If you have a story in which you are making it into a book, how do you protect your idea until you make the ..

Question

If you have a story in which you are making it into a book, how do you protect your idea until you make the book.

Answer 1

Holly Lisle - a career novelist - in her book "Mugging the Muse: How to write fiction for love and money" writes:

"I can come up with a hundred usable ideas for novels without breaking a sweat. So can you. So can anyone. Novel ideas aren't unique, they aren't rare, they aren't breathtaking. They are the nitrogen of the idea world – plentiful, everywhere, and only useful if you know what to do with them.

Why do I mention this? Because it will be a rare conversation I have with a beginning writer that doesn't include within it the question, “How do I keep other people from stealing my ideas?” or “How do I copyright my ideas?”

If you aspire to write novels and you're worried about protecting your ideas, breathe a deep sigh of relief now. You don't have to worry anymore. Every idea you're ever going to have for the writing of your novels has already been written more times than you can count. And will continue to be written long after you and I are dust (if civilization doesn't blow the planet into oblivion.) And that is fine.

Ideas aren't the engines that make novels run."

Answer 2

I'm in the same predicament, to be honest.
I find that having at least one person to share it with is helpful. A trustworthy friend, probably. Siblings and parents just aren't trustworthy...parents like to tell everyone everything that's going on in your life...
Anyway, just make sure that person's trustworthy, and maybe they'll entrust you with something, and the scales will be even. Maybe.

And, if you're not okay with telling someone, I'd suggest just cutting yourself off with civilization until you finish the book. Or you can just be really careful and not mention it at all.