Anxious new person.

Hi and welcome. This is a safe space and we're all different - both in our autism and personalities.

I love sci-fi and fantasy, too. I prefer to watch or write now, rather than read; although I read a shedload a few decades ago.

Hi, thank you for the welcome. I love to watch films and tv shows too, I wish I was able to write too as I enjoy it when I can manage it. What made you stop reading?

FriendlyNPC said:

What made you stop reading?

Writing. I didn't want to plagiarise anyone's ideas. If I read their books, either it would limit my own imagination because I'd avoid anything related to their, or I might unconsciously copy them. Thje simplest way to avoid it was to deprive myself of the enjoyment of reading their works. I really missed giving up Charles de Lint.

FriendlyNPC said:

What made you stop reading?

Writing. I didn't want to plagiarise anyone's ideas. If I read their books, either it would limit my own imagination because I'd avoid anything related to their, or I might unconsciously copy them. Thje simplest way to avoid it was to deprive myself of the enjoyment of reading their works. I really missed giving up Charles de Lint.

Thank you. I'll have a look.

No problem, though it may not be your thing. This is the first in the series.

That sounds like a really good process and proves you're doing something you love. Special interests and research abilities can be a real strength.

No problem at all.
Wow, that's really cool. I envy you. I don't know if it's the kind of thing you're comfortable sharing on here, but if it is, let me know a title and I'll have a look.

FriendlyNPC said:

Do you write for pleasure and/or have you got any published work?

sorry, missed this. I've self-published an urban fantasy magical-crime thriller series. I'm currently working on a different style of fantasy, using a different vision of modern society.

FriendlyNPC said:

Many stories use references from mythology and legends to make them stronger too. It's a bit of a grey area in some cases I suppose.

That's what I did. I consumed so much of that in childhood that it was an easy reference point to weave into my stories, combined with real history. When I'd more-or-less worked through major themes from Western Europe, I researched Egyptian, Sami/Finnish, Russian etc, before working back to Western European. It was fun thinking about how today's world might look if it were all real, and how that would affect society.

Ahhh Charles De Lint, Moonheart was one of my early favourites when I was younger.

It's a shame that you gave up for fear of plagiarism, though I understand your logic. I find that I get a lot of inspiration from reading other peoples stories and expanding, or re imagining their work can lead to interesting new ideas. 
I think that a lot of really successful books are based on old ideas and even the heroes journey is still a well used story mechanism even though it originated centuries ago. Many stories use references from mythology and legends to make them stronger too. It's a bit of a grey area in some cases I suppose.
I'm similar in some ways though, if I'm making art I don't like using reference materials, I have a need to create it all from scratch even if it derails the project. Sorry I've rambled on a bit there. Whatever your method, if it works for you then it is a good one. 
Do you write for pleasure and/or have you got any published work?