Introducing #quikfic

I’ve had a spotty record for new fiction so far this year. I’m planning to change that soon. I’m also adding, as of today, a new fiction feature.

Taking a leaf from a lot of other people who write fiction in 140 characters or less and post it on Twitter, I’m going to do likewise. You’ll see it on my Twitter feed (@BryonCannon) with the hashtag #quikfic. I will also post the tiny stories here on Fridays for those who either aren’t on Twitter or who simply prefer all their Catsignal content to be in one place.

Enjoy!

Catsignal Turns 3

This is Catsignal’s third birthday. What we need to really make this a party is more people. If you enjoy reading Catsignal, tell a few of your friends how much fun we have here. Join the discussions and comment on everything in sight.

If you’re new here, you’ve got three years’ worth of archives to catch up on: that’s more than 150 short stories, more than 150 haiku, and a few dozen each of essays and quotations about writers and writing. That ought to keep you off the streets and entertained for a while.

And thank you for being here.

 

Pen to Paper: Using Song Lyrics in Fiction

Author and poet Blake Morrison has an article at the Guardian’s website about using song lyrics in your fiction. It’s an excellent cautionary tale, and the moral of the story is given in the lead. Read it here.

In the non-fiction editing I do, I have to let the publisher know if I come across three words or more of lyrics that aren’t in the public domain (generally regarded as anything written before 1923). So what Morrison has written isn’t surprising to me, but I’m glad he’s given us the benefit of his learning curve. (The sums of money are given in British pounds. As of even date, the exchange rate is £1.5 equals $1.)

Morrison’s article refers to the laws in Great Britain, but there’s no substantial difference (so far as I can tell) here in the United States in copyright protections and remedies for violations. All these years, whenever someone has sung The Birthday Song in a TV show or movie or play, or written the words in a work of fiction, they’ve had to pay for the privilege. It’s not in the public domain; the authors have passed on, but Warner Music Group still owns the rights. As a refresher, see the U.S. Copyright Office’s page concerning Fair Use.

There are two simple ways to get around this: use the song’s title to refer to it, or paraphrase the lyrics. Here’s a combined example: “That was Jerry Lee Lewis with his Great Balls of Fire,” the announcer said. Jeff turned the radio off. “The only nerve-shaking and brain-rattling I’m interested in will be when that rocket lifts off tomorrow. That’s the only ball of fire I care about, too.” Do it without the announcer and readers still can figure out what song you’re referring to and it’s safe.

If you’re serious about using some lyrics, you have to contact the person who holds those rights. That can get terribly tricky because ownership of lyrics bounces around like paperbacks at a yard sale. It may well be that neither the lyricist nor the publisher own the rights. If it’s an older song still covered by copyright, you may find the publisher has gone out of business. Then you’re into some detective work on top of whatever the rights owner will charge you.

The laws don’t change just because you’re writing for fun or are selling your work on a limited scale. Here’s an instructive anecdote: Broadway playwright George S. Kaufman discovered that one of his plays was being staged by a summer-stock producer who hadn’t paid for the privilege. The fellow told Kaufman, “It’s only a small, insignificant theater.” Kaufman responded, “Then you’ll go to a small, insignificant jail.”

Re-read Morrison’s lead. That’s the bottom line.

New Content Coming to Catsignal

In an effort to make this a more full-service blog, I’m going to try to write more articles about writing. We’ll see how that goes. More practically, I’m going to hunt through the World Wide Web for brilliant or useful things other people have written about writing. These will be labeled “Pen to Paper” and will include a summary of what the article is about and a link thereto. I’ll aim at posting these on Mondays and Fridays.

I’m also going to post a weekly quote about writing or words or something related. Those will be labeled “Quotable” (isn’t that catchy?). You’ll see these on Wednesdays.

I hope you’ll find them useful.

Catsignal Turns 2

Catsignal is two years old today. Like any toddler, it has its ups and downs, its little successes and its little failures. But I’m pleased to still be doing this after two years and to still be enjoying myself.

I hope you’ll help me celebrate by telling someone — a friend, a family member, a word-loving acquaintance — about Catsignal. Now that I have stuff here to read, I’d like to know that more people are reading it. Comments on what works and what doesn’t work in a particular haiku or story are always welcome.

And now, we join our regularly scheduled haiku, already in progress.

Protect Your Pets from 4th of July Dangers

Leaning once again on the cat side of catsignal, another big holiday is coming right up. While fireworks and big gatherings can be fun for humans, it’s another story entirely for our companion animals.

As they so often do, the good folks at the Humane Society of the United States have placed the common sense of the subject in terms so plain and firm that all I need to do is link to it and you can read there how to keep your pets safe and happy this Independence Day weekend. Go for it.