Getting back to the copycat part of the discussion.
Other writers do it but along those lines I wonder if pro writers have some type of club they belong to, read the same books--on writing--or get some type of Newsletter the rest of us can't get. Because sometimes they copy each other at the same time. Or very close to the same time.
A while back John Levit put in a type of creature in one of his books. One I don't think I've heard of. Not long after Murphy comes out with a book with the same creature, hers is different and has a different role to play but still the same basic idea. The way it works with publishers she probably had the book all the written before or about the same time Levit's came out. So did she get a sneak peek at Levit's, was it a coincident, or did they read the same book or newsletter?
In another two series--won't say which ones because they are on my list of books you should read and I don't want to post a heavy duty spoiler. Only a light one
Anyway in bother series written by two different writers something happened to the MC way back in childhood that restricted them. Same type of event. So they grew up and became heroes without knowing something. Then later in a life and death situation it is undone and they became how they would have been if that restriction had never happened. By later I mean not in the first few books. Again both books came out at about the same time so unless Writer B got a sneak peak at the Writer A's book Writer B would not have been able to copy what Writer A did.
I find it intriguing. So coincidence, do they have the same writing book, or?
Okay, I probably made a complete mess of that explanation--try reading it again slowly, if it still makes no sense I can try it again
