And other writers own theirs.
At the start of the new year, several accounts reported how many works of literature had just passed into the public domain.
After nearly a century of ownership by the authors and their heirs, such works as Agatha Christie’s The Murder on the Links, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan and the Golden Lion, and the song “Yes! We Have No Bananas” became public property.
But until January 1 those authors’ long-ago writing, like your writing, remained their personal possession. If someone else wanted to use more than brief portions, they needed to ask.
Imagine your reaction, tomorrow morning, if you found at your breakfast table a stranger who’d let herself in and helped herself to your pantry. Or if your neighbor found you rummaging through her cupboard. For writers, both instances are called plagiarism.
If you want to borrow an ingredient for a recipe, just ask. Most neighbors will usually say yes.
And remember to say thanks.
