Plagiarism

One of a writer's greatest fears is that another writer will steal their work and call it their own. This practice is called plagiarism. It does not occur often but plagiarism does occur. I was reminded of this on a mailing list for writers I moderate this week.

Most writers respect that another writer's words belong to them, and it is not right to steal those words that took so much to write down or in this age of technology type into their computer. however some writers do not seem to understand this fact. A writer's creation is their's and their's alone. It is their decision when and where to share their creation or even if they will share it. When another person that this writer trusts with their work breaks that trust by calling it their own, then they break an unspoken code between all writers.

What can a writer do if they discover that another writer has plagiarized their words? The first thing to do is to approach the other writer responsible for the act. Secondly, if the work plagiarized is in a magazine or website, then you must contact the person responsible for that publication and inform that the work published is indeed not the work of the individual that it was published under.

The publication will want proof that the work is your work. The best proof is imaginable is a copyright notice from the copyright office. To learn more about obtaining a copyright, please read my article here in the archives on copyright. Another type of proof that might accepted is a dated manuscript or a witness to the work in your possession before it was published.

As I said earlier, plagiarism does occur but it does not occur often. As a writer, you need to protect yourself and your work from those that will commit this act, but you must not fear every person that comes in contact with your words. If you do that then you will deter your own creativity. You are letting them win. Write and share with the world your creations. That is what a writer is meant to do.

This week's market and contest of the week are:

Market of the Week
Editor: Chris Green
Website: http://wind.wind.org/magazine/maguide.htm
Email: wind@wind.org
Address: Wind Magazine PO Box 24548 Lexington, KY 40524
What do they publish: fiction, poetry, book reviews, and essays
Payment: Contributor copy
Contact: No email submissions. Submit by snail mail only. Include SASE for reply.

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