Can I Use Other People's Names & Stories? eBook Excerpt

You'll Love This eBook Excerpt If:

• You are writing a nonfiction memoir or life story
• You are a fiction writer writing about real people
• You're curious about invasion of privacy or libel

Whether you are writing a memoir (nonfiction) or writing about real people in your fiction novel, when you read Can I Use Other People's Names & Stories?, an excerpt from Beginning Writer's Answers Book you'll get the answers to common questions such as:

• Do I need the permission of a corporation to publish an article or book about it?
• Can I base my fictional characters on real people if I change their names?
• Can I use the names of famous people in my fiction?
• Do I have to obtain a release from other family members when writing a personal memoir?
• Could a person actually named Ray Bradbury or Ann Landers publish work under that famous name?

A Frequently Asked Question From This eBook Excerpt:

Can I base my fictional characters on real people if I change their names?

Even if you change their names, real people might think readers would recognize them, and therefore they might consider your work an invasion of their privacy. If these people believe they are shown in an unfavorable light, they might sue for libel. It's safer to make a composite character with traits and characteristics culled from several people. It's more creative to alter the events and characters of real life, since they are rarely suitable for use in fiction without some authorial manipulation or adaptation.

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