June 5, 2007
You Can’t Say That
So this past weekend, I spent an evening with some girlfriends and we ripped up just about every subject you can imagine–and then some. Nearly peeing-in-the-pants-funny things were said, and it made me wonder, what is off limits to steal. By steal, I mean put in a book.
I am not worried about copyright stuff as much as when your friend screams out, “apparently I have a problem with swollen @#$% (insert a particular body part here that I cannot bring myself to put in at this early hour of the morn).” I do believe at least two of the gals at the gathering spewed liquor at this very loud, very random statement. hehe
And I SO want to use it, or some semblance of it, in a book. But is that wrong to do? Should that little admittance be left solely to the utterer to use?
More over, are things from non-writer friends, or family off limits for books or is life fair game for verbiage fodder? Personally, if I hear it, inevitably it will end up in written form somewhere–but maybe just something I have written for myself.



Ask her. I use things from real life and if I know the person I ask if they would mind. If I don’t know them, if it’s something I’ve heard in passing, I use it anyway.
Well, if she didn’t say that it was copyrighted GO FOR IT!
Besides, she didn’t ask for it NOT to be repeated did she???
If it’s a fellow writer, I’ll ask if I can use it, just in case they might have plans for it themselves.
If it’s something by/about someone close to me, I may change it a bit or dress it up, but yes, I will use it—UNLESS it’s something that would hurt someone.
Otherwise, everything is fair game.
OH I could say SO MANY things right now and all of them are BAD BAD BAD!
Go for it. Just because I want to see you use that word in a manuscript
OMG! I so have used that word–it’s totally in The Inn Crowd my new book (once) though I did have to do the “find” feature to make sure
Personally, I use everything… sometimes I ask… sometimes I don’t. Depends on who/what was said/done. AND if the person I stole from will read it. And come back & hurt me later.
Face it.
Some lines NEED to be immortalized.