When I Became A Victim Of Plagiarism, My Reaction Really Surprised Me
When my work was stolen a piece of me went with it.
Nektarstock | Canva I was enjoying my morning coffee, sunlight streaming through our picture window while trees danced in the breeze. “It’s going to be a good day,” I thought to myself. Picking up my phone, I scrolled through my notifications and saw that one of my followers left me a private note.
When I opened her message, I was blissfully unaware that reading it would set off a chain of events and emotions that would hijack my day.
For the entirety of my adult life, I’ve wanted to write. It wasn’t until I retired in June 2021 that I had the time and creative brain space to dive in. I started slowly, never anticipating that I was about to open a door into a whole new world, let alone launch a new career.
It took me about six or seven months to find my groove and another six before I got serious about writing. During that time, I was intent on honing my craft and improving my storytelling skills.
I took an online essay writing class and then, in the fall of 2022, registered for a five-week class designed to help essay writers get published. That seminar propelled me forward and launched what became my new career.
Who knew my retirement would be spent writing and editing every day? I sure didn’t, but I love it. Now, I can’t imagine what I would do all day if I wasn’t diligently creating at my laptop.
Besides finding success in publishing my essays in digital publications like HuffPost, NBC, and The New York Times, I also started writing regularly on a writing platform, which has been a wonderful experience.
Writing, especially writing personal essays or memoir pieces, is taxing. The very nature of this type of writing is based on being vulnerable and engaging. It is not the type of work you do in a detached way.
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There’s a trick to this type of writing. Each of our stories and life experiences is valid and valuable. However, as writers, we must learn how to write about those experiences in a way that is meaningful to readers.
Our experiences, trauma, and triumphs are just that — ours. Until we can connect the dots to someone else’s life and present a door they want to open, we will likely never experience success.
I am fully present and connected when writing a personal essay or memoir. This type of creating involves reaching back into my past without regard to how positive or painful those experiences may be.
A good writer knows how to tell a story in a way that sinks into the reader’s emotions and comes alive in their imagination. Magic happens when readers feel our pain or our joy.
The more I’ve honed my craft, the more focused I’ve become, and in the process, I’ve been able to find and develop my unique writing voice. This process is the result of thousands of hours of writing, revising, and editing. It’s time well spent, as far as I’m concerned.
Because of this process and all the hours invested, my work feels like an extension of me. There is a very fine line between my writing and me as a person because I’m sharing myself with every sentence.
Given this, I shouldn’t have been surprised by my emotional reaction when a follower of mine reached out to say she saw my story posted on someone else’s profile as though it was theirs.
My first step after reading her message was to find the person’s profile and search for my story. When I saw it, all war broke loose emotionally. The person who plagiarized my work did so in full. He literally copied and pasted my words and submitted them to a publication as though he created them.
The story — my story, had received a fair amount of attention, and the offender was making money off that engagement.
My heart beat dramatically as I viscerally reacted to seeing my hard work attributed to someone else. Interestingly, the article was my most successful story, and readers widely appreciated the personal experiences I shared.
I guess if you’re going to steal someone’s work, you might as well pick their best. Go big or go home.
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If I had to describe what I felt as this unfolded, it would be that part of me was stolen along with my story.
My nervous system reacted to the situation in the same way it reacted to trauma. I was nauseous and sweaty, and my hands were shaking. The response I experienced was counterproductive because there were several steps I needed to take to resolve things. Let me tell you, it’s very difficult to think linearly when your nervous system is jacked up.
My first action was to message an editorial team I’m a part of. I needed some support, and the team gave it to me generously. Next, I filled out and submitted a form to report the plagiarism.
I struggled to complete the required steps, which included providing links to my story and the story stolen from me. My stress response caused my brain to slow down, and I had trouble focusing, but once I was done, all I could do was wait.
Most of my day was spent refreshing both my email and the profile of the dude who stole my story. I was too emotionally overloaded and preoccupied to do any meaningful writing.
Relief flooded me when I received confirmation that the plagiarist had been removed from the platform. I was also happy to hear that internet search engines would scrub the evidence of plagiarism within a few days.
I’m so grateful to the site’s management team for taking care of this. Those guys are like an elite technological Seal Team working out of sight to keep us safe.
A few days have passed since this happened, and I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on the experience and my reaction. I still see the lingering effects of the stress, and it feels like my brain is not yet firing on all cylinders. Cortisol spikes are detrimental to brain function.
Contemplating why I reacted so emotionally, I’ve concluded that because I transparently pour myself into my stories, it felt like a piece of me was stolen with my work.
It’s hard to distinguish between my writing as something I do rather than who I am. At the end of the day, in many ways, it’s both.
I’m doing my best to remain grateful above all else. I’m thankful for the opportunity to tell stories that resonate with others and for the loyal reader who spotted my story, knowing it had been written by me and not the dude pretending to have written it.
It was excruciating to become a victim of plagiarism, and I hope I don’t have to walk down that road again anytime soon. Writing essays that others take the time to read is a privilege and an honor that I will never take lightly.
Kim Kelly (she/her) is a writer and speaker who writes about authenticity, retirement, relationships, and life on the road.