A couple weeks ago I wrote a piece about a story we had to pull from a lit journal I work with because we received a cease-and-desist letter. Boy, did that trigger some of you into writing me back. How could this happen? you said. How will I know if I can get sued? you asked. What a dick! You rightly called the guy out.
Look, everyone's line is gonna be different. The writer who writes a piece about what happened to them and how much they are willing to share about someone else is going to be different than another writer's, and one publisher's risk factor might be higher than another's to publish pieces that call out people in some way.
One thing I was reminded of, that is going to make some of you more mad/freak some of you out even more--- the piece we pulled was published as Fiction. It wasn’t even published as nonfiction/memoir. We still were told to pull it, and we did.
That line can be hard to find. For a nonprofit journal like ours with a very limited budget, it wasn’t.
But then you could be someone like, you know, Maggie Smith, who published a memoir where she talks a lot about her ex-husband, and he does not look very good in the book. He did ask for some changes when she let him read the manuscript before publication, and ultimately, she decided she wouldn't make those changes, and nothing has come from that. He's never, as far as I know, sued her for how she wrote about him in her memoir. And he is one of those men who looks like a real dick. Maybe he knows he can’t win. Maybe he knows he is one.
So it really just comes down to your comfort. In Maggie’s case, she had the big backing of a publisher and many people whose hands went through that manuscript saying yes, publish this. It would be hard for someone to come at us. But if you're self-publishing your own work, it can be hard to know the line, and everyone's comfort is going to be different. Do you want to spend all this time and energy putting this book out into the world that you may have to pull simply because you can't afford to fight it? You need to think about that.
When evaluating pieces that directly reflect an experience you had with someone else, keep these few things in mind: Are you trying to harm the other person by telling this story? Are you seeking some kind of revenge? That can’t be what the piece is about or why you are publishing it. Is the story about you more than it is about them? Your why, your experience, your outcome, instead of their actions.
I believe you need to go forth and tell your story and take the risk. You can be tame about it and make sure that you're covering your own butt, but ultimately, I think your voice should be heard, and your experience that you personally had should be shared. I believe you have every right to tell it. I encourage you to do so.
Ready Your Submissions
Get your Screenplays ready for the BlueCat Screenplay Competition. Yeah, it’s pricy at $59. But the prizes are pretty sweet and all submissions come with feedback. I remember exactly where I was when I saw that I moved up to the next round one year. Sometimes that nudge can be worth the expense and help keep ya going a little longer in this sea of creative rejection.
Attending AWP in Chicago in 2027? Now is the time to start thinking about your panel proposal. You might think, Libby, I have like a whole year. No you don’t. They start planning this thing as soon as the last one ends, so now is the time to start figuring out what a great panel would be and figure out who will be on your panel and design your proposal. Never been to AWP but are building your career and want to put yourself out there more? Watch some Youtube videos. There aren’t that many on there from recent years, but there are enough to give you an idea of the vibe.
Time to start getting your sample ready for the Superstars conference scholarships. They have a special scholarship for high schoolers too. I have never been to this conference, but I have a few friends who love this one and I want to go.
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