Truth, Lies & Other Inconveniences
LatestWhat Does ‘TRUTH ISN’T TRUTH’ Mean?
“One must use a brazen lie to convince people of a reality of a higher and deeper order.” Jean Cocteau Over the course of the last thirty years, I’ve written many pieces about truth. Truth in law. Truth in court. Truth by...
Nonfiction
LatestDo we cross an ethical boundary by revealing private information in nonfiction writing?
“I read the newspaper avidly. It is my one form of continuous fiction.” Aneurin Bevan Nonfiction writers have, for centuries, published long-form pieces that revealed the personal lives of people—usually with their...
Novels
LatestIs it Ethical to Steal Another Writer’s Words?
“Originality is undetected plagiarism.” William Inge T.S. Elliot[1] famously said, “Mediocre writers borrow, great writers steal.” As always, he put it plainly. Ralph Waldo Emerson put it obliquely: “Commit a crime and the earth...
Historical Fiction
LatestIs Historical Fiction Ethical? Part Two.
“Your consciousness is your contribution to reality. What you perceive as real becomes real.” Rumi In Part One of this topic, I blogged about historical fiction—that is—fact or fiction. Do historical fiction writers tell the...
Humor & Poetry
LatestWhat are the Ethics of Poetry?
“Poetry is a raid on the inarticulate” T.S. Eliot “Poetry is what gets lost in translation.” Robert Frost Poetry is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language—such as phonaesthetics, sound...
Writing writ Large
LatestWhat Are the Ethical Liabilities of Writing
“Now I live in the company of a few disobedient words.” Karl Krolow The University of Richmond’s Writing Center affirms the ethical liabilities of writing on its home page.[1] Its writing faculty suggests writers focus not only...
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Blog Feed
Is Memoir Writing Truthful or Just Therapy?
“When I was younger I could remember everything, whether it had happened or not.” Mark Twain Given the ethical dilemma inherent in writing memoir, we should consult Mr. Merriam and Madame Webster to define the term rather than...
Read MoreIs Historical Fiction Ethical? Part Two.
“Your consciousness is your contribution to reality. What you perceive as real becomes real.” Rumi In Part One of this topic, I blogged about historical fiction—that is—fact or fiction. Do historical fiction writers tell the...
Read MoreIs it Ethical to Steal Another Writer’s Words?
“Originality is undetected plagiarism.” William Inge T.S. Elliot[1] famously said, “Mediocre writers borrow, great writers steal.” As always, he put it plainly. Ralph Waldo Emerson put it obliquely: “Commit a crime and the earth...
Read MoreDo we cross an ethical boundary by revealing private information in nonfiction writing?
“I read the newspaper avidly. It is my one form of continuous fiction.” Aneurin Bevan Nonfiction writers have, for centuries, published long-form pieces that revealed the personal lives of people—usually with their...
Read MoreAre There Ethical Norms in Fiction Writing?
“What can be said, lacks reality. Only what fails to make its way into words exists and counts.” E.M. Cicoran Ron Hansen’s[1] essay, “The Ethics of Fiction Writing,” is provocative and dead-on: “The first principle of the...
Read MoreWhat Does ‘TRUTH ISN’T TRUTH’ Mean?
“One must use a brazen lie to convince people of a reality of a higher and deeper order.” Jean Cocteau Over the course of the last thirty years, I’ve written many pieces about truth. Truth in law. Truth in court. Truth by...
Read MoreDo All Novelists Have Ethical Tricks of the Trade?
Probably. Well, it’s probable that all successful novelists, who’ve actually published novels, have tricks of the trade. It’s virtually certain that some novelists, particularly those who have not published one, are sans tricks...
Read MoreWhat are the Ethics of Poetry?
“Poetry is a raid on the inarticulate” T.S. Eliot “Poetry is what gets lost in translation.” Robert Frost Poetry is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language—such as phonaesthetics, sound...
Read MoreIs it ethical to use a real person as a major character in a novel?
It could be maddening. It was maddening at many levels when Alex Pheby,[1] the author of “Playthings,”[2] cast a famous schizophrenic as the major character in his novel. Catherine Lacy called the book “maddening” in her New...
Read MoreThe Ethics of Storytelling
The title, “The Ethics of Storytelling,” is not mine. It belongs to an author named Daniel Taylor. He wrote an essay in 1995 published in the Mars Hill Review.[1] He wrote about, but did not define the relationship between those...
Read MoreWhat Are the Ethical Liabilities of Writing
“Now I live in the company of a few disobedient words.” Karl Krolow The University of Richmond’s Writing Center affirms the ethical liabilities of writing on its home page.[1] Its writing faculty suggests writers focus not only...
Read MoreIs Historical Fiction Ethical? Part One
How much fact, how much fiction, and how to get it right.
Read More
About Gary L. Stuart
I am an author and a part-time lawyer with a focus on ethics and professional discipline. I teach creative writing and ethics to law students at Arizona State University. Read my bio.
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