posted
I'm working on the background for a novel, which will be an urban fantasy set in Tucson, AZ (mostly, with a few other southern Arizona locations as well). A few years ago I saw an article in the Tucson Weekly that talked about a mysterious stone arch in the desert that was a gateway to another time. I want to use this arch in my novel.
Now, since it was presented as a nonfiction account of a real place, there shouldn't be any problems with my descriptions matching up with the ones in the article, right?
I guess my worries stem from the fact that there is no way to go see this arch for myself (the location is secret :? ) so I have to rely on the description in the article. I think that's why it feels kind of like plagiarism to me.
posted
As long as you substantially change wording and sentence structure, it shouldn't be a problem. It's not the information that's protected in an article -- it's the words.
Edited to add that if you really wanted, you could probably find the location described in the article, if the arch ever existed -- the article's got a lot of clues.
[This message has been edited by Minister (edited September 16, 2005).]
posted
My vote is to go for it. After reading the articles the guy could have really thought he saw something or he could just be making it up. Whatever the case, I'm sure you could use it in a story. There are lots of stone mounds and things in Celtic legends that allow time travel; it seems to me you'd just be transplanting those legends to the American Southwest.
Posts: 818 | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
Yeah, there are a lot of clues, but that is really rugged terrain out there. It's very easy to get lost. I think it would take a lot of luck to find it.
I'm sure you guys are right. There's just this nagging voice in my head.
posted
I think the nagging voice is there because the article feels like fiction, even though it is presented as fact. And there's no way for me to verify that it is indeed fact. So I feel a little bit like I would if I decided to put Tolkien's Rivendell in my story or something like that. But intellectually, I know that this guy chose to present his stories as factual accounts, which make them fair game.
posted
Facts cannot be copyrighted, only the specific words used to present those facts.
Since Ron Quinn is saying this is true, he would have to recant and lose credibility if he wanted to charge you with plagirism.
I'm assuming you don't plan to copy his anecdote's verbatim into your novel, right?
Something you may want to do is cite him in your acknowledgments as a source of inspiration or include the source material as part of a further reading section.
posted
I followed the link and read the article. While the site could be secret because it is on private land, the chances are that since you are dealing with treasure hunters, they just want to keep it secret so no one else comes and explores their digs.
I agree that you don’t have to worry yourself about plagiarism just by using the description of this article. To reassure yourself that your story is unique, simply create your story an amalgam out of other similar stories.
The key to researching this issue lies in the specific names given to the rocks cited in your article. This weekly newspaper says:
quote:This mysterious area is covered with windswept rock formations that dot the landscape. Searching further, we discovered an enormous deposit of geodes. The ground was littered with them. Some had broken open, revealing their crystal-lined interiors. As we approached the archway, the structure took on a menacing appearance. It stood beside a rocky slope, and was perhaps 7 feet high by 5 feet in width. Its columns measured approximately 15 inches in diameter and were made of andesite.
You happen to hit my favorite pet theme… metaphysical properties of stone. Andesite was specifically named in the article, as were thundereggs and crystal-lined geodes. These are not random descriptions; these are the very keys to WHY this archway would have the properties it does.
I have a book called “Love Is In The Earth” by Melody (no last name). It gives a description of rocks and their metaphysical properties. Metaphysically, thundereggs are used to connect with the “star people” of this planet and “star people” from other realms. Quartz crystal is considered an amplifier, and can be used as a transmitter. Access to the ethereal plane is more prominent at sunrise, sunset, periods of full moon, or the equinoxes. This information is from “Love Is In The Earth.”
While I can’t find Andesite in the book (It is most likely covered in one of her other two books, which I don't yet own), it does have a description for Andesine, which seems to be very similar in nature. Andesine is defined as a kind of triclinic feldspar found in the Andes. Andesite is a gray, fine-grained volcanic rock, chiefly plagioclase and feldspar.
quote:Andesine – a type of oligoclase/feldspar and crystallizes in granular and volcanic rocks of medium silica content. The color ranges from white to yellow. This mineral is an excellent choice for use in activities related to thought transference; one may transfer information, ideas, and loving emotional messages to another and receive, in return, the touching interpersonal experiences of the energy of the universe. --pg. 117, “Love Is In The Earth,” by Melody.
This page sites a similar phenomena at Aramu Muru near the Lake Titicaca.
quote:A few miles away is Aramu Muru’s Portal, a doorway-shaped niche in a stone outcropping, located in a region known as the Valley of the Spirits. The local villagers who walked with us refused to come close to the portal. They tell stories about people disappearing through the solid rock.
quote:This doorway is an incredible ancient inter- dimensional portal that was rediscovered several years ago… [it is] a stone wall with a doorway in the middle and on either side are channeled chambers. When you stand in one chamber, you feel the energy spiraling downward. In the other chamber, the energy spirals upward. The doorway in the middle has an indentation that aligns with the solar plexes… the solar plexes being a connection point for inter-dimensional travel in the Andean world… the locals call it the "Devil's Doorway" … the entire face of the stone wall was covered with gold until the early 1900's when missionaries took it away… this was "the major energy center of the planet"… these powerful energies.. work directly with our DNA and if we are still holding fear, anger, guilt or jealousy these will be magnified. If we have freed ourselves of the old [energies], the Light frequencies will open up the dormant codes of light [and cellular memory] that are in our DNA.
Your best bet is to use the characteristics of this sort of “portal” and integrate them into your Tucson, AZ milieu. Then you can rest easy in your own mind that you’ve come up with a unique story free from plagiarism.
posted
Cool sources, Elan, thanks! You know, when I read the article I totally didn't even notice what the arch was made of. Your links are helpful, because now I can describe my scene using information from more than one source. My conscience is clear now
Too bad that book isn't in the library, but maybe I can find it in a used bookstore. What would it be filed under?
posted
Yes, that IS the book I was refering to. It's my 'bible' for gemstones. I make gemstone necklaces and include a tag giving the metaphysical properties of the stone with each necklace. The book is very detailed. No photos, though. She has a couple of other books with nice pictures, but Love Is In The Earth is the primary one.
Edited to mention: you can often find that book in New Age shops that carry crystals, or I've seen it for sale in a rock and mineral shop that is frequented by rockhounds. Rock energy is a big deal amongst those of us in tune with it. I find a lot of folk who work with stone, even those who don't take a "woo-woo" new-age approach, are aware of the fact that stone seems to have energy and a will of its own. I've spoken with someone who sells marble tile for construction, a professional geologist, and a professional jeweler, and all have told me that if the stone doesn't want to go in a certain spot, it just won't; and woe to you if you try to force it. It will jump from your hands, it will break, it will get lost. Describing the 'energy' of the andesite portal would add some flavor to your writing and 'ring true' amongst those of us who are rock aficionados.
[This message has been edited by Elan (edited September 17, 2005).]
posted
Thanks for the detailed info, Elan. You've given me some fuel for one of my own stories - something that fits in much better than what I had before.
Mel, the more I read about your ideas, the more I like you. They sound far too much like something I'd come up with.
posted
I have to confess, this gives me some ideas for one of my own stories. I've planned a tower that phases in and out of existence, and wasn't quite sure how to describe it. I've known it was a portal to another time. I think I have more concrete ways to explain it now, and I would never have come up with the andesite as the stone it's made of without this thread!
Posts: 2026 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
lol, publishers are going to be wondering where all these stories about andesite portals came from.
I'm a little bit scared by how much research this story is going to take, but I try to just take a deep breath, jot down the bit that needs to be researched, and move on. I've lived in Tucson long enough that I think I've got the flavor down, but there are so many details to get right.
posted
Oh, I am soooo far away from being published it isn't funny. And my portal that will make use of andesite is actually in Book Three, and I'm merely on the first 1/3 of Book One.
If you are researching stones and want to use the metaphysical properties within a fantasy or speculative story, I'd recommend making friends with an old rockhound and finding your local rock and mineral shop. Stay out of the new-age crystal shops, except for browsing. They charge astronomically high prices for their wares. A stone you would pay $50 for in a new age shop you can pick up for $5 at a rock and mineral show.
I plan to seek out some local rockhounds (my favorite rockhound friend passed away a year ago at age 89), and see if I can't find a sample of andesite. Holding the stone in your hand gives you a better sense of how it looks, the texture, how it feels.
Mel, I bet you have some AWESOME rockhounds in the Tucson area. Do a Google search on "tucson" and "rockhound" and I'll bet you pull up a ton of links. In fact, I'll bet that a few well-placed questions refering to the newspaper story you read might get you some additional information on the topic of your stone arch. Rockhounds are like any community; they know each other and they know the local area. They are a terrific resource.
[This message has been edited by Elan (edited September 18, 2005).]
quote:Mel, I bet you have some AWESOME rockhounds in the Tucson area.
I'm sure that's true. It's too bad the Gem and Mineral Show is over for this year. That would have been a good place to make contacts. Oh, well, I'm sure there are still plenty around. Come to think of it, my dad knows a fair bit about minerals. I'll have to give him a call.
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