I kinda have to vent, so if you can't be bothered reading it then I don't care, I just need to get the message across.

I have one word for an introduction.

Plagarism.

Need I say more?

Actually who cares what your answer is, I'm saying more.

I'm actually having serious second thoughts about writing my new book on WattPad.
Or anywhere, for that matter.

Because of one thing; plagarism.

Countless times I've realised that anyone, I repeat, anyone, can copy and paste your hard work, maybe change a couple of details, (or not) and boom, they've stolen your writing and passed it off as their own. Can we stop it?

Probably not.

A lot of people say, "ooh, just put on the copyright settings."

But seriously, what is that going to achieve? A single word never stopped people from robbing banks, so how is this any different?

Just because there's some sort of magical word partnered with this © symbol, doesn't do anything to stop people. They're not going to care that you say you put copyright on it. They'll take it anyway.

And once they publish it, how are you to prove that you didn't steal it from them?

If they want it that bad, they'll lie and say you stole it. Simple.

Same with art, for all you artists. If you don't watermark it, it's easy as to steal art, but even then, people can Photoshop out watermarks and insert their own.

Now for that personal factor I was foreshadowing up there before.

I'm really proud and excited to write this new book that I have planned, but I don't want to pour my heart and soul in it to just be stolen. Why would anyone want that?

If you don't care, that's fine, you do you, but I'm concerned that hours of my life could be wasted if I publish it here only for someone to decide they want it to be theirs.

The issue and mental conflict for me, though, is that I really want to share my work with all you readers, without being plagarised.

Don't get me wrong, fanfiction is fine. You for some reason want to write a fanfiction for one of my works? Cool, go ahead, just don't take over the story and/or just use the entire plot sequence. (oh, and be sure to share it with me, I've never had anyone write a fanfic for my works before)

Anyway, please share your thoughts on this, maybe some help on what to do in my situation.

Xx