10 Responsibilities Writers Should Take Note Of
1. You have to take responsibility for what you say, as much as you take ownership of what you write. That means if you inspired another to detonate a bomb, whether this person was in a healthy mental state of mind or not, you have to be accountable. That’s not to say assume all the guilt, but it is to say be mindful always. Words have power, that you as a writer, give them, they can heal or destroy; what choice will you make for your words?
2. There is researching and being inspired, and then there is down right thievery. Picasso said, “Good artists copy, great artists steal” but did not mean it literally. Always pay homage to the works of other writers by quoting them and using citation. To take another’s concept and improve upon it making it indistinguishable from it’s original state isn’t down right thievery and is acceptable. Take responsibility when using the work of others to do the right thing; plagiarism is illegal when it infringes on another writers’ intellectual property rights, copyright and trademark.
3. Be responsible enough to check your sources and references when disclosing a truth or something factual or statistical. It’s inevitable you will more often than not find opposing views on the same topic, but that’s when common sense has to come into play and perhaps even checking the credibility of the reporter if need be.
4. Know that what you say, doesn’t always directly affect you and you alone, but can quite possibly affect your family and friends as well. Have you ever felt the need to delete a long-time friend on Facebook for an opposing or radical view they had and revealed on Facebook, that made you question if you ever even really knew them at all to begin with? Or perhaps maybe you received some ill treatment or unfavorable commentary because your spouse wrote something distasteful on a forum or social website or blog. Be responsible for what you write because it doesn’t necessarily only affect you.
5. It may seem like long shot but editing and grammar are significant when it comes to responsibilities of a writer because what you write is just as important as how you write it. Readers judge you on how you write, it can exude your educational level, and quite frankly if you aren’t coherent and your writing isn’t an easy read, your writing simply won’t be read.
6. It is your responsibility as a writer to remain tactful and in good taste when it comes to responding to your critics about your writing. If you believe in freedom of speech, you should extend the courtesy to those who find fault with your work as well. Let them say their peace, don’t take it to heart, not everyone will admire or appreciate your work, so what? Is it causing you any harm or discord in your life? You wasting energy responding in expletives to your critics could run off your fan base or other potential readers and responders. “Be kind to unkind people. They need it the most.” ~Dalai Lama XIV Check out: Critics, Haters and Constant Debaters, Why You Ought to Love Them.
7. Protecting your writing. Be sure you write your name on every publication you put out and even © if need be, whether publishing in print or online.
8. Your response, this is beyond your control, and maybe there is no way to prepare for an astronomical response or no response whatsoever to your work, and that’s not to say don’t have expectations, but you never know how a written work or publication will do. Never count your chickens before they hatch as the old adage goes, but know there are steps you can take to gain a bigger audience for your works, or if your response is beyond your wildest dreams and you are suddenly flung into a multitudinous frenzy of book publishers hurling book contacts your way, you can always hire a publicist and lawyer to help you navigate those hurdles.
9. Your rejections. Taking ownership or responsibility for your rejections is no easy task, but the key is to never give up, it’s like finding your prince or princess, you either have to kiss a lot of frogs or a lot of booger-wolfs before you find your perfect mate, a.k.a. book deal or publisher. If you didn’t adhere to the company’s or website’s publishing policies or writing criteria, be it word criteria or format, you have to own your mistake and try to do better next time.
10. Where you publish your works is just as important as what you publish and should perhaps sit hand in hand. It’s best to make sure what you publish and where matches the target market of the website or publishing company, otherwise your writing may fall on deaf ears or not gain a big readership. This is a mistake I make time and time again, however, it can still work out for you in the sense you may draw in your target market in the future and at least it lends you a bigger and stronger presence on the web.
Happy Writing & Write Responsibly!
