Considering one of my friends in university almost got expelled for 'borrowing words' it's quite a serious offense. Just knowing what happened to her, there wasn't a paragraph I wrote that didn't have a note or citation back to an original source.
I think the key (and I've only read what you have up because the other sites get too busy for me to follow along) is that she copied her sources word for word. Am I correct in this? If it's word for word then there should have been quotes for sure and citations.
If she was talking about the history of Native American people in a fiction book I guess I do wonder if she needs to put in sources. Would it be nice, hell yeah. It's good to know what you are reading isn't something completely made up in a author's mind.
Then I look at some of the historical romances we've all read. There are no citations etc. There may be a note at the back of the book about 'how certain events were changed or this historical figure never did meet so and so but I thought 'what if he had?'
Dressing a heroine alone would take a couple of citations to the point that books would be filled with them. How does an author know what they ate in 1865? Did she research that? Did she then note it? What about the shops she refers to - were they really there or are they a figment of her imagination. I guess that's why I was shocked to discover years ago that White's really was a place in history. It was never cited and I thought it was an inside joke between historical romance authors. (I guess this is where I learned that fictional authors could use information without having to present a bibliography)
Then look at movies. I guess they get around this by saying 'this story is based on real life events' not that they are true.
I wouldn't buy a Janet Daily book if you paid me but it's because she stole words from another author who writes in the same genre. It'd be like copying King's books and being a horror writer.
But I guess I wonder at which point does an author's research and her story split ways.
Another thing that baffles me (and not sure it's on topic) is how there are works out there with characters created by other authors. Gone With The Wind had a sequel written but I don't understand how anyone has a right to those characters - except under that 'age' copyright about public domain - that was a new one to me and may only be in the States as public domain was not taught to me in university.
Okay, I think I've straggled far from my original thought so I'll close up ;) What about those historical romance books though? Does my train of thought add up or is there another way that information is covered - point where I should go if one of the sites covers this ;)
no subject
I think the key (and I've only read what you have up because the other sites get too busy for me to follow along) is that she copied her sources word for word. Am I correct in this? If it's word for word then there should have been quotes for sure and citations.
If she was talking about the history of Native American people in a fiction book I guess I do wonder if she needs to put in sources. Would it be nice, hell yeah. It's good to know what you are reading isn't something completely made up in a author's mind.
Then I look at some of the historical romances we've all read. There are no citations etc. There may be a note at the back of the book about 'how certain events were changed or this historical figure never did meet so and so but I thought 'what if he had?'
Dressing a heroine alone would take a couple of citations to the point that books would be filled with them. How does an author know what they ate in 1865? Did she research that? Did she then note it? What about the shops she refers to - were they really there or are they a figment of her imagination. I guess that's why I was shocked to discover years ago that White's really was a place in history. It was never cited and I thought it was an inside joke between historical romance authors. (I guess this is where I learned that fictional authors could use information without having to present a bibliography)
Then look at movies. I guess they get around this by saying 'this story is based on real life events' not that they are true.
I wouldn't buy a Janet Daily book if you paid me but it's because she stole words from another author who writes in the same genre. It'd be like copying King's books and being a horror writer.
But I guess I wonder at which point does an author's research and her story split ways.
Another thing that baffles me (and not sure it's on topic) is how there are works out there with characters created by other authors. Gone With The Wind had a sequel written but I don't understand how anyone has a right to those characters - except under that 'age' copyright about public domain - that was a new one to me and may only be in the States as public domain was not taught to me in university.
Okay, I think I've straggled far from my original thought so I'll close up ;) What about those historical romance books though? Does my train of thought add up or is there another way that information is covered - point where I should go if one of the sites covers this ;)
CindyS