Writing’s Dirty Little Secrets

You might think the writer’s strike in Hollywood doesn’t have anything to do with you, other than interrupting your favorite television shows. And it does do that—big time! Generally I’m not a fan of strikes to win concessions in labor disputes because they disrupt the lives of too many people. Strikes like those against grocery chains close down access to food, which we all, even the strikers, need to survive. Strikes by hospital workers can endanger a public in need of vital surgical procedures, or needing a safe, sterile environment in which to recover from a serious illness. Striking seems a little extreme.

Still, even though the writer’s strike might disrupt my TV viewing habits, it’s not going to endanger my life or my welfare. It will hurt those behind-the-scenes people whose livelihoods depend on the television industry for a paycheck, and who are struggling to get by. But maybe this is the only way writers can acquire an equitable share of the enormous income stream their words can generate. A writer works hard on a script, only to see it then be used to create endless income sources for production companies at little or no additional cost to them. Shouldn’t the writer be entitled to a piece of the action?

Here’s what points up the inequities best. If a songwriter writes a song, they get residual payments every time that song is sung anywhere, even if it’s in a private wedding ceremony. How? Songwriters belong to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and that organization collects payments from anyplace that is likely to host a musical performance. When you see a piano player in a Nordstrom’s or another retail establishment, the store has to pay a fee to ASCAP to cover the music used. I don’t know, and couldn’t find information on whether someone at each business or venue has to keep a list of all songs played and report them, or if ASCAP simply collects regular fees from these venues based upon an “average” or “estimated” number of songs, then divides it among all songwriters.

We had a friend who was at one time a well-known songwriter and entertainer, and even though he’s no longer alive, his estate will continue to receive residuals from his songs. We knew he received checks every month, but I assumed they were from recording studios as they issued new recordings of his songs, performed by new artists.

For a couple of years we helped out in an RV Park in Mountain View, Arkansas, where music is a vital part of the community and traditions. Our park had a small clubhouse and also a little outdoor shed where pickers and singers could gather to jam. These were usually informal gatherings, in no way sponsored by the park, but still in park facilities. So one day, officials from ASCAP paid our RV Park a visit, demanding a monthly fee because there was an obvious stage in the clubhouse and a sign over the shed that said, “picker’s place.” By the way, Mountain View, the “Folk Music Capital of the World,” focuses on traditional folk and mountain music, so a lot of what is played there is no longer protected by copyright laws, if it ever was. And a lot of non-professional pickers and singers write their own songs. Still, ASCAP was seeking to protect its member’s copyrights.

Photographers and graphic artists generally have their work protected so that they can continue to receive payment if their photos or artwork are used in any other way than that specified in the original contract. Photographers ensure future payments by keeping the negatives of photos they take, even if a client pays them a huge fee to take the pictures thinking they will own their own photos and negatives. Artists and photographer assure their rights by getting a contract signed up front specifying those rights.

It’s not easy to protect writer’s works. Articles, stories, poems, etc. can be copied easily by anyone owning a copy machine, or can be scanned into any computer, making it virtually impossible to protect a writer’s work from illegal use. There is no way to police use of every phrase, poem, story, or larger work.

The other difference between writers and other creative professionals is a strong membership organization or union that supports photographers and artists—and frankly—one difference is tradition. Another is that there are so many writers. Now I didn’t say talented or even good writers, but there are a lot who are more than willing and desperate enough to take any writing job another writer refuses. Until writers unite into one strong organization, such as the Writer’s Guild, and demand fair payment, things will continue as they have always been.

The other dirty little secret

When I first started writing, I read that women writers were often paid less than men, and that fewer writing assignments were available to them. I pooh-poohed the idea since I believed from the start that I could succeed anyplace a man could.

Then I learned the awful truth! I was approached by a magazine publisher to write for their new magazine, and established a pattern of submitting an approximate 1500-word article each month, with photos taken by my husband. In the meantime, a young man assumed the editing position. Then one day my husband decided to write an article about an event he attended. He wrote a good, but brief article with one photo. I edited it and submitted it under his name. When his check arrived, it was 20 percent more than what I had been receiving. I was stunned!

So I discovered firsthand that there sometimes really is a difference in what men and women are paid in the magazine world.

There are a couple of things you can do to prevent being underpaid if you are a woman. I’ve read that some women writers use their initials instead of their first name, and magazines can assume whatever they will. For instance, a name like Barbara Jean Storm becomes B. J. Storm. If you do this, make sure your bank will accept checks made out to you that way. I’ve never tried this, so can’t say whether it works or not, but I don’t see why it shouldn’t.

You can also choose a pen name of the opposite sex. Some men writing romance novels use women’s names as their bylines, and I’m sure there are instances where women writers assume a man’s pen name. Or choose a non-gender specific name like Terry or Jerry.

Pen names are popular choices for writers because they give you a measure of anonymity should you became “famous,” and if your name is difficult to pronounce or spell, a pen name is easier for magazine editors and readers to remember. Since “Kay” is my pen name, when I receive a check made out to Kay Kennedy, I endorse it with that name and then sign my real first name underneath. I’ve never had a problem getting checks cashed or deposited.

Another sneaky way around the problem if you are married is to write the article in both spouses’ names. For instance, the byline would read “By Barbara and John Storm.” I have noticed that a lot of articles appear in various magazines under two names, usually a male and female, and maybe that actually helps sell articles. I can’t say. But that is what I did after realizing my husband’s byline was worth more than mine. I wrote a few more articles for that same prejudiced magazine because they paid promptly, but since my husband always helped with the articles and took pictures, I felt it was perfectly reasonable to use both our names as authors.

Sometimes, a writer’s got to do what a writer’s got to do to make a living in what is apparently, still a biased, sexist society.

And I say to those on strike, Good Luck! We writers may be passionate about what we do, but we have a right to make a living, too.

TIARA WEARING, BEAUTY AND BOOK SHARING PULPWOOD QUEENS

Last year, I discovered one of those pleasant surprises that make us realize that hope is not lost for literacy in America. Sometimes, all it takes is one clever woman who is creative and not above using large doses of humor to get people to pick up a book and read. Kathy Patrick of Jefferson, Texas had a beauty shop and she loved books, so she started what is probably the only beauty/book shop in the country.

But she went much further than that! She formed a book club, called the Pulpwood Queens, whose members read books and discuss them at regularly scheduled meetings. There's a twist to her book club, though. Every participant must wear a tiara! Big hair helps, too - this is Texas, after all.

Kathy's Pulpwood Queens club chapters are spreading across the country now. They place a needed focus on literacy and support hardworking writers who (trust me) don't get a lot of encouragement or support from either publishers or bookstores. I've provided a link to her Web site below.

Kathy is a generous, creative, and caring woman who is not immune to helping those in need. I'll write next time about the project she is pursuing to help the writer of a new book. Meanwhile, check out her Web site.

Current articles

• Gift idea for your friends and family
• Should writers use swear words in their stories and articles?
• RV road trip with a traumatized cat

CHRISTMAS IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING,

and what better gift for your friends and family than a book that offers an emotional stroll down memory lane?

The Book: LOOKING BACK: BOOMERS REMEMBER HISTORY makes a wonderful Christmas gift for those on your list who are reaching “that certain age” when the past begins to look better all the time. Or for your children and grandchildren, who need to know the story of the amazing moments their parents and grandparents lived through.

History is not boring—especially the history of the Boomers! Oh yeah, the way we were taught it in school could positively make me snore. But this history book is different! It is written by those of us who were there—who witnessed it all as it happened.

We watched the amazing drama unfold on the small black and white screens of that new invention, the television. Some of us even participated in various events that made the news back then. What exciting times we had, and how sorrowful some of it was as we wondered if the world would survive until we reached adulthood.

For a personal journey into the past that will bring back memories of assassinations, riots, an unpopular war, and a government that seemed to be coming apart at the seams, Looking Back provides a unique firsthand glimpse at the times. The book also recalls the polio scare that had our parents keeping us at home to avoid becoming one of those children confined to iron lungs or wheelchairs. Fortunately, a remarkable new vaccine was discovered to prevent the disabling and deadly disease, freeing us to once again enjoy childhood activities like going to public swimming pools and Saturday matinees.

Also recalled are drive-in movies—those theaters under the stars where almost all of us went with our families and on dates. Lacking shopping malls then, the drive-in movies were our social scene. And of course, the end of segregation is covered by three of us who attended Central High School during the integration crisis in 1957/58, by one who recalls the sorrow of segregation during those years, and by one Vietnam War veteran who first came face-to-face with integration while serving during the Vietnam War.

Looking Back is receiving great reviews for the way history was treated in the book—not as a dry, boring subject but as many interesting stories interwoven to reveal the emotions behind history. It’s not a book that readers have to read from front to back. Instead, readers can pick and choose the stories they want to read at any one time.

The beautifully designed book is available as paperback for $17.95 plus shipping and handling. It can be ordered online from http://www.booklocker.com/books/3056.html, with delivery within 10 days.

Or order directly from me for $22.00 (covers shipping and handling). Send check to: Kay Kennedy, P. O. Box 4566, Cottonwood, AZ 86326. Delivery should be within 10 days, but I’ll notify you if it might take longer.

My book, PORTABLE WRITING, also makes the perfect gift for the budding writer on your list. Or for the writer you know who claims not to be able to make enough money as a writer. Portable Writing offers detailed instructions for 25 different projects that definitely create a comfortable living for any writer, anywhere! It is based on my experience, so I know the projects make money. This book is also available by ordering from me with a check for $21.00 at the above address, includes shipping and handling.

Or order online for $16.95, plus shipping and handling, by clicking on the book image at top, right of this page.

SHOULD YOU EVER USE SWEAR WORDS IN YOUR WRITING?

A recent article by Morgan Hunt in Writer’s Digest discussed when it was okay to use swear words in your articles or stories. Anyone who watches much television or goes to movies knows that obscene words are proliferating in the media as quickly as mispronunciations of words. (Does anyone else get irritated by newscasters incapable of pronouncing words correctly besides me?)

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m no prude and have been known to, on occasion, slip naughty words into tales that I tell. Actually, more than on occaasion! However, I have my limits, and when it comes to writing, there’s a time and a place for that type of language. And yes, swear words do have their place in stories, articles and books, depending on the circumstances.

Non-fiction

For nonfiction work, why use swear words when emotions can better be expressed with other, more acceptable words unless you’re writing for a publication that regularly features articles laced with that type of language? However, if you are quoting someone else, swear words may best help readers picture that person’s personality. For instance, if you are quoting a well-known person who swears, then it is usually okay to use his or her words exactly as told to you (or use a row of symbols to indicate the word). And especially if you are using well-known quotes from a movie, book, etc., you should include the offensive words. I’ve never faced this decision, but if I was using a quote that employed the “F” word, I would look at the article’s intended audience.

If for a men’s magazine, then it might be okay to go ahead and use the actual word, but if writing for other magazines and they occasionally employ such usage, then I might use ‘f---’ or ‘f---in’, or symbols. Then it would be up to the editor to change it, or the reader to supply the rest of the letters, although most readers familiar with popular culture would know what was intended. Make sure you know your audience!

Fiction

For a fictional story or book, usage of obscene words depends on the characters. What social setting are they in? What era? Is the setting and the character culturally ‘hip’ and where swear words are commonly used? When writing about decades before the ‘60s, swear words would almost never be used unless you are writing about the underbelly of society. Obviously, gangsters and murderers would not be concerned with proper language, and instead would likely spit curse words out to intimidate victims or impress their peers. Young boys might also occasionally use naughty words to look tough that their mothers would frown upon. There are few other occasions to use swear words during earlier eras—but there are always exceptions.

I faced the question of using swear words when I started my new mystery novel. My goal is to write a book that is funny, hip, colorful, and will appeal to young women from every background. So I feel I should refrain from flagrant use of offensive language.

However, the lead character is a 30-ish single young woman who was briefly married to a dimwit redneck whose friends cursed to replace strong emotions, so she definitely has a nodding acquaintance with crude language. She works as a single interior designer working in Houston, a fairly socially conservative region of the country, but with lots of young people living away from home for the first time and struggling with their somewhat conservative roots while trying to fit into the freewheeling lifestyle of a sophisticated, large multinational city.

The lead character’s parents are very conservative, live a typical small town lifestyle, and attend church every week. So she’s caught in a cultural warp—between young, trendy peers who strive for the ‘coolness’ factor—and her parents’ "socially correct” world, which doesn’t tolerate swear words pouring out of the mouth of a woman. This is basically a “deep South” background and tradition where the distinction between the roles of men and women and how they are expected to behave is still clearly defined.

I do want the language to reflect real life, so my main character, who is as "with-it" as any young woman, uses the word ‘dang’ a lot—a currently popular swear word in Texas used by young people who find typical curse words offensive. The characters that swirl around her, though, are not as hesitant about cursing. Some occasionally blurt out mild curse words that express their frustration and anger. I’m still struggling with how to keep the story from being offensive while still staying true to the character of typical young people working in a stressful environment.

So should you use swear words? The line that separates when to use swear words and when not to in writing is not clearly drawn. Clearly, if writing for a religious magazine or newspaper, you would never use one. If writing for pop culture publications where the crude utterings of hip-hop artists and other young entertainers would shock almost anyone over 30, then swear words are almost expected.

Markets for magazine articles require that you understand who their advertisers and readers are and what their tolerance level is. If tough language is the norm, then you can follow suit, but if you fail to find even one minor swear word in any of their back issues, then don’t include a single one if you expect to sell your work to that publication.