Article by Brevity’s Laurie Hertzel: Do I Own My Story? But What If It’s Also Your Story, and You Don’t Want Me To Tell It?

Source: Do I Own My Story? But What If It’s Also Your Story, and You Don’t Want Me To Tell It?

Follow the link to an article by Laurie Hertzel at Brevity on the delicate predicament of whether have the right to tell someone else’s story.  As she summarizes the problem:

“But when I began working on my first memoir, I realized that it’s not that simple. Yes, I own my story—that is, I have the right to tell the stories of my life.  But I don’t live in a vacuum, and in order to tell my stories I cannot help but tell the stories of others. Do I have that right? Do I have the right to recall things that other people did, write them down, attach their names to them, and publish them in a book? Do I have to ask permission? What if they say no?”

Author: Phil Slattery

Publisher, Rural Fiction Magazine; publisher, The Chamber Magazine; founder, the Farmington Writers Circle. I have written short stories and poetry for many years. In my careers as a Naval officer and in the federal government, I have written thousands of documents of many types. I am currently working on a second edition for my poetry collection and a few novels. View all posts by Phil Slattery