Bill Conrad's Blog, page 29

Motivation

In any story, it is essential to identify and promote a character’s motivation. Readers and movie watchers get upset (or confused) when a character does something for no apparent reason. Let’s write a basic example. Bob kisses Sally. In our society, kissing somebody is a big deal. This meaning behind this simple gesture can range from a timid expression of friendship to a hostile attack.
The problem with the above example is that the reader has no context. Was bob messing around? Did he love Sally, and this is his first attempt to express his desire? Or is Bob crazy? The fundamental question is: what is Bob’s motivation to kiss Sally?
For this blog, I wanted to go over the motivation types and then explain why they are not always correct. To do this, I did a bit of research and found the following site:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/bl...

External Incentives
This motivation is a core part of our personality: money, sex, power, and control. If you work for me, I will give you food.

Avoiding Losses
This motivation is a bit sneaky. We try to keep what we have.

Hitting Rock Bottom
A tripping point occurs where we force ourselves to make changes.

Intrinsic Motivation
A basic desire to make ourselves better.

Maintaining a Positive Self-Image.
People have an extreme desire to fit in and feel good about themselves. This is why we give money to homeless people. Teenagers live in a world fill with this motivation.

Self-Validation
There is a primal part of us that has to prove we are correct.

Curiosity
What is inside the mystery box? Curiosity drives us to do crazy, dangerous, and stupid things. The opposite of curiosity is boredom or disengagement.

Autonomy
People like to feel in control and will do anything to stay in control.

Current Mood
People like to blend in with their peers. For example, when people feel threatened, they are much more responsive to negative information.

Other People
We care about other people’s opinions and desire their respect.

Revenge
Getting even is an enormous driving factor in life and story. I wrote an entire blog on this motivation, and it was the inspiration for this blog.

Patriotic
We do things better over here.

Religion
It is an honor to follow the golden path (or at least what people tell us is the golden path.)

Stupidity
Sometimes, we do not understand what we are doing, and we can blunder into situations.

Now that we have the motivation framework, I wanted to share two actual events that do not fit into the neat boxes. When my father attended High School, the girls began leaving lipstick kiss marks on the bathroom mirrors.
The principal sent home letters, had an assembly to discuss the matter, posted people to the bathroom, offered incentives to stop, posted the names of girls that were caught, and threatened to close the bathroom. Looking at the above list, we see: External Incentives, Avoiding Losses, Intrinsic Motivation, and Maintaining a Positive Self-Image.
What is the girls motivation to continue? Maintaining a Positive Self-Image, Current Mood, Other People, Revenge (on the authority who wants them to stop them), and Curiosity.
The efforts failed, and the kissing continued. As a last desperate measure, the principal rounded up “the usual suspects” into the bathroom and had them watch how much effort it took to remove the marks. The janitor soaked his sponge into the toilet and then proceeded to clean off the marks. The principal had not been aware of the cleaning method.
The girls were horrified, and the marks stopped. What was their motivation? That is difficult to pin down. Perhaps Avoiding Losses (maintaining good health) fits that bill. This is an unconventional motivation, and this type of motivation is unlikely to occur in a book or movie. Why? It is too complicated and esoteric.
About 15 years ago, I was working at a company that had a location in the high desert. A miserable remote place that nobody wanted to drive to. As a result, the employees who worked there every day felt they could do whatever they wanted because they were impossible to replace.
I occasionally had to go there to perform tests. While I had a friendly relationship with those employees, they let me know that I was a small fish in their big pond. As a result, they had a lazy attitude, and an hour-long test took days for them to set up.
To help the situation, I bought them lunch and doughnuts. Whenever they had a question for me, I instantly helped them out. What else could I have done? My only option was to go to my boss and have him go to their boss. Others unsuccessfully tried this approach.
I accepted my fate and began bringing books to read while they took their time to set things up. One day I brought up a company laptop to record data. Because of security, I could not connect it to their network and do my regular work. I brought along a DVD, and I began watching Shrek in an unused conference room.
Word quickly spread, and soon, 20 people were watching Shrek on my tiny laptop screen. The boss heard about my overt act, stormed in yelling. I explained that I had been on-site at 7:00 am, and the guys had not set things up for my test. I then explained that I could not do any of my work because of their network security policy. He blew up and yelled more. I countered, “What do you want me to do?” He yelled, “Turn off your damn movie.” “And do what? Stare at the walls?” We went around and around. Then he asked the guys why they had not been ready at the scheduled time. When they came up with terrible excuses, he blew up at them.
Result? I got my test done. After that, I brought a laptop and a DVD. The guys pleaded for me not to turn it on. Of all the possible motivations, Shrek proved to be the most lethal. How crazy is that? What is the basis of this motivation? Avoiding Losses? Not wanting the boss to yell at them? Umm, I guess.
The real motivation is that the boss did not want his boss to find out about his guys slacking off. He is Shrek’s true target. Still, the logic for this is not a straight line.
Life is not always as simple as a plot. People are vastly complex and also basic. We often take the path of least resistance and behave without logic. And yet, a book requires an obvious solid motivation to move the plot along. I find it interesting that the two are not identical.

Negative Blogs

Recently, a few people have commented that my blogs have gotten negative. Here are a few recent topics: Writing about superheroes is annoying. Bad book reviews. Complaining about “did.” In looking at these topics, I suppose I have dipped a bit too deep into the dark side. What is the origin of my negativity? In a recent blog:

http://interviewingimmortality.com/bl...

I revealed that by my 20s I had turned into a very negative person. Since then, I applied a lot of effort to change myself to be a better person. However, a negative aspect of my personality remains, and I should focus more on the positive aspects of life. Granted, this virus quarantine has made my outlook rather dreary.
I have selected several positive topics for my next few blogs. There is a problem with this choice. In the above blog, I delve into the concept that people like negative topics. For example, the recent Avengers movie was full of death, revenge, destruction, and spite. Did people like this movie? It was a worldwide hit with few complaints.
However, the movie would have been more pleasant if the Avengers cleaned up trash on the beach. Thanos could have used his Infinity Gauntlet to move lots of garbage. Everybody wins!
Obviously, that would not be an entertaining movie, but the point is still valid. People dislike constant negativity. A negative discussion goes on forever, a dreary film or a book that does not have a positive plot.
I supposed it would be nice to write about positive topics. No, that not the correct attitude. I will write positive blogs and like them!

My Daughter Kim

My second book has a lead character named Kim, and two weeks ago, I absent-mindedly called my daughter Kim instead of Kayla. Oops. She looked at me with an odd expression and then asked why.
I suppose it is natural for an author to think of a character is a real person. Everybody occasionally makes crazy mistakes. On the non-injury mistake scale, this one is a lot closer to a one than a ten.
Are fictional characters real? Sort of. A real actor portrays Luke Skywalker. Would it be as acceptable to call my daughter Princess Leia? If we watched the movie together, that might have gone over a bit better.
Does this mean I am a little too close to my characters? It probably means that I have a passion for writing, and my characters are deeply rooted in my mind. Or I am going stir crazy? That might be a better answer. Over the last few weeks, I did not have much human contact due to the quarantine. Perhaps my mistake is a symptom of this issue. Hmm. No, I am just a crazy author who makes mistakes.

I Told You So

For many, it feels great to see somebody fail and say, “I told you so.” Call it what you will; revenge, vengeance, comeuppance, karma, spite or the universe balancing good and evil. A fundamental part of us needs to see the other person, “get what is coming to them.” This drive is an integral part of the unpleasant aspect of our being. Even the nicest person loves seeing a bad driver get a ticket.
Why is the desire to get even so deeply ingrained into our lives? Why does seeing another person’s pain make us feel better? Can we turn it off? These are all profound questions that are far beyond this blog.
My teenage years had a few revenge moments that I now see as being unnecessary. Since then, I mellowed out and do not have the same deep drive to see people who wronged me feel pain. Yet, I based a few negative characters on real people.
For example, several jobs ago, I had a bad coworker. To be fair, he had many problems in his life and a difficult job. By going out of his way to make me look bad, I guess he filled some need. I based a fictional character on this real person. Is this my revenge?
I believe my choice to use him as a template helped me deal with some negative feelings. I suppose this is my form of therapy, which in actuality, is revenge on some level. Do I enjoy it when this character fails? Truth. Yes. Do I make a big deal about it? No, that would be petty.
In high school, I had an almost girlfriend and an actual girlfriend who broke up with me. In an upcoming book, I combined the two experiences into a fictionalized description. I suppose using this description is an attempt to get over a relationship and, in some ways, is healthy. I Being an author has some advantages.
Did I use their names or make an angry fictionalized description? Of course not. I do not want to be a spiteful person. However, I now understand that I did make a mistake. Stories generally read better when they are distanced from deeply personal real-life events.
What about my plots? While revenge certainly makes a great plot, I do not think they are enjoyable to create. Person A messes with person B. Person B does X to person A. Creating a book takes at least a year, and the author would have to have an angry mindset for the entire time. Not something I am looking forward to.
As a writer, I am not too fond of revenge plots. To me, it is too basic. Something bad happens to the good guy, and then for the rest of the book, the reader learns how he acts badly in return. I like more complexity. My goal to leave the reader (and the author) a better place by the end of the story.
For me, books are supposed to be fun. After all, there is an old Klingon proverb. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

A Bit of Information

In 1984, the Crack epidemic began. Crack is an addictive smokable form of cocaine. How do you make this terrible substance? Simple. Mix baking soda with water and cocaine. Dry, crush into ‘rocks’ and smoke.
Since 1984, the use of crack has destroyed millions of families. Nancy Regan took on this plague with her famous “just say no” campaign. Addicts spent (and continue to spend) billions of dollars to get high on crack. Their money fueled many organized criminals leading to additional problems. Today, millions of people use crack, and I am sure it will continue to be a popular drug for many years.
Cocaine has been available for centuries. From Wikipedia: “In 1569, Spanish botanist Nicolás Monardes described the indigenous people’s practice of chewing a mixture of tobacco and coca leaves to induce great contentment.” In the United States, Cocaine became popular in 1890-1900, which led to the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act. This required narcotics to be dispensed with a doctor's order.
I want nothing to do with drugs, and I choose not to write about people having fun while high. However, this topic made me wonder about the simplicity of the event. One day, somebody invented crack. The next day, the entire world changed. Just like Morse and his telegraph or Edison and his light bulb.
What would have happened if crack had been invented earlier? Let’s pretend somebody invented crack in 1920. The Roaring 20s would have been radically altered, and it is likely that alcohol prohibition would not have occurred. The nation of Columbia would have been the center of a huge crime wave. Organized crime in America (and the rest of the world) would have exploded (like in the 1980s.) The WWII/Korean/Vietnam Wars probably would have occurred, but the stoned soldiers would have been less effective, and some fighting would likely have occurred in South America.
The 1950s would have had a 1990s style homeless epidemic and a huge drug problem. As a result, the ‘soft’ 1060s marijuana/LSD “fight the power” “peace” counterculture movement probably would not have occurred. Instead, people would have focused on drug education, healing, and good health. The 1970s-today culture would have focused on education instead of disco/partying.
Perhaps 10 billion additional lives would have been affected, and Columbia’s history would be drastically different.
Let’s pretend somebody invented crack in 1950. The drug craze of the 80s would have occurred in the Doo-Wop era. Drug counterculture would have started early and been a lot more intense. The Korean/Vietnam War would have been different due to wacked out soldiers. The 1970s would have been the beginning of a healing stage, and Disco would have had softer sounds. Perhaps 5 billion more lives would have been affected.
Let’s pretend somebody invented crack in 2010. The 1980s drug problem, organized crime, and problems in Colombia would have been a minor speed bump. Nancy Regan would not have had anything to talk about. In the 1990s, the meth epidemic would have combined with crack to make an explosive epidemic. Today, we would be facing an epic drug problem (like we had in the mid-1980s.) Side note. Melania Trump says: “just say no.” Hmm.
The point of this blog is that the crack recipe is simple. Baking soda, water and cocaine. I find it amazing that this simple concept radically altered billions of lives. Yet, this sentence does not read powerful. Let’s try it again. Baking soda, water and cocaine. Nope. Nothing there. Alright. Let’s spice the sentence up. “Baking soda,” water and cocaine! I think that made the sentence read worse.
How does this sentence compare to others? Let’s compare it to one of mine. “Society is fast becoming a brilliant child with a short attention span.” Hmm. One might argue [please make this argument!] this is a better sentence. Let’s try the best (arguably) sentence ever written. “When I wrote the following pages, or rather the bulk of them, I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned my living by the labor of my hands only.” The sentence is the opening of Henry David Thoreau's Walden. Wow, no contest. That is a powerful sentence. Baking soda, water and cocaine? Ha! Not even a sentence.
Yet, a simple sentence has more destructive power than an atom bomb. “Information is power.” “The pen is mightier than the sword.” “What gunpowder did for war, the printing press has done for the mind.” -Wendell Phillips
We are now full circle. A simple concept can have a huge impact. It all depends on how, where, and when we choose to apply our ideas.

Enjoying the Story

I began writing with the underlying goal of creating three books and sending them to a bunch of publishers. Surely one would like my beautiful creations, and I would be rich. Otherwise, that would be the end of my writing journey. Unfortunately, my writing adventure did not follow this well thought out plan. I quickly learned that traditional publishing is not for the little guy, and self-publishing offered a slim chance at success.
What keeps me going? I am the type of person who needs to see something through. Yet, there is something else. I want to create stories of the kind that I would enjoy reading. These stories are now familiar, and I think about them often. Yet, they are unfinished, and I have many plans for their future.
During my endless self-editing, I get to relive the plot I created. At the moment, my main character is about to become a businesswoman with lots of work problems. She is going to use alcohol to overcome her stress.
While I wrote this section two years ago, I still look forward to reading it. How will she overcome her alcohol problems? While I know the answer, I always get a thrill from reading the solution. The feeling is similar to meeting an old friend and discussing past events.
Perhaps reliving an old plot is an odd motivation for a writer. I wonder what inspires other authors. Money? Fame? For me, the overall process is still fun because I genuinely like the story. I love it even more when others enjoy my efforts.

Superheroes

Of the fictional character types, superheroes fly to the top of the list. They rule all the categories, including bravery, appearance, strength, charisma, intelligence, health and speed. These abilities come at the cost because to exist, their outlandish plots and physical attributes violate every science rule. What about magical characters? They must take some categories? It is not even a contest. Harry Potter needs to cast a spell to be bulletproof. Superman just needs to wake up in the morning.
Why don’t we put superheroes into every story? Like all character types, superheroes have their marketing niche. In the 1950s, westerns ruled every media corner and have since declined. Remember all the 1980s detective shows? How about all the vampire movies in the 2000s? Zombies ruled the 2010s. Why did things change? Society gets tires of one genre and writers to adapt to the times.
Why don’t I jump onto the bandwagon and write a superhero book? I could call it Power-Bill. [Hey, that was an excellent pun. You should be laughing.] While I enjoy a few superhero movies, they are not my cup of tea. Why? I find it challenging to get into the concept. To explain why let me take a step back and define how all characters are created. First, we must establish their background, strengths, weaknesses, relationships, and issues. Superman is strong, fast, tough, and can fly. He loves Lois Lane, and he is powerless against Kryptonite. This concept seems like it has an reasonable foundation.
The problem comes when I try to relate a superhero to something. In the Superman universe, physics allows this being to fly. Let’s examine my foundation. I certainly cannot fly, and I know for sure that no other human can. Are the rules only altered for this one individual, or are there others who defy physics? Umm? I guess there are a bunch of super people. That way, Superman can have super friends and enemies. Does the reader have to understand how physics are altered? They are supposed to blindly accept (and not care about) the alterations the universe must undergo to make them possible. “Superman flew from the building to stop the flying airplane.” Next scene.
Every moment of my life has been spent obeying the laws of science. I would love to fly to work. Yet, I cannot, and neither can anybody else. What changes to the known universe are necessary in order to allow Superman to fly? What other science rules changed? Can he get a cold or would the viruses bounce off his blood cells as the bullets bounce off his chest? I cannot mentally construct something that would allow all that to occur.
Wait, a minute. I wrote books (in editing) with aliens. These creatures came right out of my imagination. Invented fact: My alien characters exist, and they came from another world on spacecraft that traveled faster than the speed of light. Truth: No alien has been conclusively proven to exist, and it is impossible to travel faster than the speed of light.
How did I make sense of this altered universe? Umm. I asked my readers to take a small leap of faith. My aliens are ‘people’ who live in another word. They have slightly different features that obey all the laws of biology. Going faster than the speed of light? Alright, that is a big leap of faith, and I did not attempt to explain the science.
How about Batman? He is a rich person without super-abilities and uses this wealth to fight crime with fantastic devices. Everything he does (mostly) follows the rules of physics. Umm. That concept still seems unrealistic. Why not pay somebody (like a private security guard) to fight crime? A million dollars buys a lot of rent-a-cops.
What about a halfway point? The characters in Guardians of the Galaxy movie (except for the last film) do not (really) have superpowers beyond their exaggerated natural abilities. To summarize, they were somewhat ordinary people on an adventure that nearly followed the rules of science. I still find this story difficult to relate to and let me explain why.
Here is my first Guardians of the Galaxy story. Character A is human man [insert long implausible backstory] character B is a green alien girl [insert long super-implausible backstory], character C is an engineered raccoon… Umm… The first half of the book is an interwoven complex back story. Readers would never accept such a book. To get around this issue, writers create a brief backstory and fill in the gaps over many books. Easy money!
I simply cannot write like that. “Hey, reader. Take this massive leap of faith.” I need to start off with a solid foundation that I understand, and only then will I attempt to create something that my readers might be able to relate to. Can I fake a background? Readers easily spot awful concepts. Not a good plan.
Do I respect superhero writers? Every genre has good writers and bad. I enjoy watching a few superhero movies, but I do not read superhero books. Yet, I grasp that writing is difficult, no matter what genre.
Superhero stories are not in my wheelhouse. Unlike Superman, I cannot take the leap.

Writing in Lockdown

In case you read this blog in the future, I wrote this particular entry during the 2020 virus quarantine. During this time, most people cannot go to work, and outside activities are limited. In my case, I work from home and rarely travel.
I equate this experience to the movie Ground Hog Day with Bill Murry. On weekdays, I get up at 6:00, start working, take an 11:15 lunchtime walk, and at 3:30, I turn off my work computer. I then turn on my home computer, edit my works, eat dinner, watch television and go to sleep. On weekends, I keep the same schedule without the work, the definition of stir crazy.
I miss movie theaters, eating at restaurants, buying junk at the swap meet, riding my bike, shopping, and seeing my parents/coworkers/friends/normal people. Everybody wears masks, which makes it look like a bad movie.
How is my writing going? To answer this question, I must rewind a year. I have been in an endless self-editing loop. When I finished editing a book, I have to start back at the beginning. Why? While editing, my abilities improve, which reveals new problems that need to be fixed. An annoying problem.
There is an upside to this unfortunate situation. By not commuting, I have more time to edit. However, editing is becoming monotonous, like a forced second job. Writing is losing its appeal.
Overall, my outlook is bleak because my future holds no vacations, trips, or events. I put my mountain bike in the guest bedroom along with my car cover. (Side note, I am going to defy a few rules and go on a bike ride Wednesday.)
It will be a long time before the world situation changes. Why not write about it? Start a new book? Turn this frown upside down? The next book that I want to write has some main plot problems that need to be worked out. I have been considering a book of short stories, but I recently realized that all the unrelated stories have similar plots. The overconfident guy learns the lesson. Hmm.
This blog entry has not been compelling. Wishy-washy. Undefined. These words describe what many people are feeling. Allow me to end this blog with a prediction. Lots more people are going to die, and I will be back at work in two months. October at the absolute latest. This blog reads like a bad ending to a bad story.

Trying to Be Offensive

In my early years, I did not have a lot of self-esteem and it took a lot of effort to reach my present level of confidence. What does this really mean? I manned up, became outgoing, talked to people, made mistakes, gained my voice, dated girls and formed my own opinions.
Looking back on my life, around my mid-twenties, I reached the zenith of this effort. What is the overall difference between 10-year-old Bill and 25-year-old Bill? The most significant change is he became more confident. What is confidence? One could argue that confidence is managing and encouraging offensive behavior. “I am right; you are wrong.” “You overcharge me.” “This is the way we are going to do things.” Young Bill would have never uttered such bold statements.
Is it wrong to be offensive? In this modern age, people need to push back, or society will squish them. Is the term “You overcharge me” offensive? Let’s take a review from the receiving perspective. An angry customer is complaining. While the tone may be pleasant, the negative intent is clear.
In my mid-twenties, I recall thinking about this very topic. I actively chose to put more negative emotions into my life. Even now, I view this uncomplimentary change as positive. Why? I needed to grow up, and I would not have gone far in life without this negative change.
From my mid-twenties on into middle age, I mellowed out. Life is too short to be upset about the little things. I am now a family man who is raising a wonderful daughter. This new person regrets some of his past arrogance and now tries to be a pleasant upstanding individual.
That is, until I start writing. In my past blogs, I revealed that timid books do not gain attention. Stories must be larger than life, unrealistic and controversial. Does this mean they are offensive? Some people are going to be offended, no matter what happens. However, a bold story requires genuinely offensive elements.
On the far end of the scale is a light romantic story with a timid hand-holding scene. “They briefly grasped hands to share their love.” Not too steamy. Yet, this simple statement could be considered radically offensive. “How dare you expose my children to public displays of affection!” A valid concern. Why? We must remember that not everybody can handle raw emotion, and people have different values. For example, the Amish certainly would not approve of affectionate public displays. Side note. How are Amish babies made? Some private hand holding must be going on.
My works contain murder, torture, intimate scenes, and underage relationships. I have already offended four people. Is this bad? I feel terrible about offending those people. Did I intend to make them upset? Of course not. I meant to write exciting books that people enjoy.
Many people go out of their way to act offensively, and they are clearly aware of their actions. For example, the television show South Park tries to be offensive in every episode. Their depiction of Barbra Streisand had a particularly mean streak.
I find it difficult to overcome my good nature and write (potentially) offensive scenes. When creating such works, I take great care to use minimal sex and gore. Besides, I explain their offensive action and, if appropriate show how their morals were corrupted and how society dealt with their horrific acts.
Let us not forget that life is offensive. Earth has (and will have) wars, famine, slavery, brutality, crime, corruption, bad parents, and inequality. Refusing to write or read about these real (offensive) topics cause people not to learn from past mistakes. For example, it is not a good idea to let a dictator take over a county. Why? [Insert your own fact-filled genocide description here.] That’s why.
Writing about offensive topics has always been entertaining. Take the movie Saving Private Ryan with Tom Hanks. The story is set in WWII (an event that really happened.) This fictional movie depicts real facts and then piles on a fictional story with more death. What did I think about that movie? I enjoyed every scene. However, my Uncle Al chose not to watch this movie.
Let’s examine that concept. My late Uncle Al was a big tough guy who saw lots of action in the Vietnam War. Why would a strong person like him get offended by a trivial movie? The answer does not matter. Al had the right to decide what hurt him. Would he recommend not making such movies? Probably not. He was well aware of what movies are popular and why people like them.
What do I say to the people I offended? I can only say that I am sorry. Should I keep apologizing? Should I stop writing? Should I only write fluffy good material? I simply need to deal with adverse reactions better. However, I know the difficulties of writing. On many occasions, I have wanted to give up. I choose to move forward with the knowledge that I will offend people. Dang, that is a hard pill to swallow.
What I need to keep in mind is that my works have also made people happy. I read many great reviews and encountered terrific people along the way. While this has been a 30% frustrating experience, it has also been a 70% positive one. Now, I need to concentrate on making it 71% positive.

Don’t Use Did

In my last blog, I ranted against the term raising awareness. Clearly a harmless blog. Its not as if that term is copyrighted or trademarked. Right? Actually, that term is part of many copyrights and trademarks, and I could have gotten into real legal trouble. Now, wait a minute. This is a simple blog with four regular readers that only discusses humble book topics. My most significant blog success attracted a whopping 21 views. Copyright and trademark holders clearly do not have the time to waste on me. Perhaps not.
Let’s pretend I ranted against a large corporation or made racial slurs. Understandably, such negative actions would attract censors. Perhaps an automated search would have uncovered my offensive statements and raised flags. The Facebook overseers might have removed the post.
Of course, I go out of my way to avoid negative/controversial topics. However, I could have accidentally written something genuinely awful. Yes, I might upset the entire internet and worldwide legal community by using the word “did.” What is so bad about this humble word? Words can be acronyms, and the word “did” is used by several organizations. Here is a list of groups that might get upset:

Department of International Development (UK government department)
Digital Image Design (Software Company)
Dissociative Identity Disorder (human psychology)
Damsels in Distress (Film)
Department of Irrigation and Drainage (Malaysia government department)
Dansk Ishockey Dommerklub (Denmark ice hockey)
Digitization and Interoperability Division (US Army data standardization office)

Does this mean that if use the blog title “What did I do last week” that the Malaysian Department of Irrigation and Drainage will send out a takedown notice? Of course not. They are a reasonable government organization with a common acronym and would take no action. After all, “did” ranks 107 out of the most used words and is clearly fair use.
https://www.sketchengine.eu/english-w...
Not so fast. It turns out that Dance India Dance (a competition reality show) is often referred to as DID. As part of their copyright protection efforts, they routinely take down titles with the word “did.” That cannot possibly affect my humble efforts. Well…
When the article appeared, “What Did Ada Lovelace's Program Actually Do” in reference to an 1815 computer programmer, it got removed with a DMCA takedown notice. Here is an article about this incident.
https://torrentfreak.com/dont-use-the...
I would understand a takedown if the article had something to do with dancing in India, posted their copyrighted script, or contained a video from that program. I would also understand going after a blatant rip-off such as Dance Indiana Dance.
But no, the word did simply asked a question about a long-dead programmer. The first programmer, actually. In this case, an automated search engine generated an automated email to a computerized system that automatically deleted an article. Just like a terminator, the entire chain of events had no human interaction. Hasta la vista, baby. Of course, there is a bit of humor in this action. Deleted by their own invention? Makes me laugh.
What does this mean? Should we stop using the word “did”? Are we now writing through a digital minefield? To answer this question, we must take a step back. Humans pass through waves of change as we evolve. In the 1950s, we sprayed DDT on everything, which dramatically reduced the pests. Yay! Years later, we learned the errors of our ways and stopped using DDT.
Copyrights allow me to (potentially) make money as an author and prevent others from stealing my work. For example, I can't publish a Harry Potter book. I cannot even copy a paragraph out of that book and call it my own. This is why the DMCA exists, and I believe it is a great entity for authors.
In time, the DMCA algorithms will get better, and they have already corrected the “did” takedowns issue. So all is well? Well, no.
Take, for example, the word “predator.” Is a wolf a predator? Of course. So, let's write a book about wolves called “Predator.” It turns out that General Atomic trademarks the word predator. What about the movie Predator with Arnold Schwarzenegger, predator generators and predator ski clothes? They all got permission or were sued. How do I know? I work for General Atomics and read the memo.
This brings us back full circle. When writing, it has always been essential to research to prevent copyright and trademark violations. At times, automated systems will take things a bit too far. That’s modern life, and this issue is going to keep reoccurring. DID you think there would be another way to end this blog?