Writing

A win for authors

This entry was posted in Writing Writing as business and tagged Amazon ebooks writing on by

Amazon is changing its e-book return policy to make it harder to read entire books for free, producing no income for the author. Currently, it’s generally permitted to “return” any e-book within seven days for a full refund, even if the customer has read the whole thing. Under the new policy, automatic returns will be allowed only if the customer hasn’t read more than 10% of the book. People who have read more than 10% can still request a refund, but they’ll have to file a customer service request, which a human will review.

Some authors have reportedly experienced a serious decline in their income due to abuse of the return policy.

Of course, this is a reminder that Amazon tracks your reading habits in detail when you buy their e-books.

A new article from me on Verdi

This entry was posted in Writing on by

Liberty Fund’s Online Library of Liberty has given me a chance to turn my love of classical music into paid work. My third article on an operatic subject is now up on the site, discussing Verdi’s Don Carlo. This piece also let me put my study of the 16th century to good use. In fact, the opera’s strange ending makes more sense if you assume intervention by my Magic Battery mages, as in “Snares of Satan.” How else could Charles V have rescued the protagonist ten years after his death?

But seriously, the opera gets into themes of religious oppression and liberty, which were very important to Verdi. It deals with the rebellions in the Spanish-held Low Countries, fueled by the Protestant Reformation. The Grand Inquisitor is creepy, and the auto-da-fé scene is spectacular. I enjoyed the chance to watch the opera again online and write about it.

These are my previous opera articles on the same site:

Here’s my author page, now with links to my articles.

“Am I allowed to write about…?”

This entry was posted in Writing and tagged writing on by

The question keeps popping up on Reddit: “Am I allowed to write about [category of people who are different from me]?” It’s always on Reddit.

Short answer: Yes.

Slightly longer and more precise version: There’s no “allowed.” You don’t need to ask anyone for permission to write.

The history of blasphemy in writing

This entry was posted in Commentary History Writing and tagged censorship history writing on by

The August 12 assault on Salman Rushdie was almost certainly prompted by his “blasphemy.” In 1989, the Ayatollah Khomeini took a dislike to Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses, called it blasphemy, and put a bounty on Rushdie and his publishers. Rushdie went into hiding for years, the book’s Japanese translator was murdered, and the Italian translator was stabbed. Cover of The Satanic Verses

Writing about controversial subjects has always attracted anger and violence, and religion is one of the most controversial. Many governments with state religions have imposed severe penalties for blasphemy. Leviticus 24:16 says, “And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death.” The most famous blasphemy execution in history was the one of Jesus of Nazareth. For his part, Jesus said that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the one unforgivable sin.

In modern times, several countries, mostly Muslim, have laws against blasphemy, sometimes carrying the death penalty. In Pakistan, mobs have murdered alleged blasphemers. Even the supposedly civilized country of Austria has a blasphemy law, and several people have been convicted under it. The European Court of “Human Rights” says that such laws are fine. So much for freedom of religion. Germany has a law that can get someone who “through dissemination of written materials (section 11(3)) defames the religion or ideology of others” locked up for three years.

(more…)

Can freelance writers work in Lakeway, TX?

This entry was posted in Writing Writing as business and tagged business law writing on by

The Institute for Justice has launched a lawsuit against the city of Lakeway, Texas, over its heavy restrictions on home-based businesses. The business at the center of the controversy is a daycare center, but it got me wondering how freelance writers are affected. The city had nineteen criteria to be met, recently reduced to ten. I can’t find a full list, but the hints I’ve seen suggest that writers are OK in principle. Freelance writers don’t normally have customers come to their homes, make lots of noise, or emit clouds of toxic fumes.
(more…)

The state of business licensing for writers

This entry was posted in Writing Writing as business and tagged business law writing on by

Most writers are freelancers. In many places in the United States, you need the government’s permission, in the form of a business license, to be a freelance writer. Convincing the government to let you earn money writing generally requires paying money. This is a direct violation of the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of the press. You aren’t free if you need to pay for permission to earn a living. Don’t count on the courts to agree with you, though.

If you choose to incorporate, that’s a separate issue; this article applies only to sole proprietorships. By definition, incorporation involves registration with a government office.

Zoning can be another concern. In some places, people aren’t allowed to operate a business from their home, even if it has no impact on anything beyond its walls. You can try to stay under the radar, but a neighbor could snitch on you. I don’t cover zoning issues here.

Some states require a license to operate any kind of business, but freelance writing may or may not be considered a “business” for that purpose. To a large extent, governments realize it would be bad publicity to ban people from writing or fine them for lack of permission, but it can happen. I’ve seen people say on freelancer boards that their state required them to get a license.

Corrections and additional information in the comments are welcome.
(more…)

Writing German words in English text

This entry was posted in Techniques Writing and tagged German language technology writing on by

English-language articles sometimes need to use foreign words. Most languages require more characters than the 26 letters of the English-language alphabet that ASCII supports. This shouldn’t be hard, since Unicode provides characters for almost every important language in the world. When you sit down to enter foreign words at your computer, though, you run into issues.

I’ll talk here about German text, since it’s the language I know best next to English.
(more…)

What about sensitivity readers? 2

This entry was posted in Commentary Writing Writing as business and tagged sensitivity writing on by

I’ve never had occasion to deal with a sensitivity reader. As I worked on The Magic Battery, I asked for input from Jewish friends on my treatment of Jewish characters, but my concern was whether I’d gotten it right, not whether I was being “sensitive.” They were helpful, but I couldn’t find a single person who lived in the 16th century to give a Reformation period perspective.

A recent Reason article, “Sensitivity Readers Are the New Gatekeepers” (or “Rise of the Sensitivity Reader”) takes a very skeptical view of sensitivity readers. I don’t know if things in the publishing industry are actually as bad as the article represents, but the concept sounds dubious to me. I don’t write to be “sensitive.” I write to address “What if” questions, to tell a good story, and to give the reader something to think about. That sometimes means hurting people’s feelings. If you want something completely safe and bland, read Winnie the Pooh. (Provided you aren’t acrophobic or melissophobic.)
(more…)

Update on boycotting the Chengdu Worldcon

This entry was posted in Writing and tagged China conventions fandom on by

The World Science Fiction Convention scheduled for 2023 in Chengdu hasn’t made a lot of news lately. This is normal for a con in its early stages of preparation. I’d really hoped that the calls for boycotting it would grow, though, especially since they would have a bearing on the NASFiC to be held the same year. Winnipeg and Orlando have filed bids. Florida also falls below some people’s threshold of acceptability because of things its government has done, but that’s a discussion for another time. If Florida is unacceptable, China certainly has to be.

The Chinese government can bring trouble for anyone who criticizes it, even outside China. I’m obscure and hard to put pressure on, so I haven’t run into any problems, though that could change. My obscurity means I don’t have a lot of influence on many fans, though I turn up high in the search results if you look for something like “boycott Chengdu Worldcon.”
(more…)