Hey, I know no one on here would do this, but what if somebody steals my work and I can't prove it? I just don't want my writing to be stolen. It would really suck! And I'd be really depressed.
That's the fun part of developing your own style- you can totally tell it's yours, as compared to someone elses'. So, yeah. Practice at your craft, and it shouldn't be a problem. ^_~
Graffiti is the most passionate form of literature there is.
First, here's the thing: Your work is not going to be copied. Why? Because people only tend to copy work that is superb. They copy Emily Dickinson; not crewgurl93 (or Claudette, or Snoink, or Incandescence, or any of the other countless great authors on this site). Worrying about your work being stolen is merely self-indulgence.
Secondly, if you can't prove that something you wrote was copied by someone else, then your accusation is probably not true. When you post something online, a date is posted along with it. If they copy it word for word at a later date, I really have no idea why you would not be able to prove it.
I wondered this now that I'm actually going to be published. But I think we're al pretty safe here. The thing is, it's so easy to take something off a site, stamp it as your own, and email it off the an agent.
The downside? Once you get their initial inquiry, if they want it, they ask for the rest of the piece.
Which you'd then have to write.
That being said, no one is going to steal your work, love.
