Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with authorship

Academia and anonymous blog posts

quarsan — Fri, 10 May 2013 05:49:41 -0800

Do any academic institutions allow uncredited blog posts? I've been following a post from the College of Europe. It's a notoriously EU Institution friendly place, but yesterday an anonymous blog post appeared on their official blog, criticising the current EU Commission president. It wasn't outspoken especially, apart from by the college's usual standards.

Today, it vanished with no explanation. Thanks to the Streisand effect, it has now become widely known.

One person has appeared to offer an explanation, but there's no indication that they are a current student or academic at the college, but the defence seems to be: an academic institution cannot allow anonymous people to publish on its blog without being responsible for what they say. No other academic institution would ever allow it.

An academic has said "the contribution was not signed, and this does not seem to be a great start for an honest debate."

Apart from not understanding the Chatham House Rule for a start, this does seem a little, well, what does it look like to you?

Is writing great fiction innate or learned?

indognito — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 12:12:02 -0800

Writing fiction: is it the sort of thing where you either have "the gift," or you don't? I'm curious, because so many of my favorite nonfiction authors (David Sedaris, Merrill Markoe and Chuck Klosterman among them) seem to produce uninteresting fiction. Uninteresting to me, at least. Conversely, there are authors such as Haruki Murakami who write amazing fiction, but his running memoir seems bland by comparison. (I still enjoyed it, because I like running and I like Murakami, but I certainly wouldn't have sought it out otherwise.)

I spent years writing for several hours a day, and never produced anything other than mildly humorous personal-experience essays. I was always very interested in writing fiction--anything from literary to horror short stories--but I would inevitably freeze up, unable to think of what could possibly happen next in the story, and finally abandon it in defeat.

Can writing great, readable fiction be learned? Is there a special elusive something that successful fiction writers have that is simply out of reach for others, even the best nonfiction writers? (and vice versa?)

Details, details, details...and then BAM!

batmonkey — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 13:11:50 -0800

As a reader of fiction (especially if you're a devotee of speculative fiction), how much do you like detailed descriptions and/or lists as part of the story? What if the story switches between detail and expediency? Feel free to answer the question as asked or explore any of the expanded pondering for more targeted responses.

In moving mental obstacles out of the way of a story I've been writing for a long time, I've realised that some of what I need involves getting outside of my head more [previously: 1, 2]. In this (hopefully last) question of the series, I crave input on how much detail is actually comfortable for readers AND if my custom of switching between approaches is potentially discombobulating.

One of my tendencies when writing is to be extremely detailed, as I want to build a vibrant, tangible impression of what is being encountered or experienced. But I don't use this inexorably - there are parts where flow of events would be hideously stymied and I switch to a more action-oriented, fill-in-the-blanks-yourself style.

Examples: I find the lists in Brian Jacques's Redwall books endearing and sometimes amusing. I originally liked the incredible details in Ill-Made Mute by Cecilia Dart-Thornton, but she seemed to abandon the more artful approach to it in the jump to the other books and it became tiresome. Martha Wells used description to great advantaqe in The Bone Palace. Most know Bradbury's knack for loving and chilling details, and those are certainly part of my concept of the iconic ideal.

But getting through action and complex exchanges seems weighed down by such detail, so I move away from that. Maybe not so far as Hemingway, but certainly along the lines of Jack London. Thereabouts, anyway.

To boil it down:
Details/lists - like or dislike? Is there an ideal that encapsulates your preference? Are there exceptions to your personal rules?

Mixing it up to further the story - preferable or disorienting? Is there anyone who does this particularly well? Especially poorly?

Thanks to bongo_x for the comment that helped me summarise!

Invented language vs. familiar words in fiction?

batmonkey — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 08:33:16 -0800

As a reader, how do you feel about invented language versus familiar words in imaginary worlds? I've been working on a novel for a very long time. But I've realised over the past several months that one of three huge blocks keeping me from committing words to paper is a central debate within myself as both writer and reader about how to describe things in an imaginary world without being twee, annoying, or boring. Now I've thought about it too much, and need help untangling it.

I do like when authors invent language worth remembering to describe things that live only in their heads. I'm not positive I'm capable of doing as well, but trying would be both interesting and challenging. I like that, but not sure how readers will feel about it. How do you, as a reader, feel about invented language in speculative fiction?

Some authors go to great lengths to describe something that is obviously familiar to readers in their daily lives and then give it a made-up name to fit the world and emphasise the separation of their creation from "reality". Sometimes this is very clever, but I think it comes off as overly precious most of the time. Is this worth trying - inserting some familiar things and giving them invented names - or is it better to go with the name they are likely known to the reader by? Or should I avoid using familiar items at all?

Lastly, and this is somewhat of a bonus point, I'm very sensitive to words based on very specific Earth-culture experiences being used in totally removed invented worlds. Somewhat ridiculous example: "rhinestone", as it depends on the existence of the Rhine for its etymology. Not to pick on Deutschland, but "barbaric" has a similar issue and is more likely to come up. As a reader, does this ever bother you? If it does, how do you prefer to see it handled?

Super bonus: I sometimes get discomfited when a character uses modern slang, thinking, "they wouldn't say that! they don't have that reference point!" But sometimes it grounds the characters as identifiable and relatable. What about informal, or slang, words in an invented world - is there a line that shouldn't be crossed with characters in a non-Earth, non-modern/post-modern setting as far as casual language we're used to in our current time?

Thank you so much for any help in getting out of my head and putting words to "paper"!

How can I cite a book chapter I wrote, but was betrayed over?

artdesk — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 17:51:53 -0800

In getting ready to update my CV for a big deal application, I just learned (via the table of contents view on Amazon) that I was dropped as the co-author on a book chapter that I wrote for a professor. What is the best way to put this on my CV, now that I know "in press" is replaced by "so long sucker"? And as a junior person in academia, how do I keep this from happening again? Extra info: I have changed fields significantly, so pushing this as an issue with Prof. X will not help me and is something I'm not interested in. Also, I had filled out papers with the publisher early on, and had moved departments in the institution, so I suspect when it came time to sign the final papers he was either too lazy to coordinate it to keep me, or he had always planned to drop me and did so.

BTW, I think the chapter wasn't that great (since I wrote it), and don't terribly mind not having my name on it. I just don't want to put that much work into something again and lose out on the credit.

Author #47 out of 169

googly — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 10:20:47 -0800

How I do I cite a massively multi-authored paper on my CV? I just learned that I will be included in the author list of two papers that will appear in Nature. There are more than a hundred authors, and I am not among the first 20. I know how I would cite these in a paper (Author 1, Author 2, et al), but how should I list these on my CV?

This sort of thing is very unusual in my discipline (social sciences), in which conventions dictate that we keep author lists in order, e.g.:

Author 1, Author 2, googly, et al. "Blah Blah Blah" Journal of Blahdy-Blah

It would be strange to not have my name on the author list, and I would not be comfortable changing the order in a way that might give the impression that I am giving myself more credit than is due. Any suggestions?

Who wrote Blue in Green?

liminalrampaste — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 17:13:19 -0800

Did Bill Evans write Blue in Green, or did Miles Davis, or did they both? I'm a big fan of both Miles Davis and Bill Evans. And I've briefly read that there is some contention, partially based on changing album credits, about which of them wrote Blue in Green, or whether it was co-written, or what.

To my ears, which have spent a lot of hours absorbing Bill Evans records, it sounds more like something painted with Evans' palette, but Miles was a guy with a lot of tools.

I know that there are a couple of real jazz heads kicking around on MeFi -- do any of you know more about this?

I am an author; now how do I convince others of that fact?

googly — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:46:49 -0800

How do I best reflect my contribution to a multi-authored academic paper? I am a co-author on an academic paper in the social sciences that has a total of six authors. One author (I'll call him "Dave") and I have done the vast bulk of the writing and revising of the manuscript. This is agreed upon by all, as is the fact that Dave should be first author. The question is, how can we best reflect my contribution in the order of authors? The two common possibilities are second or last authorship, e.g.:

- Dave, Me, W, X, Y, Z, "Title." [This signifies my second authorship, but doesn't really distinguish me from anyone else].

- Dave, W, X, Y, Z, Me, "Title." [This distinguishes me, but my impression is that last author is often interpreted as a ceremonial role for a PI, and can actually imply that the person didn't contribute anything substantive at all].

I normally don't like to nit-pick about this kind of stuff, and honestly feel a bit silly even asking the question. Consultations with colleagues and Dr. Wiki haven't helped. But this is my first multiply co-authored paper, it will be placed in a very high-profile journal, and I want people to recognize that the ideas and analysis are mine and Dave's. My specific questions:

- Would second or last authorship better reflect the fact that Dave and I are the two primary authors of the article?

- We already specify the extent of my and Dave's roles in the authorship statement, but does anybody actually read these?

Innovative Book Designs

0bvious — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:37:46 -0800

Innovative Books: I am looking to compile a list of the most innovative uses of the book format. Books that break the mould in their layout and design, perhaps books that use online systems to extend their content value or push their form into new places. I am most interested in narrative and theory, but any book that is interesting (artist books etc.) would be really appreciated. I have a few examples, in order of publication, to set the ball rolling:

Compendium for literates : a system of writing by Karl Gerstner - A book about book form in an innovative form. Beautiful and still fresh

Dictionary of the Khazars: a lexicon novel in 100,000 words by Pavic - a 'dictionary novel' "written in two versions, male and female, which are identical save for seventeen crucial lines"

A Humument: A Treated Victorian Novel by Tom Philips - an artist who has used one particular edition of one particular book as a space for his work for many years

The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet by Reif Larson - extended use of footnote, side-note and illustration to give the narrative dimension

I would love any ideas you have!

What is this grotesque, possibly German short story?

bubukaba — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 17:53:30 -0800

Help me remember the name and author of this short story. The pathetic male main character is abused and humiliated by an abusive female character (his wife, I think). The culmination involves some sort of grotesque and humiliating performance by the main character at a party, arranged by the wife. I vaguely remember the author being German (though I could be wrong), and I read it in an anthology, so it's probably by someone pretty well known.

Posthumous authorship

RockyChrysler — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 20:25:20 -0800

James Agee's A Death in the Family was complete posthumously by a friend. Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible was completed posthumously by his cohorts. Mozart's Requiem was completed posthumously by his contemporaries. Help me brainstorm other incomplete works finished by others after the author/composer/creator died.

Authenticity and Authorship in Classical Chinese

kensanway — Tue, 10 May 2005 23:33:09 -0800

I'm writing a paper about Classical Chinese norms of authorship disguised as a legal article about Intellectual Property. I'm looking for a citation on the following story: Chinese painters (or calligraphers) would apparently purposefully ruin their authenticating stamps, so that the resulting flaw would result in a harder-to-forge mark. Does anyone know where this is from? I'm generally arguing against William Alford's explanation in TO STEAL A BOOK IS AN ELEGANT OFFENSE--a fairly unnuanced generalization of Chinese culture, roughly summarizable as "Hey the Chinese love copying!" My paper's a little complex to explain here, but I'm basically saying that (1) the Chinese did have a limited notion of authorship, enough of a concept that they would want proper attribution; and (2) what we see as copying in chinese arts could be likened instead to manipulation of genre conventions or referential (post)modernism, something we see in the West, whether in the form of The Waste Land or Q. Tarrantino movies.

I'm mainly interested in finding the origin of this authenticating stamp story, but if you know offhand of any other interesting things to look at, feel free to divulge (regarldess of the relevant American IP norms! Ha ha!)