I enjoy the exercise. I have no reason to plagiarize since the whole point of this is for fun and to stretch the imagination a bit.
I wish the writer of the review had contacted me through e-mail to ask for an explanation instead of publically accusing me through a review. Integrity is very important to me; to intentionally steal from another goes against everything I am about. Realistically, none of us can be expected to have read every story ever posted here and avoid coincidences such as this one. I admit that, if Brette O'Connell did write the story and the names were the same, it is quite a coincidence, but that is all it is. I have gone to O'Connell's homepage and cannot find any stories listed by this author. If it exists, it must be in another venue that I am not aware of.
Please accept my apologies for any discomfort any of you feel over this issue. All I can say is, I am innocent. Any similarities between my story and the other one is most assuredly coincidental. Thank you for your understanding.