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This will probably get me into a LOT of trouble. A LOT. I'll probably regret it. But everyone in the industry is talking about it, along with many, many blog travelers. This thing has grown so huge, it made national news, and even roofers are asking me about it. Huh. Some of my friends and readers are confused about what's going on and the story is too long for me to keep repeating, and directing them onto the net only invites more confusion, and they come back to ask me even more questions.
Finally, I don't want to end up with some kind of off-handed one-note reply due to overtaxation of repetitive telling. This is what I call brain plaque.
What's brain plaque? Well. If someone in your family has a major knee surgery and has to be on crutches and wearing a knee brace for six weeks, you'll understand. Brain plaque is when you hear the same story of "what happened to your knee?" being told to friends and strangers over and over and over while you politely stand there holding the teacup, the bag, whatever that you're helping the poor invalid to carry to his truck WHILE YOU ARE RUNNING LATE AND NEEDING TO GET SOMEWHERE and you're too damn nice to cut into the middle of the sympathy-fest.
:-)
But I digress. I was going to plunge onto the sword, get myself into trouble, make lots of fangrrrls burn effigies of me. Or draw cartoons of me making fun of the name my non-English speaking mom gave me and even the country I'm from. Oh, I've seen those cartoons; I know they're out there.
Sheesh. I must be a coward. I'm going off topic again.
Okay, this is for those of you who have been asking me, "What's going on with the Cassie Edwards plagiarism thing in the papers and news? I'm confused. Is Nora Roberts suing Cassie Edwards for plagiarism? I didn't know Nora Roberts write historicals!"
Yes, news get thwarted and blogs spread wrong information and just a little tweak can lead to lots of misunderstanding about the facts.
Okay, events are as followed, based upon my faulty memory (WARNING: much use of the !!!!!! to denote urgency/loudness/agitation/fervent adulation of characters and state of minds):
Place: Romancelandia, a magick kingdom on the Internetz, a virtual world where minds communicate
Time: A week ago
Cast of characters:
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, a romance review site
Chorus (Usually a bunch of voices on stage singing the role of the Fates)
Google (the Oracle of Romancelandia, invoked to give information, some of which are a bit weird. Like Goatzse, for example, which is NOT part of this story)
Bloggers and their grandmas
Jenny Crusie, a Big Author, with followers called Cherries
Diana Gabaldon, a Big Author, with followers called the Ladies of Lallybroch
Nora Roberts, known as La Nora, a Big Author. Her followers chant WWND (What would Nora do?) La Nora is also known as the Voice of Romance.
RWA, Romance Writers of America, a powerful guild of 9000
Mrs. Giggles, ancient romance reviewer who has journeyed to and earned a seat in the Westlands of Powerful Voices
Black-footed ferret, one of the noted research subjects taken from the text, here symbolizing...something profound, like a B Sci-fi horror movie.
(Blue skies. Distant thunder rumbled.)
(If you are reading aloud, you have to start soft and get to the top of your voice later....)
(A large stage. Very large. Only a few people on it right now. You have to imagine more and more people filling this stage as events rush to a climax.)
1) Smart Bitches explained that they sent examples of good and bad romances to a non-romance reading friend. One of CE's books was in the "bad" romance pile. "Dude, read these and be one of us!"
2. Friend started reading. The language and style of those odd Edwards passages that sound like an encyclopaedia-in-weird-noblesavage-talk seemed odd to her. "Dude, lemme Google some of these passages."
3. Chorus : "Oh Nos! Passages were direct transcription of out-of-print and out-of-copyright research books on Indian and wildlife cultures!"
(Rumbling of thunder more distinctive)
4. Smart Bitches called upon Google for the truth about other passages from other books.
Chorus: "Oh Nos!! More direct transcriptions from other important research books, some still in copyright!"
Smart Bitches: "Ding, ding, ding! Plagiarism, everyone!"
(A clap of thunder) (Sounds of feet thumping backstage)
5. 1,001 bloggers and their grandmas expressed horror!! Links to the SB blog brought major SB enemies and haters into the fold. Hate ensued!
Chorus (mezzo-loud): "Hate plagiarism! Hate SBs! Hate mean girls! Hate, hate, hate!"
6. Jenny Crusie posted on SB board: "Did Cassie Edwards run over your dog?"
7. Chorus (louder): "Oh Noes!!! 1,000,001 posters and their grandmas dissected Jenny Crusie's comment." Hate ensued. "Hate plagiarism! Hate JC!! Hate mean girls! Hate, hate, hate!!"
(People on stage running around, holding their heads) (thunder rumbling away merrily) (drizzling)
8. Meanwhile, SB sent their finds to CE's publisher, Signet. Signet sent back snotty letter: "Yo, iz cool. Romance books aren't like academia, you know. We stand by our author, CE."
(Lightning struck. Some of those on stage fall down, clutching their blackened heads)
9. Chorus (screaming): "Oh Noesssssss!!!" 5,000,0001 posters (yes, and their grandmas!) rose up from the darkness in horror, their voices bursting against the seam of bandwidth: "Dissing us????! Did they say romance readers are stupid????! Don't they know what plagiarism is????" Hate! Hate Signet! Let's boycott Signet!!!!
(Rrrrroooooooaaaar of apppproval!!!!!) (Stamping of feet!!!!!!!)
(A lone Signet author chimed in: Umm...who are you punishing again?)
10. Diana Gabaldon posted somewhere that it was okay to lift words from out-of-copyright public domain works and not cite.
Chorus (Screeching): "Oh noooooooes!!!!!!! De Diana Gabaldon?!!!!!!!" Many ///headdesking ensued. Very Loud Sad Elevator Music Booms in the background. More people on stage holding heads, tearing hair. Screams of agony.
Suddenly, a gong sounded.
11. Galley Cat picked up the story!!!! Associated Press picked up the story!!!!!!! Explosionzzz!!!!!!!
12. Cassie Edwards answered the phone, said she did nothing wrong, and handed the phone to her husband!!!!!!!
13. Chorus (hysterical): "Oh noessss! She handed the phone to her husband!!!!!!!!"
(background screams. Lightning)
14. Yahoo News picked up the story! CNN picked up the story! Another 1,000,0001 posters and their grandmas linked to the SB post. Much hate followed as newbies in different colored clothing rushed onto the stage from the audience, the aisle, the stage sides....
Chorus (so loud you have to cover your ears): "Why are you attacking a 71 year old woman? Why are you always picking on her books? If they are so bad, why is she world famous and you aren't? Why do you have an agenda? What is the meaning of snarkiness and meanness?"
(Stage darkened. Sudden quiet. Lone spotlight comes on a woman of power.)
15. At which, Jennifer Crusie goes into deep philosophic shock (posted on her Arrrgh Inc blog): "I wuz a Snark Girl but bad things happened to me. I voweth to snark and be mean no mo! Look at those mean girls, with the blog I shall not name, and see how they are being called mean. Don't hate them for their meanness. Forgive them like you forgive me, because I used to snark so but I shall henceforth snark no more. Because look at the blog that I shall not name, looooooook! Bad things happen. And uh, plagiarism is bad, of course." (breaks the stone tablets...oops, wrong movie)
Spotlight jumps from one to other individuals on stage, wearing top hats, each yelling:
"Plagiarism is bad!"
"Did you hear? Plagiarism is bad!"
"I don't believe it, plagiarism is bad!'
"Plagiarism is bad?"
16. Yet another 1,000,0001 Cherries and their grandmas linked to the SB to check out the blog and told Her Crusieness that she was indeed right. "Plagiarism is bad. Mean girls are bad. Mean blogs are bad, bad, bad. Let's talk about the mean girls and not plagiarism because plagiarism is already bad."
17. At which, all the SB haters linked to Crusie's blog and declared, "Crusie is da Goddess! Crusie smacks down the SBs!!" Lots of Crusie love.
18. Fox News picked up the story!!!!!!!!!! OMG Publishers Weekly. OMG NYT! This is hugggggge news! Explosionzzzzzz!!!!!!!!
(All the lightbulbs on stage explode and glass shards fall down. Everyone runs around on stage, hands still on heads, bumping into each other)
19. RWA put out a grand public statement: "Umm. Ahem. Mumble. Wha..?"
20. La Nora Roberts, also Signet author, lifted her voice. "Silence! This is plagiarism!"
21. Cheers rose from one side. La Nora has spoken! Chorus chanting: "WWND? WWND? WWND?" Confetti.
22. SB haters sneers ensued. "We have Crusie on our side! And we have Mrs. Giggles!"
23. Mrs. Giggles: "Urm. I'm not siding with anyone. Sick of y'all. Leave me alone!"
24. Signet backpedalled with a Public Statement. "Okay, okay! Something needs to be done, okay?"
25. RWA sent out alert to members. "Okay, okay! We fucked up, okay? We'll not mumble any more." More folks are invoking The Oracle of Google (happy, happy Google) and more plagiarized passages are found in other CE books.
26. On stage: 1,000,000,0001 posters and their grandmas alternately cheered, wept, clapped their hands, screeched, shrugged, and scolded. Cassie Edwards fans trolled the different boards, mostly telling off a bunch of people about their need for a job and to go read something else. Academics are pulled in, wandering and wondering (who's Cassie Edwards again? Will she fund our future research?). Lawyers circled around the stage. Experts torpedoed onto the stage.
27. Authors and would-be writers on other boards are horrified at the SB's blog name. "Our image! They done destroy our image!!!! They should have kept all this undercovers, like a Sekret Trial!!!!!!! Wahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!"
(((Edited to add:
Chorus: Oh NOoOOoOOes!!!!! She plagiarized a Pulitzer Prize novel!!!! WTFBBQ?
The Ghost of Sinatra appears in corner of stage, stage-whispersinging: And now, the end is near....)))
Clap of thunder. It's raining heavily. Wind. Rain. Woooooooooshhhhhh. Manuscript pages flying in tornado like pattern. Spotlight follows a lone black-footed ferret slinking by.
28. End result so far:
Plagiarism is bad.
We are all individuals.
Cassie Edwards is a 71 year-old woman.
Mean girls have no reason to invoke the Oracle of Google unless it's to be mean.
Someone ran over someone's dog.
Jenny Crusie taught me a lot.
Diana Gabaldon not so much.
The fear of making fun of CE books is on me. No more making fun of CE books, except with some kind of asterisk ***.
***************
I hope I clarified the matter a little for you, dear readers. ;-)
**************
And oh. Just in case. I was only funning. Plagiarism IS bad. Making fun of a 71 year-old woman is bad. Unless, of course, she looks like Joan Rivers.
**************
From the ending of Stoppard's Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead:
Elsinore Montage.
We see Ophelia under water, drowned; and Laertes wounding Hamlet; and Hamlet wounding Laertes; and Gertrude collapsing, the posioned goblet falling from her hand; and Hamlet, dying, killing Claudius with his sword.
....
Player: Deaths of kings and princes...and nobodies!
(He gestures towards Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.)
...
Rosencrantz: That's it then, is it? (Pause) We've done nothing wrong. We didn't harm anyone, did we?
Guildenstern: I can't remember.
Rosencrantz: All right, then, I don't care. I've had enough. To tell you the truth, I'm relieved.
:both dies:
**************
Sigh. I'm in deep do-do, aren't I? Blame it on a rainy Sunday. I OD-ed on blogs.
Bear with me while I learn. The first button likes the POST. The second button likes the BLOG site. Please help me by "liking" me. Thanks!
89 comments:
i LOVE rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead :)
As soon as I finish laughing, I will reread again out loud. LMAO.
LMFAO. Best. Summary. Yet.
Actually, this was the best summary I've read on the subject and the most amusing. I realized how much I missed...and I'm grateful. *ggg*
a magick kingdom on the Internetz,
LOL@LOLSpeak! I luvz it.
Making fun of a 71 year-old woman is bad.
Ok I concede it's bad to make fun of an old woman but can you make fun of old women who hand the phone to their hubby?
I iz bad.
You iz funniest. I bow down.
LMAO. Priceless.
Ames sent me. This is the funniest and yet the best summary of the going ons that I've read. Thank you.
You, Meljean and Jenny C are prettymuch all that's needed to be read on this subject. lol.
Okay, that was hilarious. And props for giving credit to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead instead of just lifting from the story. Because, as we discussed, plagiarism is bad.
Sigh. Seriously, it's not that hard to SOURCE information. It's called END notes. Morons.
So long as you SOURCE the info, it's not plagiarism. You're giving credit, therefore NOT trying to pass the info off as your own. DUH!
Sheesh. A monkey with an MLA handbook could've told you that.
R&G -- lol!
Great summary. The last bit that came out has left me feeling just sad, all around, but this brought a huge grin.
Craziness!
Dude. You are incredible. Thank you so much for making me end my day laughing out loud!
That. Was. Awesome. Some serious OMGWTFBBQ shi-te. Now I got brain plaque.
Someone ran over someone's dog.
LMAO! Excellent summary.
LOL Straight and to the point. I liked the explosionzzzz. =)
OK that is the way news should be handled, you're much better than CNN and the NYT. But when was Hamlet involved again??? LOL
But where are the grandpas???????
I so love you, Jenn.
I'm sending a big sloppy kiss your way. LMAO
I cannot believe fandom_wank didn't get a part. Now that's just mean.
Bwahahahah! Oh Jenn, I lurve you.
You know I have never read anything by La Nora, weird but her stuff doesn't call to me.
I agree with Jordan. This is the best wrap-up around.
Oh, I'm in so much trouble....
Okay, I'm sitting here wiping tea off my screen and still laughing. That was the best summary of the whole situation that I've seen.
Well done.
How appropriate: I was listening to Stairway to Heaven as I read, and it reached the climactic ending just as I finished reading. :)
That's the best laugh I've had in a long time. And definitely the best run down of the score I've seen.
Love the sound effects!!! That rocked.
Priceless!
!!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Ur a genius.
Just one damn minute!
Crusie gets more play than I do.
Bitterly, Roberts stalks off to boil a puppy.
I am so coming after you.
To buy you a beer.
Because holy crap that was hilarious.
I think I choked on something. That was heeeelarious. The only way that would've been improved was if you'd thrown in the words "McCarthyism" and "witch hunt" more often.
Really, a shitstorm that has Mrs. Giggles repenting her shit-stirring ways has GOT to be a good one.
That was fabulous. I now want to go out and buy every book you have ever written, just because this was so great. Oh, and buy you a drink.
"Oh noessss! She handed the phone to her husband!!!!!!!!"
I hurt myself laughing at this because here in bizzaro reality world, the MAN always hands the phone to ME. He'd snort, roll his eyes and hang the phone up if I ever handed it to HIM.
great summary!
O.M.G. I about fell out of my chair laughing. Glad the boss is out of the office!!
Straight and to the point. Just like the Golden Globes without all of the hoopla. Love it!
~~wipes away tears~~
Jaysus, I laughed so hard I think I cracked a rib.
Grace
To SQ, no, just giving credit is not enough.
Fiction writers are supposed to incorporate research into the story using THEIR OWN WORDS. It's what we do.
They'll love it on Broadway! But will it play in Peoria?
Seriously, that was the long, hot shower I so needed after all this. Thank you.
Academics are pulled in, wandering and wondering (who's Cassie Edwards again? Will she fund our future research?)
omg ... Why do I continue to take big mouthfuls of tea while surfing? It only ever ends up on my keyboard and monitor.
This is marvelous!
Well done and SNAPS for you!
You're in trouble now, Jenn. La Nora is threatening your puppies!
Hey, I resemble that remark! If only someone WOULD fund me! ::sigh::
Hysterical GLow! Loved it!
LMAO! This needs to be published -- you should work it into your next book.
It was a shock to come home from work yesterday and see my Blog Email Folder full of comments.
Ha, welcome SBs! Trying to keep a low profile here, as you can see. SB Sarah, we'll have that beer in either Pittsburgh or San Fran!
Glad everyone's enjoying the play, except Nora. I'm sorry, Nora! Please move the puppy away from the boiling water! I promise to give you a bigger role next time. More confetti! Anything you want.
Thanks again, eweebodee, for visiting and commenting.
ROFL! Here through Bernita's link. :) Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
Angie
Too, too funny: you mean I could've avoided wading through the thousands and thousands of posts & comments and just come here instead. More banging of head insues.
I thought it was lovely, well-paced, snappy, to the point, no epilogue.
And I felt all the players had just the right amount of time. Perfect summary. Except there should have been more dogs. And,okay, more Nora.
I think it is only right that from hence forth you will summarize all romance blog fires for those who hath missed it the firt 100,000,0001 times around.
Go forth and be snarky.
Bravo!! Huzzah! Atta Girl!!
Aewsome!
or AwEsome if you prefer the more accepted spelling.
I LOVE Rosencrantz and Guilenstern are dead. I have the screenplay LOL. Crusie sent me from her blog and I'm SO happy I read it. Thank you. Thank you.
Found you via JC's blog. Glad I did!
I've somehow managed to stay out of the kerfuffle and refrained from posting anywhere about any of this...till now. But this....how can I remain silent?! This is the BEST thing I've read in days. Weeks. Maybe months. You rock!
Oh sweet baby Jesus you owe me a keyboard. That is the best summary I've seen on this whole thing. And the comment from Nora just f*ing capped it!!! THANK YOU!
LMAO!
i luuurve ur use of thunder...
didn't know WTH grandmas were doing until the end though :)
The Crowd roars with applause. But we wonder where the Dear Author Jane and Jayne characters were! :)
This was the best commentary I've seen in...God I can't even remember. And that's saying a lot with the CE mess and a presidential election on the horizon. Send this to Rolling Stone. They're the only ones who haven't chimed in with an opinion yet. Thanks for making me laugh so hard I cried.
The latest development in l'affaire Edwards is that we are showing our support for the black-footed ferret. (See the NEWSWEEK story by the author of the original piece she copied.) If you donate to Defenders of Wildlife through the SBTB cite, Nora Roberts has pledged to match up to $5000 of the contributions.
Not buying you a drink, but I just might send you a copy of The Elsinore Appeal.
As someone who was Googling like crazy all day when this started(slow work day), I have to agree this is the best summary I've ever seen.
I'm one of those lurkers who just had to come out for this one. LOL Thank you. :o)
Oh and I know exactly what brain plaque is. LOL
LMAO...that was soooo HELLA funny!
You're the best..our Asian Queen..we love Jen!
Wow. The Cherries are in town!
Thank you, Jenny, for dropping by. You and Nora commenting made it worth the whole procrastinating Sunday worthed it.
Hi to all the Cherries!
**********
I apologize to all the Janes for not including them in the "play." I should have. As Meljean wrote in her block, yeah, more cowbell!
Sigh, I meant BLOG, not block.
A perfect summation, and in my favorite medium.
I'll skip the thousands of articles and posts next time and just come straight here for the oracle to sum up the latest drama.
Thanks for the laugh
Picking on a 71 year old woman is bad! Did someone mug poor Cassie Edwards? The romance crowd is a tough, mean bunch. Copy a few, measly passages and it is no longer safe to walk the streets.
Sorry, I don't buy the poor, little old lady argument. Ms. Edwards is a writer whose work is being published. She is open to criticism about her work. She writes books that the Smart bitches think are bad. Obviously she has devoted fans that think her books are great. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Honestly, I understand the failure to cite non-fiction sources. I have attended too many college classes. A lot of people don't understand that they should cite sources and use quotation marks. Taking passages from other fictional works is more damning.
There is a lesson to be learned by all, including Ms. Edwards.
Plagiarism is bad!!!! Just joking. Writers, artists, musicians, George Harrison, et al need to be careful. They are influenced by other writers, artist, musicians et al. Honestly, I am more bothered by the writer who borrows a plot from another writer, than I am by a few measly black foot ferret passages.
Hell, I am pissed at the favorite writer who borrows a little heavily from her earlier stuff. Unless, of course, they do a better job than the original work. Then I love it. Just keep it fresh and try a little originality and individuality.
I came in about the time La Nora did, looked around, saw a bar brawl in progress and left.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! (!!!!!) for the delightful summary.
Now I have to go read it again.
SQ said :: Sheesh. A monkey with an MLA handbook could've told you that.
You know...that is not a bad idea. Monkeys could be the new copyeditors.
I LOVE this...almost as much as the new rumor sure to circulate that la Nora is boiling blog-dogs and passing out c-notes to ferrets.
OMG that was so funny.
By the way the link to your web site does not work because there is a comma after the www instead of a period.
Oh, look! It's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Whoo hoo! Rosencrantz!
That. Was. Brilliant. Now I don't have to troll the blog world to find out what really happened.
Did I miss something?
Who is Jenny Crusie?
Bob
aka Bob
ROFLMAO! This was just too too funny. Thanks so much for bringing some reason to all this with truly refreshing humor.
Thanks, Terri, I fixed it.
BOB! Always trying to make trouble, you.
Good to see you here, Caridad.
I should edit to add that everyone and their grandma have linked to this play too ;-).
Am I reading Lysistrata, or a commentary on contemporary Romancelandia scandals?
Delightful! Couldn't stop laughing.
Gennita, thanks for the laughs. I won't offer to buy you a drink the next time we're together. Food is the ticket, right? I know the way to your heart and you deserve some great reward after this!
O. M. G.
Gayle! I'm officially on Gush Status.
Thanks for coming by, Gayle, and yes, you have seen me and my TINY food plate, haven't you? Heh.
Well written!
Gennita,
You rock like a rocking thing! My poor husband wants to know what's so funny, but there's no way I can explain it.
Thanks for the laughs tonight.
Kim:)
I was directed to this site and OH MY GOSH! Rare talent you have there, woman! And you summed it up better than I have heard to date. You rock. Perfection.
Thank you-it all makes terrible sense now.
Can you do the presidential election next please, I don't understand that either..
Brava! You've conflated everything into one easy to understand package, with popcorn and extra butter!
Well done!
And the winner for best get-a-grip blog written by one of our own and thereby proving once and for all that Romance Writers Are Smart Bitches Too....Gennita Low! (1,000,000,001 screaming, fainting, crying Gennita lovers and their grandmas bring the Bloghouse down.)
Bless you, Gennita. And your little dog, too.
Gennita, Gennita. I want to know when you get any roofing done. Bless your warped little heart for brilliantly stating the overstated and making so many eyes water with glee in the process. I luvs you - and what the hell - I'll admit it. I luvs ferrets, too.
Thanks for dropping by again, everyone. I really didn't expect so many people to hear about this!
Kathleen E., LOL at the 1,000,0001 GLow fans and their grandmas. I wish!
Cindy! My warped little heart is glad to see you here, darlin'. And yes, roofing in the heat has warped my mind too!
OMG!! The ghost of Sinatra! He could sing, "That's Life"
This is too good.
*Encore!!!*
Brilliant! Now that I've found you, I have to go read everything else you've written ;-)
Loved it!!! The only thing that I would have added would be the crucified guys at the end of Life Of Brian. "Always look on the Briiight Siiiide of Life, do-do do-do-do-do-do-do."
You've got a screenplay here! Send it to Hollywood - they eat this stuff up :)
Thanks for the laugh, and putting the entire ordeal into the perspective it belongs.
That was some awesome work Gennita, I have just re-read for the second time and still have the giggles!
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