Writing Book

[deecar69]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Missouri.

I want to write a book about my life which has been filled with abuse. Some of my family members and abusers are still alive. What are my rights? I never told anyone about the abuse when it was happening. No one was ever prosecuted for anything. Do I need to change names, towns, etc? Thank you

 

[Ohiogal]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Missouri.

I want to write a book about my life which has been filled with abuse. Some of my family members and abusers are still alive. What are my rights? I never told anyone about the abuse when it was happening. No one was ever prosecuted for anything. Do I need to change names, towns, etc? Thank you

You will want any book you write about true life reviewed by an attorney. You may want to change names/towns etcetera ...

 

[quincy]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Missouri.

I want to write a book about my life which has been filled with abuse. Some of my family members and abusers are still alive. What are my rights? I never told anyone about the abuse when it was happening. No one was ever prosecuted for anything. Do I need to change names, towns, etc? Thank you

Yes, you would want in your book to disguise any person who you are accusing of a criminal act if they have not been convicted of a criminal act or else you risk being sued for defamation.

It is best to write a fictional tale because if you write a story claiming it is true, those you are talking about in your book can be easily identified.

After you have finished your manuscript, you should have it professionally reviewed prior to publication so any legally problematic areas of your book can be edited. You should have insurance enough to cover the lawsuits that might arise over the content of your book.

 

[Silverplum]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Missouri.

I want to write a book about my life which has been filled with abuse. Some of my family members and abusers are still alive. What are my rights? I never told anyone about the abuse when it was happening. No one was ever prosecuted for anything. Do I need to change names, towns, etc? Thank you

Why not spend your energies working for justice and preventing further abuse by those vile people?

 

[deecar69]

Why not spend your energies working for justice and preventing further abuse by those vile people?

One, there is a statue of limitations of which mine is far past.
Two, some of them are dead.
Three, to tell my story is to purge myself of a poison that has been circulating in my body for my entire life.

 

[Zigner]

One, there is a statue of limitations of which mine is far past.

I'll address this: The statute (not statue) of limitations defines the time frame that you would have to sue them, or to take other action. If you publish something that is defamatory, the statute of limitations for the original act will in no way protect you from legal action. In fact, it will likely hinder your defense a great deal.

Three, to tell my story is to purge myself of a poison that has been circulating in my body for my entire life.

And this: Why do you need to publish the book if the sole reason for writing it is to tell your story in order to purge yourself of a poison? Perhaps therapy is a better option...

 

[quincy]

One, there is a statue of limitations of which mine is far past.
Two, some of them are dead.
Three, to tell my story is to purge myself of a poison that has been circulating in my body for my entire life.

I like Silverplum's idea. It is bound to have more of an impact on the lives of those who have been abused. You might find journal writing more therapeutic than writing a book that puts you at risk of a lawsuit.

It is very very hard to write a true story without attracting the attention of those who have been involved in your life - and not all of this attention will be good. You can easily offend those in your life with your depictions of them.

There are defamation and invasion of privacy (publication of private facts) claims that can result, and have resulted, from true stories of abuse. The book must be crafted very carefully to avoid (as much as an author can) legal action.

As a note, this subject has been covered quite frequently on this forum and in some depth. When I have time, I will post back with links to those threads so you can read through them.

 

[deecar69]

I'll address this: The statute (not statue) of limitations defines the time frame that you would have to sue them, or to take other action. If you publish something that is defamatory, the statute of limitations for the original act will in no way protect you from legal action. In fact, it will likely hinder your defense a great deal.



And this: Why do you need to publish the book if the sole reason for writing it is to tell your story in order to purge yourself of a poison? Perhaps therapy is a better option...

Someone asked "Why not spend your energies working for justice and preventing further abuse by those vile people?" To which I replied regarding the statue of limitations. I was not stating in any way that it protected me from legal action. And actually in the result of sexual abuse many states have changed their laws regarding the statue of limitations to include such verbiage as "from the time the victim realizes their injuries are a result of sexual abuse". In my case, I didn't block out the abuse though.

As for why do I need to write the book. It is evident in just that small sentence that you have no clue the damage done to a person. I have been through extensive therapy which is why I can even write about it at all. Part of the stigma and the shame is keeping silent about the abuse. Why should I have to keep it quiet? Why can't I tell my story? Why should they always be protected? My life was all but destroyed because of the abuse I suffered. I am now strong enough to face my past, my demons and my abuse. THAT is why I need to write my story. To educate others that this abuse happens in all walks of life and it doesn't just affect the child during childhood. It colors every choice they make for the rest of their lives.

 

[deecar69]

I like Silverplum's idea. It is bound to have more of an impact on the lives of those who have been abused. You might find journal writing more therapeutic than writing a book that puts you at risk of a lawsuit.

It is very very hard to write a true story without attracting the attention of those who have been involved in your life - and not all of this attention will be good. You can easily offend those in your life with your depictions of them.

There are defamation and invasion of privacy (publication of private facts) claims that can result, and have resulted, from true stories of abuse. The book must be crafted very carefully to avoid (as much as an author can) legal action.

As a note, this subject has been covered quite frequently on this forum and in some depth. When I have time, I will post back with links to those threads so you can read through them.

Thank you, those would be quite helpful. As I research the legalities there are many conflicting answers. The more knowledge the better equipped I am to make decisions.

As for offending people, well that doesn't bother me to be honest. Those who would be offended need to take a hard look in the mirror and ask themselves why they sat on the sidelines and ignored the warning signs. Or why they ran away and left me there. Or why they didn't do something when I did tell. No, I'm not worried about offending anyone. I believe I've suffered enough by worrying about how everyone else felt and not wanting to hurt them.

 

[Silverplum]

Someone asked "Why not spend your energies working for justice and preventing further abuse by those vile people?" To which I replied regarding the statue of limitations. I was not stating in any way that it protected me from legal action. And actually in the result of sexual abuse many states have changed their laws regarding the statue of limitations to include such verbiage as "from the time the victim realizes their injuries are a result of sexual abuse". In my case, I didn't block out the abuse though.

As for why do I need to write the book. It is evident in just that small sentence that you have no clue the damage done to a person. I have been through extensive therapy which is why I can even write about it at all. Part of the stigma and the shame is keeping silent about the abuse. Why should I have to keep it quiet? Why can't I tell my story? Why should they always be protected? My life was all but destroyed because of the abuse I suffered. I am now strong enough to face my past, my demons and my abuse. THAT is why I need to write my story. To educate others that this abuse happens in all walks of life and it doesn't just affect the child during childhood. It colors every choice they make for the rest of their lives.

Alrighty, then. Do exactly as you please.

 

[Zigner]

Someone asked "Why not spend your energies working for justice and preventing further abuse by those vile people?" To which I replied regarding the statue of limitations. I was not stating in any way that it protected me from legal action. And actually in the result of sexual abuse many states have changed their laws regarding the statue of limitations to include such verbiage as "from the time the victim realizes their injuries are a result of sexual abuse". In my case, I didn't block out the abuse though.

As for why do I need to write the book. It is evident in just that small sentence that you have no clue the damage done to a person. I have been through extensive therapy which is why I can even write about it at all. Part of the stigma and the shame is keeping silent about the abuse. Why should I have to keep it quiet? Why can't I tell my story? Why should they always be protected? My life was all but destroyed because of the abuse I suffered. I am now strong enough to face my past, my demons and my abuse. THAT is why I need to write my story. To educate others that this abuse happens in all walks of life and it doesn't just affect the child during childhood. It colors every choice they make for the rest of their lives.

You need more therapy - really. Hurting others because of the hurt they caused you is not a healthy response (although it is a totally understandable one.) Hurting the folks that hurt you will not bring peace to your life.

 

[Zigner]

I am now strong enough to face my past, my demons and my abuse. THAT is why I need to write my story. To educate others that this abuse happens in all walks of life and it doesn't just affect the child during childhood. It colors every choice they make for the rest of their lives.

You previously stated that your purpose was not to help others, rather, it was to cleanse yourself. You need to find peace, not open more wounds.

 

[deecar69]

Alrighty, then. Do exactly as you please.

Wow, looking back at some of your replies on other postings you are a very caustic person. So if someone doesn't agree with you, your posts turn pretty pissy. NICE.

Will I do as I please. Yes I will. But I will also make sure it is done within the confines of laws and within reason.

When you are responding to someone dealing with an abuse situation, you might want to hold your tongue a bit and think about the ramifications your tone may have on that person. They most likely have already dealt with rejection, belittling, and other blows to their confidence. They fact that they are taking a chance by coming here and asking questions is testament to the strength they don't know they possess.

 

[deecar69]

You previously stated that your purpose was not to help others, rather, it was to cleanse yourself. You need to find peace, not open more wounds.

I understand what you are saying. But sometimes you have to rip a band aid off and let the wound breathe in order to heal. I spent my entire life protecting these people. And in a way, I'll still have to protect them when I write the story, unless they all die before I publish it.

Why do you think so many write about their abuse stories? Why do you think there are so many books on the shelf? Not everyone feels the need to do this, but those of us that do, well it's cathartic, but many of us hope that we reach someone, help someone, educate someone.

 

[quincy]

...

As for offending people, well that doesn't bother me to be honest. Those who would be offended need to take a hard look in the mirror and ask themselves why they sat on the sidelines and ignored the warning signs. ...

Actually, it is the "offending people" part that you need to worry about. Those who are offended by the contents of your book may not look in the mirror but rather they might look for a lawyer.

Here is one link to a previous thread from this forum and I will add more threads later:

https://forum.freeadvice.com/copyri...without-getting-into-legal-issues-372946.html