July 8, 2018 – I’ve been absent – for several reasons. Reason One

         First thanks to all my followers and friends for coming to my blog.

         The first reason is plagiarism. 

Startled by something I found on my stats in my blog software caused me great concern.  Just prowling around in the mechanical section of my blog software, I found that I have visitors that seemed unusual.  I am a naïve, trusting sort, and when I located blackhatworren.blogspot I checked it out and what I found was disconcerting to say the least.

After some research, I located the following:

http://blackhatworren.blogspot.com/2016/07/rewrite-articles-in-seconds-and-sell.html

         The above site purports to sell software that takes verbiage and translates and/or changes the sentence structure or language so that it cannot be detected as plagiarism. I can readily see two reasons a person would want to utilize this software.  One, generating works that include other’s ideas in order to expound on them and build on them in a gentlemanly/gentlewomanly way [references them] or, two, plagiarize someone else’s work and make a profit.  I believe the latter is what was meant by the thrust of the above blog.  I can’t prove it; I can only allude to it as that is how my naïve mind comprehends it.

         This discovery set me back on my heels and I had to think about it – in depth.  And, I did for most of May and into June with not writing my blog.  It took the wind out of the sails of my writing creativity.

All sorts of information on the internet is “free” and most of us research items of interest for ourselves and to create columns or articles for publication and/or a livelihood. 

After much soul searching and contemplation, I seem to have an antiquated sense of fairness and honor. I have been conducting myself with old-fashioned values and have tried my best to acknowledge the authors of quotations or excerpts of articles or have provided links to where I found information or references.

         It never occurred to naïve me that someone would prowl the internet and snag what I have put out to the world at large and re-write it and present it as theirs in order to glean a profit.  I initially mulled this conclusion over for a couple of days and then chatted with a more internet astute friend. 

         “How did you happen to find this?” was her first question, quickly followed by, “Yes, I have heard this from other bloggers, it is a problem.”

         After in-depth conversations with this close friend, I now understand it is a common problem and I had to come to terms with it.

         First I have to admit openly to my blog readers that the obvious easy-to-plagiarize issue being a commonplace thing out in the internet world did stop my blogging.  I am writing this not as an excuse for not writing, but as a reason for not writing.

         I understand nothing can be done about this.  I’ve mulled the situation over for several weeks now.  I finally had to put a positive spin on it or it would cripple me as a writer – whether I am considered a new or seasoned writer, or a good or bad writer or a novice or professional writer.  I am still a writer.

         At my next writer’s group meeting, I made the comment,

“Perhaps my writing is exceptionally good because I believe I have visitors to my blog that are taking my material and spinning it for their own use and profit.  I suppose I should be flattered that my presence on the internet has warranted this type of traffic.  I guess I need to spin this into a high-caliber compliment.”

I received mostly blank stares from the ranks.  I then had the unwelcome opportunity of both poison ivy and a pulled hamstring that forced me into a recuperation mode.  During that time, I leisurely re-read all my blog posts. 

I came to the conclusion:  No one is going to stop me from writing – even if they steal it and make money from my creativity.

         For me, writing is part of me.  It wells up from my soul and nourishes me.  Those that are fortunate enough to read my blog or receive handwritten personal letters or notes from me, it nourishes them as well as me.

My heart overflows with a good theme . .

my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

PSALM 45:1 NASB

         Notice to the world: I am back and I will strive to be an even better writer/blogger in the future.  I may be a little rusty getting back into it.  But, like riding a bicycle, you don’t forget, you just have to start the pedals moving again.