The Winners of Writing North Idaho's Short Story Contest Are......

Writing North Idaho wishes to thank all of you who entered our short story contest using as a first line, the winning entry of our "First Line of Short Story" contest..."Her long journey through pain was almost over." We enjoyed your efforts in creative writing and appreciate your interest in our blog. Congratulations to our winners!

FIRST PLACE ($30): The Golden Veil, Lila Bolme

SECOND PLACE (Starbucks gift card): The Marriage Price, Laura Johnson

THIRD PLACE (Starbucks gift card): Without Thinking of Tomorrow,

Jack Robert Staff

Slang Terms for Law Enforcement

I was recently reading an English mystery and the author talked about "panda cars." It took me a minute and absorbing the story content to realize he was talking about police cars. I did research on the term “panda cars.” This opened up a plethora of terms about law enforcement terms. While looking up panda car, I came across several sources that listed dialectic and slang terms for police cars and police officers used in the United States. You might choose to use one of the following terms to make your story or novel more believable or fun.

Alternate names for police cars:

---in England the slang term is “jam sandwiches” because their cars are white with an orange strip running through the middle, i.e., orange jam between two pieces of white bread

---cherry tops, bubble tops (red light atop police cars)

---spooks, bares (aka bears), no see ‘ums (unmarked cars)

---cruiser cars, squad cars, area cars, marked unit, chase cars, Tijuana taxi

---Black Maria (Mariah), Black Mary for police vans; origin unknown but it is thought it started in Great Britain where police carriages painted black and drawn by horses were used for transporting large numbers of prisoners or police officers. Often called Mother’s Heart as there is always “room for one more”

---paddy wagon; origin possibly from US immigrants where people of Irish descent were often policemen or the beds of horse drawn wagons were padded; pound wagon

---bear in the sky, bear in the air, spy in the sky, fly in the sky (police officers in helicopters)

Alternate names for lights on police cars:

---blue light specials, bubble gum lights, rotary lights, bar lights (most commonly used now), roof lights, flashers, turret lights, rotating lights

Alternate sounds for sirens:

---hi-lo (sound can be regulated to high or low), continuous, wails or yelps

Alternate names for police officers; (remember some of these are used by gang members, criminals, movie characters and are not to be perceived as racial slurs by the author)

---5-0 (from TV series (Hawaii 5-0 which got its name from Hawaii being the 50^th state admitted to the union)

--pig, bacon, swine derived from the 1960’s and now popular again

---Barney (for Barney Fife in the Andy Griffith TV show); Bronze (from Mel Gibson movie “Mad Max”)

---bear (Smoky The Bear because of the uniform hats many police departments issue)

---berry, blueboy, boys in blue (because of the color of the uniforms)

---bulls (usually from police for railroad cars but often for regular police)

---city kitty, cherry toppers, copper

---do-do nutters, the do-dos (stereotype of policemen always stopping to buy doughnuts

---DRCs ( dirty rotten coppers)

---Evil Knieval or county mountie (motorcycle police personnel)

---New York’s (or other city) finest; flatfoot, the fuzz

---FBI (fibbies, first bunch of idiots)

---urban cowboys, or urban posses; mounties (police on horseback)

---LEO (law enforcement officer), local yokel

---mama bear, and derogatorily Miss Piggy, honey bear (female officer )

---Po-po or Po slang used by youth and gang artists

---rollers, snippers (usually used by blacks in North America)

---The Thin Blue Line

---disco pig (policeman driving in a police vehicle with lights flashing)

---furry torpedo (police dog)

---shoofly (undercover police investigating other police officers)

Of other interest to writers of crime are the codes used by police personnel to communicate via their radios. Research showed me that there are no standardized codes used across the United States. The meaning of a number such as 10-40 or 10-67 can vary from state to state. Check with the law enforcement department in the state in which your scene takes place.

www.urbandictionary.com; www.thefeedictionary.com; www.wikipedia.com

Incorporating The Five Senses into Our Writing

In order to sell our writing in this competitive market, we need to develop our work as fully as possible. Characters and settings take up the bulk of the plot. The more real, believable or imaginable both are, the easier it is for our readers to engage and want to continue reading.

Writers can easily describe the physical looks of a character or setting . . .a cattle ranch with a slim, hardened, tanned, cowboy and a petite, pale blond widow next door. If you draw the reader even closer into the scene by using touch, smell and taste to sight and sound, he engages more quickly because he has more information to form a picture in his head. Instead of just writing it was “ a beautiful mountain stream,” you could add how it sounds and have your character take a drink. She notes that it tastes slightly of blood and is scared. As she quickens her pace through the crunchy leaves, she starts to smell the tang of iron and the fear increases. Where is Jeremy? She shouts his name more insistently and looks down at the reddening color of the water. Her stomach churns at the thought of that drink and bitter bile wells up into her throat. In another scenario, when the trail riders sit around the campfire, what did the grilled steaks and hot coffee taste like? Tangy, bitter, strong, tender, burnt? Your characters will be doing all these things. Why not give your characters more of the five senses rather than tell the reader?

Writing about smell, touch and taste is harder than writing about seeing and hearing. In order to sharpen our skills, we need to observe, record and practice. Try walking through the grocery store, take a hike in the woods, ride the bus, hold a newborn baby or puppy, bake cookies or plant flowers. Record what you see, feel, smell and what you touch and taste. Write down what color the soil was. Was it brown, black, cinnamon or tan? Did it feel dry, wet, sandy or rocky? Did the baby smell like powder, soap, sweet, milk? Was the bus dirty or clean, did it smell and if so of what, did the different riders on the bus smell, and how did they act and talk differently? Did you swipe your finger into the batter before you added the shaved chocolate? What did it taste like, how did it feel on your fingertips and tongue?

Another exercise to increase our senses is to have a friend assemble a bag of different objects. Blindfolded and using earplugs, take them out one at a time and orally dictate to your friend what they feel like, what they smell like and even taste like. Practicing will develop your senses. A third exercise is to describe different objects without using its color. How would you describe a banana without saying it was yellow? Write down the description of chocolate ice cream without saying it was brown. Learn to expand your descriptive vocabulary.

Many fund-raising events are titled “The Taste of Dallas,” “The Champagnes of Napa,” “The Italian Food Festival” or “Diamonds and Chocolate.” Organizers know these types of names evoke emotions that are pleasurable by associating taste with something good ergo people will want to come. Writers of fiction or nonfiction can do the same with our stories or poems. Bring in the five senses and you will elevate your writing.

Neologisms Specifically Retronyms and Portmanteau Words

A retronym is a new name, modifier or phrase for an object or event used to differentiate it from the original form or version. A change is necessary because the first word is ambiguous or technology has advanced so that a single word or phrase no longer adequately describes the word. One example is The Great War. The "war to end all wars" it was called until another world-wide set of hostilities erupted. Thus The Great War was retronymed World War I and the second global war World War II. "Please bring me a glass of milk and my book" no long gives enough information.

MILK: whole, 2%, 1%, fat free, soy, organic, calcium enriched, lactose free, chocolate, raw, acidophilus, condensed, evaporated, powered, buttermilk

BOOK: hard cover, soft cover, paperback, trade paperback, self-published, e-book, audio, phone book, address book

LAWN MOWER: push, electric or riding

MOVIES: silent, talkies, DVDs, in-theater, in-home, video cams

COFFEE : regular, decaf, flavored, instant, latte, espresso, iced, Irish, white, frappe, cappuccino, cafe au lait + 65 others

MOTHER: biological, adoptive, surrogate

OVEN: microwave, conventional, convection, gas, electric, toaster

COKE: regular, caffeine free, diet, Classic, diet caffeine free

SOAP: bar, gel, anti-bacterial, body wash, f0am, lotion, natural, African black, exfoliating, anti-aging, acne fighting

TELEPHONE: push button, rotary dial, land-line, mobile, cell, wireless, iChat, Skype

TELEVISION: analog, digital, plasma, high definition, LCD, wall-mount, stand alone

SUIT: men's suits, pants suit, skirt suit

FRESHMAN: first year student, red shirt, true freshman, walk-on

DIAPER: cloth, disposable

BICYCLE: two-wheeler, unicycle, electric, recumbent, retro, mountain, street, racing

WATER: tap, sparkling, designer brand, flavored, distilled, filtered, rain water, gray water, bottled

COPY: hard copy, carbon copy, electronic copy, paper copy, FAX

[New York Times, "Retronym", William Safire, 1/7/2007]

PORTMANTEAU WORDS are new words made from two existing words. (Lewis Carroll, 1871 in Alice Through The Looking Glass) Plural: portmanteaus or portmanteaux. In French, a portmanteau is a suitcase with two compartments.

BIONIC: biology+electronic

MOPED: motor+pedal

MOTEL: motor+hotel

REPUBLICRAT: middle of the road political believer

EZINE: electronic+magazine

BLOG: web+log

SNIRT: snow+dirt especially blowing in the air

GLOBISH: globe+English, an international business language of 1,500 English words and grammatical structure understood and used around the world

GLEETS: gloves+feet, shoes with individual spaces for toes

GEEP: hybrid animal mixing a goat+a sheep

CHUNNEL: English Channel+tunnel

INTERNET: international network

GOOD-BYE: God+be(with)+you

CROISSANDWICH: croissant+sandwich ingredients

GENOME: gene+chromosome

VOLUNTOLD: volunteer+told, being told you were "volunteered" for a task

DIABESITY: diabetes+obesity

PIXEL: picture+element

KARAOKE: two Japanese words meaning empty orchestra

PULSAR: pulsating+star

LIGER: lion+tiger

Look this week for another post on neologisms: backronyms.

Establishing Credibility with Readers and Editors

Do you know the address of the Eiffel Tower?

How does a writer establish credibility with a reader? How can you make your reader feel like he, too, is in Paris and can visualize exactly where the protagonist of your book is? Narrative descriptions are the reader’s entrée into your scenes. They are always important but especially for foreign locales or plots set in a different era. Dialog will also help make your story believable. Teens today say, “Like, no way!” but a teen in the 1920’s would say, “You’re all wet!” Attention to details is paramount. By depicting a location with verisimilitude, you can more easily set an accurate, believable scene and tweak your reader’s interest for reading further.

“I turned right on Rue de Palais. The black Volvo tailing me turned also. I parked haphazardly and ran into the courthouse. Seeing an exit, I slid to it and slipped through the door on to Rue Bourgeois and into the wooded park.” Sounds okay but if your editor is a traveler, has lived in Paris or likes to check maps and you are wrong, you will lose credibility as an author. If others can not trust you on this, what else are you writing that is false?

The obvious answer to writing credibly is to visit the site at the time of year to match your plot. “Oh, gee! I have to go to Paris for my book, honey.” Before you pack your bags and get a pat down at the airport, you will want to study many books about Paris. Read guidebooks and highlight places that may fit your plot. Buy current maps and take them with you; you can study them on the plane. Invest in or use a library’s books on the geography and topography of Paris. Write down what you think you will see based on these books. When on actual terra firma, check your notes and amend them for accuracy if necessary.

While in Paris, take extensive notes and pictures. Remember to write down smells and what colors and hues you see. Your reader should sense the stereotypical Frenchman with a mustache and beret and accordion music in the background. Use a small voice recorder to capture extra feelings or actual sounds to take home. A good way to learn about your chosen location is to ride public transportation. You can listen to conversations and take notes on people’s dress to write more authentically in your story. If you are up for it, you can interview people like doormen, wait people and museum guards to gain further perceptions.

Note the ethnic makeup of the area; learn about the economics, politics and climate of your location. I observed during a recent visit to Sydney, Australia that all young businessmen wear black business suits with peg leg trousers, white French-cuffed shirts and shined, pointed toe, black, dress shoes. If you set your plot in Sydney and described a street scene using what you thought you knew based on the men’s business dress in Spokane, you would be off the mark and “lose cred”.

Pretend you want to write a sequel to The Great Gatsby from Daisy Buchanan’s cousin’s viewpoint. Studying the social scenes, morals, slang and habits of Long Island in the 1920’s would be a necessity. You will need to do in-depth research via old pictures noting the architecture of building, and what cars and buses looked like then. Visiting museums that have clothes from that decade will enable you to describe Daisy’s new frock; it certainly will not be polyester and wrinkle free. Read other books written about that same era but do not rely on that author’s descriptions of things. He may not have done his research.

Conducting your inquiries, visiting sites if possible, studying maps, social mores, politics, economic situations, and looking at a plethora of pictures establishes credibility with your readers as well as your editors and publisher. As Daisy Buchanan would say, you will be hotsy totsy and just ducky.

Question: Have you ever traveled to a specific location to do research for a story or book? Has a trip to a different location inspired a story after visiting there?

Redundant phrases

Thomas Jefferson: "The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do."

A redundant expression (pleonasm) is a group of words, usually a pair, in which at least one word is superfluous. Some expressions are used colloquially while others are down right silly no matter where they are uttered.

Many have come into standard use through repetition or as part of a vocation. Null and void, terms and conditions, and sworn affidavit are pleonasms in the legal field. Commonly used to become “correct”: joined together (in holy matrimony), safe haven, PIN number (Personal Identification Number number), ATM machine (Automated Teller Machine machine), heat up and mental telepathy.

Some humorous expressions are: hot water heater (shouldn’t it heat up cold water?); bare naked (if you are naked, you are bare); armed gunman (versus a gunman without arms, how does he hold his gun then?); temporary loan (all loans are temporary otherwise is it not a gift?); true fact (are there false facts?); end result (is there a beginning result?); foreign imports (versus domestic imports?); tuna fish (are tuna anything but fish?); and my favorite, free gifts. Writing using redundant expressions is not better writing, only longer writing.

Here are some redundant expressions to be avoided.

starve to death, each and every, reason is because, final conclusion, still remains, best ever, clearly evident, fellow teammate, reflect back, tiny bit, advance warning, usual habit, sudden impulse, pick and choose, passing fad, added up, sand dune, cancel out, and also, skipped over, wept tears, thoughtful deliberations, utter annihilation, my personal opinion, exactly identical, could possibly, crisis situation, former graduate, empty out, cancel out, basic fundamentals, round in shape, spell out in detail, unexpected emergency, closed fist, illustrated drawings, complete monopoly, kneel down, stand up, depreciate in value, future plans, definitely decided, different varieties, sum total, made out of, reason why, first conceived, could possibly, proceed ahead, general public, preboard, usual habit, sharing the same, absolutely guaranteed, past experience, lag behind, completely opposite, but nevertheless; evolve over time; refer back to, over exaggerate, brief moment, excess verbiage, ask the question, already exists, and also, pouring down rain, over again, foot pedal, and personal friend.

Do you recognize your own speech habits in these phrases? Does “preboard” sound weird to you or normal? Can you think of any others not listed here?

These sites list many redundant phrases. http://grammar.about.com/od/words/a/redundancies_3.htm

http://home.comcast.net/~garbl/stylemanual/redundant.htm

Travel Writing

Are you interested in becoming a travel writer? Most writers say, “What is there not to like about travel writing?” Here are a few web sites to help you understand the trials, rewards and how-to’s of such a choice.

The first web site is by Laura Duniston who is in her words a perpetual globetrotter and travel writer. She has written for such exclusive travel magazines as “National Geographic Traveler,” “Get Lost,” “Hemisphere,” “Lonely Planet” and “Thomas Cook.” She tells us exactly what the life of a travel writer is like. Duniston says she travels anonymously with her travel photographer husband so as not to influence the treatment she receives in restaurants or hotels. She also says she spends many days in a drab hotel room in some city she does not like, glued to a chair facing her computer and on deadline.

http://cooltravelguide.blogspot.com

The second site gives an article by Phil Philcox on the specifics of writing travel articles. He takes a unique approach for finding buyers for his articles. His slant is to contact off-beat trade magazines like cattle ranching, dry cleaning or printing businesses telling the editors he is going to be visiting (country.) Would the editor be interested in an article about the costs, difficulties and successes of dry cleaning in New Zealand or buying dyes in India or whatever relates to that magazine’s business interest. You will not get rich this way but it would offset some of your travel expenses as long as you do not mind working part of your vacation.

http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/aug98/philcox.htm

The third site I previewed and liked is about how to get freelance jobs as a travel writer. It gives you the bones of the operation, how to get started, where to look for assignments but not much about the negatives of travel writing.

http://jobs.lovetoknow.com/Travel_Writing_Careers

Gender free writing

Gender free writing is a hot topic these days. The English language is androcentric because for centuries it has been evolving in a society dominated by men. Men made the decisions and the laws; they were in charge of the government, the work force, education and religion. They shaped the course of history and were the subjects of history with relatively few exceptions.

Sex versus gender identification has developed through the onset of women’s studies classes and the continuing force of feminism. There is a difference between an individual’s sex (biological) and the person’s gender (a social construction based on sex). Our understanding of “to be a man” is different than “to be a male.” To be a male denotes having a chromosomal makeup of X and Y while females have only X. To be a man is to exhibit socially desirable traits usually associated with males (trust, strength, ability to get the job done, powerful, etc.). Are not these traits also desirable in the female of the species?

Sexism in the English language may be difficult to recognize because it is so embedded in our speech. Advocates of gender-neutral language are making an impact that started most recently in the business environment. More women perform jobs formerly thought as being handled only by the males of the species (airplane captain, ranch foreperson, automobile designer). “Man” is reverting into the context of a sexual male and not a generic word for mankind or humans.

What does it mean to have a gender-neutral language? Gender-neutral terms apply to “someone” and “anyone” versus just to a woman or a man. Continuing to use sexist language supports bias and implies irrelevant gender classification and negative stereotypes. Thinking only women can be nurses and only men can be electricians is outmoded.

Business manuals and job titles are pushing this change. “Best man for the job,” “workmen,” “waitress” and “freshman” are being replaced by “best person for the job,” “workers,” “server” and “first year student.” Instead of “The programmer should use his laptop for…” try using “The programmer should use a laptop until the end of the month.” Instead of “Men must store their tools in their lockers,” substitute “Workers must store their tools in their lockers."

For pronoun use, “s/he” is going out of favor. Instead, alternate “he” and “she” throughout the article or manual. An author may choose to use a single pronoun throughout but should then include a disclaimer stating that the article is intended to be gender neutral.

• Use plural nouns
• Substitute one, you or us
• Write Dear Professor, Dear Editor, or Dear Loren Thames instead of Dear Sir or Madam
• Do not stereotype roles or jobs
• Research in-house guidelines and follow them
• Edit your work specifically for gender bias

I can hear you saying “But…” If your novel is set in an earlier time, use the common practice for pronouns and language that matches the era and the locale of your work.

How to increase your 20%

The average American has a vocabulary of 10,000 words, more heavily divided in favor of words read versus words spoken. Magazines like Harper’s and Atlantic Monthly assume their reader has a vocabulary of 20,000-25,000 like that of college students. Newspapers write to people with a third grade level of education (and they wonder why they are failing). One thousand words make up 80% of words used in common speaking and in writing American English. The other 20% differ widely depending upon education and vocation. As writers, we should constantly be working on expanding our vocabulary. I intend to, really intend to work on it, daily, starting tomorrow, unless I am writing in which case I cannot take time to increase my vocabulary. Or can I afford not to?

There are many exercises to increase our average recall vocabulary and vocabulary recognition in a context. Studying the dictionary is the least effective and reading is the most effective approach. Read all genres at all levels. Sit with a dictionary, notebook and pen beside you. Circle the words in the dictionary that you have to look up. Write them in your notebook. When you look up more words, your eye will catch the circled or highlighted word which reinforces its meaning and you will have a greater chance of using it later.

Get in the habit of using your dictionary and thesaurus together when you study. Buy a good dictionary and not a pocket version. Invest in one that will help you understand the phonetic spelling versus one of those that prints an “e” upside down followed by some gibberish with accent marks. Buy a word-a-day calendar and put it where you will use it every day for instance beside the bathroom sink, coffee pot or your favorite chair. Build a list of new words that you review 15 minutes a day. Familiarity with a word aids in being able to recall it more easily when writing or speaking. Make three sentences in your notebook using the word in various contexts or tenses.

Playing games like Hangman and Scrabble, work crossword puzzles or find-a-word puzzles are fun ways to broaden your stock of words. Subscribe to a “word-of-the-day” delivered to your computer inbox or iPhone where a word, its pronunciation, definition and origin are displayed. I use Merriam Webster’s Word of the Day. Sometimes they email obscure words that only writers of medieval novels about outer Siberia would use but the word origin is always interesting.

Additional ways to increase your vocabulary are to study the roots of words, which are mostly from Latin and Greek, and understand prefixes and suffixes. Develop lists of synonyms and antonyms from your new words list in your notebook. Try your hand at the “Word Power” section of Reader’s Digest magazine; go to the library and peruse old copies. Play games on the computer that are word puzzles. Use these new words in your writing.

Two fun books are Random House Webster’s Word Menu by Stephen Glazier and The Bibliophile’s Dictionary: 2,054 Masterful Words and Phrases by Miles Westley. The former is part thesaurus, part dictionary, part glossary, part vocabulary builder, part logophile’s phrases, part easy browsing and wholly delightful. The Bibliophile’s Dictionary includes atypical but not obscure words with definitions categorized by subject that you might use to enliven your writing.

Writing related events this weekend…

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8

Retired EWU professor John Keeble presents his critically acclaimed novel, Broken Ground, which was recently reissued; Auntie’s Bookstore, Spokane 7:00pm

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9

B. J. Campbell and Cougar Bob will have a book signing for Close Call The True Tales of Cougar Bob at Black Sheep Sporting Goods, 308 W. Seale Ave., Coeur d’Alene. Meet the north Idaho native who has packed more thrills into a lifetime than a dozen people and lived to tell about them. His wife, B.J., is the skilled author of these stories as well as other tales of Cougar Bob. 11:00-2:00

J.R. Parker, a 19-year-old author from Idaho, will sign copies of his young adult fantasy novel, Kestrel’s Midnight Song at Auntie’s. 1:30

Betty Hodges, local author, will sign copies of her beginning reader book, Jamie and The Haunted Lighthouse. Auntie’s. 1:30 pm

Play-Makers Spokane is back at Auntie's with a staged reading of short plays, Hit & Run IV: A Staged Reading of Short Plays by local authors Sandra Hosking and Paul Ruch, as well as by playwrights from as far away as New York. Plays range from a drama that takes place in a snow globe to a comedy about a man who finds a surprise guest in his closet. Directors include Anne Selcoe, David McCallum, Toni Cummins, Will Gilman, Kat Malcolm, and Ron Ford. Free admission. 2:00-4:00

A heads up for FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15

Novelist Sara Paretsky to Speak in Coeur d'Alene on Friday, October 15, 7:00 pm

The Idaho Humanities Council is bringing best-selling author, Sara Paretsky, to Coeur d’Alene for the 7th Annual Northern Idaho Distinguished Humanities Lecture and Dinner. The event includes dinner, lecture, Q & A period, and book signing. A special reception to meet with the author prior to the dinner will be held at a private home and is included in a benefactor level ticket. Paretsky will explore in her talk the theme “Truth, Lies, and Duct Tape: Writing in an Age of Silence,” based on the title essay of her 2007 best-selling collection of essays. The event will begin with a no-host reception at 6:00pm at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. Dinner will begin at 7 p.m., with Paretsky’s talk to follow. Hastings will be facilitating book sales and book signing after the lecture. There are two ticket levels. The general ticket ($45) includes admission to the dinner and lecture. The benefactor ticket ($100) includes admission to and preferential seating at the dinner and lecture, and access to a private reception with Paretsky in a local home prior to the event. Tickets are available by calling 888-345-5346.

To Italicize or Not to Italicize: that is the question.

To italicize a word is using a double edged sword. Doing so makes the author look snobbish to some readers and like he is looking down on the reader, a big no-no. Not to italicize a foreign word is to destroy the choice to use the word.

If a word or phrase has become so widely used and understood that it has become part of the English language — such as the French "bon voyage" or the abbreviation for the Latin et cetera, "etc." — do not italicize it. Often this becomes a matter of private judgment and context. For instance, whether you italicize the Italian sotto voce or French soup du jour depends largely on your audience and your subject matter.

1. Emphasis. When you want a word or phrase to stand out. Ex. “I told you not to go.

2. Word reproducing sounds. Grrr! Bzzz! Include to exclamation point.

3. Foreign words not understood by the general public. Ex: Guten morgan! “Au revoir meant forever,” she thought. “Be-gen-ee-tah”, said the Apache warrior.

4. Names of vehicles. The Orient Express, the Titanic, Endeavor but not makes of vehicles like Mercedes Benz or Ford Mustang.

5. The first time you introduce a foreign phrase but not again if you use it often.

6. Titles if they can stand alone, yes to book title, a story, TV show. Not italicized are books in a religious connotation. The Bible is not italicized nor the titles of chapter within it but it are capitalized. Smaller texts such as short stories from an anthology, journal articles, and episodes of television shows are examples of titles that cannot.

7. Some scientific and technical writing does but check in-house criteria. This medication is to be administered to the patient BID.

Hey, I wrote that!

“What a good thing Adam had-----when he said a good thing, he knew nobody had said it before.” Mark Twain

Plagiarism is passing off someone else’s work, ideas, thoughts, opinions, theories, statistics, facts, drawings, or paraphrasing as your own. There are two common forms of plagiarisms

1. Duplicating another’s words or phrases, etc. without identifying the speaker or author, with or without quotation marks.

2. Using and selling another’s ideas by paraphrasing or rearranging them without noting sources. Ignorance of the laws is not a valid defense.

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The devil is in the details however. According to copyright laws established in 1989, works are now protected with or without the copyright symbol; they are considered intellectual property. As long as the material can be shown to belong to someone else, it is considered plagiarism. Copyright laws do not protect facts considered “common knowledge.” Common knowledge is defined loosely as information generally known, e.g., Roosevelt was the author of the New Deal. Copyright laws can be in effect up to 75 years after the death of the author. There are many variants of the length depending upon how old the work is, in what country it was published and who owns the copyright.

A gray area is “public domain.” This often means intellectual property that “belongs” to the public (Lord’s Prayer, the Big Apple but not the King James version of the Bible) and therefore can be used freely and copied. There are variations of law depending on copyright laws in different countries as well as patents and trademarks. It is best to check with an attorney if you are uncertain.

The punishments vary depending upon the venue and the amount of material copied. The more you copy and use, the greater the punishment. Most cases are considered misdemeanors bringing fines between $100 and $50,000 and can include up to one year in jail. Generally, your offense is considered a felony if you earn more than about $2,500 from the plagiarized work. Penalties are severe.

There are several ways to protect yourself from prosecution of plagiary. Understand what constitutes plagiarism. When taking notes from various sources for your writing, clearly identify anything that is not in the public domain or not in your original words and thoughts. Keep all your notes, electronic, recorded and penned, in several backups in various venues. Date all your work. Back up your computer files using different names every time you work on it: essay plagerism-1, essay plagerism-2. This will give you a paper and time trail to strengthen your case should you be charged or you wish to charge someone else with plagiarism.

An excellent resource on public domain items: http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Public_domain_images

DISCLAIMER: This post does not constitute legal advice.