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Author Topic: An ethics question.  (Read 2784 times)

Offline Snowleopard

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An ethics question.
« on: July 12, 2010, 07:45:15 AM »
I have a short story idea that's been fermenting in my brain.  (It may never see the light of day, but it's been rumbling around up there for awhile.)  It's about pets and ghosts - more than that I'm not going to go into.
Anyway, had a hazy idea for the start and the finish.  The middle is where I usually bog down.
I was over on the pet thread when someone posted about their dog and something that had happened to her.
The incident and even the name of the dog would be perfect for my story.  It cleared a lot of the haze away.
I posted to the owner/poster to please get in touch with me.  But it looks like they've left the forum completely.
Ethics question.  Can I use this incident as is, or would I, should I change some things, or should I use it at all without having talked to the original poster and gotten permission??
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Offline prophet224

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Re: An ethics question.
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2010, 03:00:18 PM »
Interesting.  My usual answer to anyone who says, for ethical reasons, "I'm not sure if I should do <x,y,z>," is "If you are wondering, you shouldn't do it."

HOWEVER...
As writers, this is what we do. We see the world around us, pull things out of it, and make a story. Sometimes it is entirely made up, other times not so much. You pull from life, both your own experiences and those of others.
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Offline Paynesgrey

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Re: An ethics question.
« Reply #2 on: July 12, 2010, 03:32:12 PM »
PM me your email addy, I'll send it with a note to the dog owner and we'll let him weigh in.  If he doesn't reply, then I'd suggest changing things enough to be respectful.
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Offline prophet224

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Re: An ethics question.
« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2010, 04:13:12 PM »
That should be an addendum to my comment. It never serves to lift directly from A (life) to B (story), particularly if it is someone else's experience.
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Offline Snowleopard

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Re: An ethics question.
« Reply #4 on: July 12, 2010, 07:04:09 PM »
Quote from: paynesgrey on July 12, 2010, 03:32:12 PM
PM me your email addy, I'll send it with a note to the dog owner and we'll let him weigh in.  If he doesn't reply, then I'd suggest changing things enough to be respectful.
Thank you paynesgrey that sounds like a good plan.
Okay, where do I get your PM?  I'm still new to this forum and don't know all the ins and outs.

Prophet224 - also good advice as the incident was very painful for the owner.
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Offline Paynesgrey

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Re: An ethics question.
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2010, 07:21:57 PM »
Click my name, a profile will pop up and there'll be an option to send a private message to me.
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