I just wanted to see how many people on the board are writers, bloggers or book authors -- and if you've written about church history, or memoirs of your own experience as a Mormon, or non-fiction relating in any way to Mormonism.

And if so, what compels you? What is your favorite subject matter to research and write about?

This includes internet writing, blogs and websites.

And please, if you could answer one question for me:

Do you have to ask permission from the LDS Church when referencing certain passages in the Book of Mormon, or the Journal of Discourses, or from more current books published by the Church?

I'm writer, but not in any professional sense of the word. I keep a blog and it is used in conjunction with my photography. I generally write about the human condition or human interest, so it's never researched, it's just observations of life. I started it as a juxtaposition to 99% of photography blogs I see that essentially state, "Just did a session of the bestest ever family that is so gorgeous and my clients are the greatest and bestest around, ever!!!!! Here's a sneak peak!!!! Did I already say they are the bestest ever!!!!!!!!!

I've never used the Mormonism as a topic, nor do I have any insight into the use of Mormon sources.

were you concerned or lacking this skill? It is taught to students very young now but required, they are adamant that citations are used in freshman lit in college- even now, in the eight grade writing demands this requirement. Google MLA style citations for making citations from literature if you need assistance understanding how to use this necessary skill.

You may even find blank documents, with transitions, followed by your selected except, which you are making reference to that you were selecting- and then, you use a citation. IT can be included in paragraphs or sentences where you are doing a response to literature essay- or a critique, or a comparative essay, or letter, you can use citations referring clearly to your source.

Why you may have even heard this done informally (that's when they cite chapter and verse making a reference to it) what they are talking about - is called, a citation to literature.

Were you actually asking, if anyone used this elementary skill, and necessary now in high school papers and on my goodness you couldn't pass any classes except sports probably in college without it- the required composition skill of making citations to literature.

I am amazed you asked or imagined that anyone on this board or anywhere at all would lack access to the ability to make citations to literature. Lawyers even make literary citations to cases, people make literary citations using the constitution about civil rights and other rights, people make literary citations to professional journal articles and news articles and books, when they talk out loud and formally, using MLA or APA style when they write. There is a special citation format for references found on internet blogs and even utube videos when writing.

Did you imagine that people on this board only made citations to television shows or movies? That would be sad for you to think that.

is taught aggressively younger than ever probably, requiring citations / citing literary sources.

& people are encouraged to do that, in something easy to read that they know about, so they learn the skill and become comfortable enough- having citations to reference and back concepts- so that it might be possible, for them to learn an even harder skill (now they read ok and write ok) they can
add that easier skill- of reading and writing-
to something amazing like biochemistry researching or
really hard like legal case law reports research and reference based arguments. Even more difficult for those of us that read comfortably and write, is something amazingly difficult like calculus or physics or geotechtonic plate research or cellular biology - where ideas are found and cited, research projects are created, based on ideas to refute relearn redo or revise or add upon- so citation based writing becomes this huge growth machine.

I t may be possible to be in a room where everyone knows the same facts and nothing needs to be cited anywhere, however when making a proposal or a presentation - to a group or person or committee that needs to support or finance you for your proposal or idea to be funded and be made to happen- you would need to communicate using citations really clearly illustrating your proposal with reasons backing up your position clearly.

Sorry if I sounded unkind, I was incredulous because I know how intensely important citations become for growth, like a communication interaction meme within any given field building a framework for the next experiment or a newer and better attempt in that part of life.

Or maybe just to know what poem you're talking about because it sounds pretty & I might like it, as well.

Fair use means you can use parts of copyrighted publications, as long as you cite them.

I write personal autobiographies, personal experiences, parody and satire. I share them with family, friends, some on Facebook, and some on this board and other places on line usually.

If and when I use a quote I must rely on "fair use." (Only small parts of copyrighted publications.)

Use of quotes from religious scriptures generally are only short verses and in those cases, I don't think there is any copyright problems. (Someone else can define that more accurately.)

trying to figure out how publish without concerning my children, excerpting surviving pediatric tumor narrative

trying to find a way to publish 'one thing that saved me' narratives (28 done & more the way) I have become far more positive noticing good people were there along the way to save me, another pen name (one child wants notice so she'll never buy it or download it)

another accidental horror story (I was trying for humor & no one whose read it thinks its funny they all think its horrifying but I thought it was quaint)

I have file cabinets of writing- in my will kids can publish after I'm dead. I have timed some narratives waiting other people's death (gasp) (sigh) so I feel free to share it even changing names, still.

I wanted to be a writer all my life & tried to learn to rhyme like Shakespeare. I have a ridiculous amount of narrative in rhyme, as well as short verses. When its that easy to rhyme, you have to ascertain what you want to talk about, is there a purpose, a message, a description something anything to focus on- and rhyme about that. because I could rhyme endlessly, just like I could breathe.

Somebody help me. Any mentor anywhere? I will have more free time that usual this fall would like a partner or group in a writing project.

One of the reasons I asked my original question about referencing citations is because things seem to be changing so rapidly, especially in regards to the internet.

Recent comments about the LDS church losing membership due to Mormon members' exposure to the internet got me thinking.

I am curious to know if the LDS church is resorting to fending off critics on the internet by filing copyright complaints to Google.

http://www.chillingeffects.org/search.cgi?search=church+of+jesus+christ+of+latter+day+saints

For instance, someone copied the Church Handbook of Instructions to Scribd and the church sent out a Notice of Infringement. I suppose that is because someone uploaded the ENTIRE document -- obviously that is not "fair use".

http://www.chillingeffects.org/copyright/notice.cgi?NoticeID=18549

Here is a recent article about how Scientology Changed the Internet. The Church of Scientology has removed entire websites because they dared print negative content [or supposed "secret" church scriptures].

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23273109

As a personal note, I know how to cite and have a 2009 AP Stylebook. Obviously I need to go online and check out the current AP Stylebook, which probably goes into more detail about the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Sorry I was so vague in my original post.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2013 09:45PM by Senoritalamanita.

sorry about coming on so strong, I'll work on toning it down in the future. It was just an honest question & deserving of a polite kind reply.

I think the church comes down hard on people who publish anything directly from the CH1. Probably because it is only distributed to those in leadership positions. But quoting from the BoM, LDS.org, or any other easily acquirable source is no big deal.

No worries, paintinginthewin

Thank you for your reply. Smile.

Sounds to me like you need a writing group to support you to start out.

A writing group will help you clarify your goals--to get published, to make money, to leave a legacy, to set the record straight. These are some typical goals.

I think it's important that these not be internet friends but rather meeting IRL. Writing is a lonely occupation and you will be more balanced if you have a dog and a writing group.

The dog will force you to walk him and keep you from getting cramps, muscle atrophy, pepperoni arms and blood clots.

The writing group will provide some social outlets as well as give you some honest opinions on the quality of your writing and suggestions for improvement.

Best

Anagrammy

Hi Anagrammy,

All great comments which I take to heart. I especially love your advice about dogs, smile -- I am a dog lover to the max and my little dog is my savior on days when I am alone, or have been sitting too long at a computer.

Your advice regarding a writing group was spot on. I am part of a great writing group in the Pasadena area who have been meeting for more than 13 years. I moved away for 5-6 years of that but I am back in L.A.

We do a lot of memoir writing, which is very cathartic, and several people in my group have published their memoirs.

I freelance off and on, writing legal marketing copy for attorney websites. I usually go through a legal web marketing firm who takes the flack from the attorneys, if something is not correct.

I use citations briefly, using collision, insurance or health statistics. I've written bankruptcy websites, immigration law websites, personal injury, and birth injury landing pages/web pages.

However, I've never written anything about the Mormon Church, and was wondering if anyone here has ever received any type of copyright infringement warnings or backlash due to negative comments about the Church on their websites.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2013 10:56PM by Senoritalamanita.

My career was in drafting documents for attorneys as a paralegal, using plenty of citations. It's just a skill like anything else, not as hard as a second language by any means. You just look up how to do every citation as you go along until they become second nature.

I am a ghostwriter and editor now that I am retired. I do it for fun and also for money. I like the fact that I only have to please one person- the client- and I don't have to wonder why I am getting rejection slips. They tell me as we go along if they are pleased or not with the direction, etc.

When I started out in the beginning, I put an ad on craigslist advertising my enterprise as "Your Life, Your Story" and began writing life stories. This gave me a lot of confidence because people are really thrilled to see their experiences finally down on paper, with dialog, like a novel.

It was also therapeutic and helped people deal with their pasts and since I was also a social worker in my career, I like that my work was making things better. So it was therapeutic for me in getting me out of my own story and into theirs.

Best of luck!

Anagrammy

I am a professional corporate writer by trade (trained as a journalist), essayist and creative non-fiction writer as sport. Nothing published yet. But I will be starting my own blog soon (not about my Mormon experiences). The interesting fact: I originally considered fiction writing, but every story I tried to write went back to my 36 months of LDS experiences. I couldn't make them go away. So when I've let myself "journal" about the experiences so I can get them out of my mind and move on.

I would just suggest regarding copyright that you attribute facts to the appropriate sources, and not use conjecture in place of facts (e.g. there's a difference between publicly discussing doctrine, for which you need supporting facts, vs. publicly discussing your experiences and interpretations). I don't know if that helps...
Celeste

The copyright on the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price and probably the Doctrine of Discourses has long expired.
From Wikipedia, the article on copyright: "In the United States, all books and other works published before 1923 have expired copyrights and are in the public domain."

Thank you so much, exbishfromportland

I appreciate the info about expired copyrights for books published before 1923.

In my copy of the 1991 edition of the BOM, it states that the work is ", "Copyright, 1981, by Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, USA"

Apparently, they renewed the copyright, somehow.

Check your copies of the BOM, D&C and PofGP. They may have newer copyright dates under Intellectual Reserve Inc.

You may be safe under the "fair use" clause if you're citing these resources. However, my editor, spooked by the tactics of the Intellectual Reserve Inc, wouldn't let me publish my book on my near-miss experience with the LDS, unless I just paraphrased the material with a reference.

Yeah, I wrote a book about my Christian journey, along with a multi-chapter portion of my close encounter with the Morg.

...on their textbook, "Science & Health With Key to the Scriptures." It's their equivalent to the BoM. This was during the Nixon Administration, when two of his closest aides (Erlichman and Haldeman) got a special extension run through Congress. A rogue Christian Science branch church in New Jersey challenged it, and won in the Supreme Court.

Thus, even religious texts will, eventually, enter public domain.

"FYI"

I've had several story ideas kicking around my head for years, and now I'm working them into screenplays. One is a sports thriller about the Boston Marathon. I've had to re-boot that, because of the terrorists' bombings, but I think my original story line will still work. That story will have a few good cops, and several more crooked cops involved in fixing the race.

The other story is called "Dire Covenant." I don't want to divulge much about it, but I do want to thank all you people who have helped me iron out a few points, and have also provided some very helpful ideas. For example, there's a thread which I've bookmarked but isn't active now is "Utonics," and I've picked up some useful jargon to include.

It's a love story which turns subtilely gothic, and is set in Utah. It's not about Mormonism, per se, but Mormonism definitely enters into it. Although tscc and LDS culture are not portrayed sympathetically, it's important that I be accurate and not misrepresent it for the sake of dramatic convenience. But I'll share this much: my protagonist's name is "Harmony Hansen." Mormon enough for you?

I also do some writing for local trade periodicals, and have had a few political op-eds published.

I journeled my way of the church--questions, anger, grief--the whole spectrum. I have never mentioned it in a public blog I write (my freinds and families are loyal followers LOL).

I write fiction and poetry--much of my feelings I poured out into my poetry. None of that portion of my work has been published.

As for my fiction---I feel free to write about anything I want now and how to write it. It's glorious.

Hoping for the day when I no longer think of myself as ex-mormon--that I'm just me again.

I'm an author; have been since 1995. I have 10 titles to my credit, and pieces in 5 additional anthologies. I have another book coming out this fall, and one coming out next spring.

I also blog.

So thrilled with all your responses, and happy to know there are so many RFMers journaling, blogging, writing anthologies, articles and books.

Lots of great talent on the board. And kudos for Raptor Jesus for recently completing his second book!

I appreciate all of you and your input. Thank you.

The Holy Ghost to Spider-Man.

But don't do that.

Because it's already been done.

I did it.

I guess you could put it in your book if you reference mine.

I have written several short stories and have been working on a novel for a few years.

I went to the local community college and took some creative writing, and fiction classes. They were great. Everyone read each other's work and gave feedback. The cross section of people were great and something I would not have had without the classes. I also went to seminars that offered writing groups to meet with to help me along.

You might try some classes at a college or community group to help you out.

I am a blogger, and a community website writer, and I have a bi-weekly column in our towns weekly newspaper. I've been a columnist for almost 6 years. I also do random guest articles/columns for the local county newspaper.