Please Don’t Feed the Writer

*The writer walks to the center of the stage carrying a rather silly looking soapbox covered in drawings of magic bubbles and bearing the word “soap” in large stenciled letters, which he places on the floor at his feet.*

A while back I wrote a short piece here about Ursula K. LeGuin’s open letter on copyright infringement with regards to a story reprinted on boingboing.net by Cory Doctorow. Cory has since removed the document and posted a public apology, which is a mater of good manners, and I applaud him for doing so.

In my original entry, I expressed my admiration of Miss LeGuin for going after someone she felt had copied her work illegally. I stand behind that statement. I am in the unfortunate position of having to do the same thing at the moment, and it’s a fairly daunting task. (but I’ll cover that in the next entry.) Miss LeGuin fought for her right to choose where her material could and could not be published, and that is her prerogative. I’m glad that in the end everything worked out,though I understand there are still some ill feelings involved. To paraphrase Cory Doctorow:

… Since then, I’ve worked through mutual friends to convey this to Ms Le Guin. My understanding is that she is unsatisfied and remains upset with me.

The fact is, mistakes happen. Misunderstanding happen. It’s human nature. As long as people show enough respect to the original authors in these cases, the issues can and usually are, resolved amicably. My issue on copyright goes far beyond this type of incident.

But there are people on the other side of this issue as well. Initially I had posted on this subject simply to alert the writing community, or at least the part of it that sails into this little port on the Internet Sea, of what was happening. Following that, I promptly moved on to other matters. (The ones involved in putting food on my table.)

I was a bit surprised to receive a comment on the original article some 36 days later that stated the following:

UrsulaKLeguin is worng. Copyright excess are too bad. Free culture.
Fortunately I Haven’t read any of her books, never will.
I’ll use my time on more clever authors.

The only thing UKL has spread is: copyright is bad for culture, her letter, and this case is a perfect lesson on this.

*The writer steps up onto the soapbox before him.*

Copyright is bad for culture… It’s an interesting theory in an idealogical and rather Utopian liberal kind of way. Unfortunately this comment simply proves that most of the voices in the chant against copyright have no real idea of what they are talking about. If you think I’m being heavy handed or unfair, I’m not.

Let’s break down the information we get from this one comment.

This person first states that Miss LeGuin is wrong. I might even be willing to listen to the reason they felt that this was so. Unfortunately, they didn’t give one. They have given an opinion, not an argument.

The next two “sentences” aren’t even coherent English, but let’s see if I can get something out of them.

“Copyright excess are too bad.”

Apparently this person thinks that Miss LeGuin is enforcing her rights to excess. Either that or that copyright infringement is “just too bad”.

If the former is the case, it works like this. She wrote it. By the laws of the U.S. She has the right to say who may and who may not publish the piece so long as she has not signed publication rights away. Period.

If the latter is the case, then I wonder what this person will be reading if he or she gets their way? You’re not exactly going to have a lot of bookstores if everyone is busy republishing the same piece of work in their own name. Nor are there going to be many professional writers if they can’t get paid for their work. It’s simple economics.

The idea that people would continue to publish works with no way to be compensated for it is at best, Utopian, at worst socialistic, no matter what, it’s idyllic. Are we supposed to pay writers a subsidy? Just place “writer” in your employment form, go home and collect the money…” No thanks. I prefer talented authors on my shelves. Those come about because they were good enough to make money at what they were doing. Take away copyright, you’ve taken away the incentive. Do you have a new one to offer?

Next they move on to say:

Fortunately I Haven’t read any of her books, never will.
I’ll use my time on more clever authors.

This is the same argument I get out of my six year old son when I try to feed him something new. every parent in the world has heard it. It is a juvenile response to change. So I’ll give you the same answer that I give my son.

“How do you know you don’t like it if you’ve never tried it?”

As for the second part of this statement, you may feel free to spend your time on “more clever authors”. May I suggest Dr. Seuss and perhaps the works of Stan Lee? both have nice large pictures that will help you to visualize the story.

Personally, I’ll go back and read “The Lathe of Heaven” at least once more, the tale disturbs me on many levels,but in the end miss LeGuin leaves me feeling hopeful. And, dear commenter, if you were not aware, that particular book has been turned into a motion picture. Then of course there are the EarthSea books. Gripping from end to end. Also a motion picture. Translated into 16 languages and still flying off the shelves today, more than 20 years after they were originally written.

The final assertion of the comment:

The only thing UKL has spread is: copyright is bad for culture, her letter, and this case is a perfect lesson on this.

Miss LeGuin’s letter is a very unfortunate and necessary airing of dirty laundry. The matter could have been handled quietly and resolved without issue, but as was discussed by Mr. Doctorow, there were many failures of communication. At no point does Miss LeGuin’s letter prove that copyright is bad for culture. In fact, much of culture is built on the knowledge that “what’s mine is mine”. Civil liberties are drawn from this premise, as are individual property rights. Copyright is simply an extension of these things.

Mr. Doctorow apologized for infringing on Miss LeGuin’s rights. I can pretty much guarantee that he would fight for the reprint rights of his own works. (of which I’ve only read a bit, but what I’ve read, I like.) The fact that Mr. Doctorow was willing to apologize, even with caveats, is proof that culture is alive and well. It’s still fueling the inter workings of the people who do culturally important things.

Just like manners lubricate the gears of society.

So please, if you choose to disagree, do so with a bit of thought. You might just catch me in a better mood.

And just in case anyone is wondering. the right to use the comments left on this site is granted under “my” copyright. The fact that I did not publish a name or any other information is simply that I wanted to make a point, not necessarily a personal attack. It’s not this one person I’m irritated with in this case, it’s a much larger group that share the same mindset. If you’re going to have a battle cry, know why you’re yelling it!

*The writer steps solemnly from the soapbox, retrieves it from the stage floor and exits, stage right.*

Staying positive can be a challenge for anyone, and for a writer it can mean a make or break day for your career. For an author in the middle of a plot emergency, or staring at a tight deadline it can mean the difference between finishing a project or going over, neither of which is a good thing.

There are many ways to keep your attitude from dipping into the negative arena. For me the answer is usually some upbeat music, a good cup of coffee and a 10 minute diversion. If you’re not the musical type, perhaps it’s some really good chocolate or a crisp chardonnay. Whatever the method, if it works for you, work it!

I just read a post by “The Optimist” over at http://ProBlogs.com that covers a different approach to keeping a positive attitude. The writer here is a fan of motivational reading to keep upbeat, specifically works by Napoleon Hill, author of “the Law of Success” and “Think and Grow Rich”. I’ve heard of the second book, but haven’t gone through the first. If it sounds like it could work for you, I recommend giving it a read, or stopping by and checking out all the posts by the Optomist at problogs.com.

The venerable Sci-Fi author Ursula K. LeGuin has posted an Open Letter against piracy and copyright infringement. The original letter can be viewed here, but as Miss le Guin has kindly specified that her text may be reprinted, I’ll post it here, then comment on it.

SFWA, Piracy, and Serious Literature — An Open Letter

I’d like to correct some misapprehensions about Cory Doctorow’s unauthorized posting of my short comic piece “On Serious Literature” on his boingboing.net site.

I originally sent the piece to David Langford for Ansible, because that’s where I first saw the quote from Ruth Franklin that the piece riffs on. I also put it on my web site. (It’s still there.) Jon Carroll of the San Francisco Chronicle then reprinted it entire in the Chronicle, without asking permission. My agent Vaughne Hansen and I immediately demanded an apology from Carroll, and immediately got one. Harper’s asked to publish it, offering me $200.00, which I accepted (I love gravy.)

I then discovered that Doctorow had put it on his web site, without asking permission and without observing copyright, misrepresenting its purpose, and falsely claiming that it was under license by “Creative Commons” so that anyone could copy it.

My agent and I had just decided to ask the e-piracy committe of SFWA, which I had come to count on in similar situations, to intervene on my behalf — when we found that the committee had suddenly been dissolved, following complaints about unauthorized interference, issuing from Cory Doctorow.

The irony of this situation is fairly visible. While Doctorow was making a huge fuss over an honest mistake, which when discovered was immediately redressed, he was publishing another writer’s work without asking permission and in clear violation of copyright.

With my consent, Andrew Burt exposed Doctorow’s piracy in a letter printed on Jerry Pournelle’s web site. Doctorow scoffed, blustered, made no apology to me for misidentifying my work and using it without permission, and behaved as if his action was legitimate, although the Fair Use exception explicitly does not cover reprinting an entire article or poem no matter how short. But he took part of the piece off his site.

At the request of Michael Capobianco, President of SFWA, acting on my behalf, Doctorow has now finally removed the entire piece.

He has not apologised either to me for using my piece without permission, or to the people he misled with his pretense of a “Creative Commons License” into thinking they could reprint a copyrighted piece without violating the law. Nor has he offered to help them remove these many additional copies.

But, thanks to SFWA, he has taken the piece down. My agent is writing to request him to redress some of the other matters. I hope then to be done for good with Mr Doctorow. What I remain upset about is the confusion and destruction he seems to have effected within SFWA.

An overworked committee mistakenly identified a few works, among many, as infringing copyright; the mistakes were promptly admitted and redressed, with apologies; and President Capobianco invited any other parties who thought themselves wronged to contact him. Where is the cause in all this for dissolving a committee which has worked with extraordinary effectiveness to redress real wrongs?

In my view, the best thing that could come out of my brush with the Doctorow Doctrine would be this: the honorable reinstatement of the SFWA e-piracy committee, with an expression of appreciation from SFWA officers and members of the honest and effective work they have done for us for so long.

This letter is not copyrighted and may be excerpted or copied entire.

— Ursula K. Le Guin

October 12 2007

First, let me say I would like to applaud Ursula for her response and for her actions. I would also like to thank her for making this piece a publicly available work, so that all writers can have access to it, and so that bloggers like myself can help spread the word about copyright infringement.

It is not ever a good idea to reprint someone else’s work without permission! At worst, it’s a violation of copyright. No matter what the result, it’s just plain rude.

If you visit Ursula’s site, you will see the posted update. Apparently Mr. Doctorow did finally apologize publicly to Miss Le Guin. All I have to say is…

What took you so long?

Comp cards are usually used by models and performers to highlight their “look” and leave a visual reminder with agents, producers and directors, but why shouldn’t authors get in on this trend? Perhaps having a comp card printing with your photo on it isn’t what you’re after, but imagine the impact of a comp card featuring your latest book cover. No matter where the card is left lying, it’s going to draw attention. At a trade show such as Romantic times, it could mean the difference between a new deal and no-deal.

If comp cards aren’t what you’re after in promotion, try using a postcard instead. All the same advantages apply, and as an added bonus, you can send them easily in the mail to raise awareness of your latest releases!

I’m going to let you guys in on a little secret. The teeth I run around with today aren’t original equipment. they were manufactured in a laboratory, and are actually the first type of prosthetics developed by humans for humans. Yup, you got it, they’re dentures, and I have a full set.

In the years before I got these replacements, I suffered almost daily. My teeth have been a problem for me since I was about 13years old, and age didn’t help things along. By 20, I was dealing with daily pain, and at the age of 27, I finally had everything replaced with a new, custom addition. I really can’t complain. I’ve never looked back, and I’m happy with the choice.

My choice would not have been any different regardless of available technology, but I really wish something like Dentemp OS had been around while I was in the middle of suffering through all of the pain that bad teeth can cause. If I’d had this around, I could have patched my lost fillings. cemented loose crowns, and generally avoided being in extreme pain between dental visits.

In all honesty, I’d recommend everyone with a filling or crown carry around a tube of temporary dental repair cement, just in case the worst happens. Take it from someone who knows, you’ll be happy you did…

20 Master Plots and how to build them is a wonderful resource, especially for NaNoWriMo entrants. Ronald B. Tobias goes to great lengths to detail the 20 different “Master Plots”, or the 20 plots from which all stories are derived. Armed with this kowledge you’ll be able to outline with greater ease, especially since you have the arc of your chosen genre at your fingertips.

Mr. tobias covers the following topics and more:

• Invisible fiction
• The lowest common plot den ominators
• The strong force
• Deep structure
• Triangles

I found the book insightful, interesting and thought provoking. For instance, i didn’t know that the original “riddle” plot line was “The lady and the Tiger”, though I remember the story well and remember that it hung with me for weeks after reading it originally. (I think the poor fool died at the end, but I’ve been jilted a few times.)

Take chance on 20 Master Plots and how to build them. If nothing else it will give you a better understanding of how some of your favorite works are put together. For me it helps greatly to fit my latest idea into a category, if not necessarily a mold. Is the tale a Quest or is it an Adventure? What defines the two and why are they different? This book will tell you

I own it, I use it regularly and I recommend it.

Copywriting is a good way to gain income, and offers a steady source for those who are good at it, but finding an “in” to the copywriting market can be difficult.

I recently came across an article titled “How to find Copywriting Assignments” at Copywriting Basics 101, that givs a few good insights into the process. Definitely worth a read if you’re interested. I know I’ll be looking into a few of the options mentioned.

My goal in this installment is to show how you can use the World Wide Web as an idea tool for your stories, blog entries or whatever else you happen to be writing.  Everyone knows that you can use the Internet to play games, view pictures, chat or check the weather.  Most writers know how powerful it can be as a research tool as well.  There are a myriad of helpful web sites available, regardless of the genre you write in, or your topic of the moment.

Can you use the web as a brainstorming catalyst?  Yes, if you use the right tools.

The tool I use as a brainstorming inspirational medium is StumbleUpon.  StumbleUpon is a social bookmarking service, much like digg or Technorati.  All of these tools allow you to add sites that you like to a list of favorites, keep track of the sites that are most popular with their subscribers and browse through the hot topics of the day, but StumbleUpon has a distinct advantage in the realm of brainstorming, they call it Stumbling.

Once you’ve signed up for a free StumbleUpon account, then fill in your interests in your profile.  Then you’ve got the option to install their toolbar in either IE or Firefox.  Install it, then click on the “Stumble!” button.   This will take you to a website that your preferences suggest you’ll be interested in.  If so, click the “thubms up” button to save it to your StumbleUpon favorites and click “Stumble” again.

Each time you give a site a Thumbs up or thumbs down, StumbleUpon refines the sites that it guides you to, which gives you the opportunity to view places and gather new ideas and inspiration.  As a plus, if you give a site a “thumbs Up”, you’re letting other people know that you liked the site and giving them the opportunity to visit it as well.

As an example, My interests are writing, recipes, cooking, guitars and humor. I click the “Stumble” button in my toolbar and:

• The first site is of no interest to me whatsoever, Thumbs Down
• The next is a blog entry titled “I’m too poor for Bisquick Biscuits“  that I think isinteresting and a bit funny, thumbs Up!
• The next site is called “Writer’s Resources and Links For Writers” Thumbs up, they’ve got some good information here, and I’ll probably be blogging about it soon, so it’s good to have it in my favorites.

My interests are pretty varied, so I end up with quite a variety, but I think you’ll see the value here.  If you focus your interests on just those topics that really inspire you, StumbleUpon can be incredibly useful in generating ideas, inspiration, adn occasionlly just a good laugh.  Give it a shot, I think you’ll be surprised.

Can magazine writing help you as a writer? I’ve always thought so, especially if you write nonfiction. Apparently W. Terry Whalin thinks so too. His article on right-writing.com titled Magazine Writing Leads to Book Publishing covers the topic in an informative and no-nonsense way that I’m sure will benefit a lot of writers out there.

While you’re there, be sure to look over some of Mr. Whalin’s other articles, and take the time to check his research materials.  Everything is incredibly well thought out and definitely worth the read.

Amazingly enough, spam seems to be good for something. I was double-checking my junk mail folder and came across this line in the body of an email. (for those that don’t know, this text is usually hidden in spam, and is only there to fool your spam filter, but I digress.)

The thought:

“Rock journalism is people who can’t write, interviewing people who can’t talk, for people who can’t read.” - Frank Zappa

How true is this!