Help, clarification, advice or whatever on comparisons?

Alana Mortensen · Nov 10, 2007

I have made comparisons to some pretty well advertised people such as Jeanette Lee and Kane. Is it ok, a good idea, to mention them by name or do I need to seek permission?

paragraphs referencing Jeanette Lee:

She was surprised to see the girl played almost as good as Jeanette Lee. Though she was young and unrefined, she was good and could easily be a pro with the right teacher.

From the start, the girl took control of the table. Kyra was amazed that this girl was not playing the pros on the tour. “The Black Widow” seemed like an amateur next to her… She thought and soon found herself jealous of the girl’s skill.

and referencing Kane:

He came to the table, hips swaying slightly. It looked odd because he was built like a professional wrestler. He reminded her of Kane from the WWE, broad chest, evenly matched biceps, tiny waist, powerful looking legs under his tight black jeans. He was confident with an air of arrogance that made her heart go pitter-pat as she stared helplessly enthralled.

Is this in any way a prblem or no-no? If so what is the proper proceedure to seeking permission for such?

Alana

CheshireCat · Nov 10, 2007

Public figures are public, and as long as you don't say anything negative that could be perceived as defamatory, you're generally okay.

That said, such specific references not only date your work, but fall flat for any reader not familiar with the person you cite.

As a for-instance, I'm not a WWE fan, and so don't have a clue who Kane is or what he looks like. Also not familiar with Jeanette Lee or The Black Widow (except for the spider). So none of those references mean anything to me.

Also, most publishers have their own policies, and may require you to remove such references or seek permission.

Teige Benson · Nov 10, 2007

I agree with Cheshire. I had no idea who Jeanette Lee was so I had no visual reference at all to work with.

RickN · Nov 10, 2007

Unless you have a major need to reference a public figure, why bother? Is it important to the story that he look like Kane? if not, get rid of the reference and rely on your descriptions. If it is important make sure you reference widely known people.

A novel I just read needed a stand-in for a member of the British royal family, so finding a person who looked like Prince Charles was important to a story. If they needed a stand-in for the clerk at a local coffee shop, why do I care who the character would remind me of?

James D. Macdonald · Nov 10, 2007

Ian Fleming kept describing James Bond as looking like Hoagy Carmichael.

Okay, show of hands for everyone here who knows what the hey Hoagy Carmichael looked like (without looking it up on Google Images, that is).

J. R. Tomlin · Nov 10, 2007

Good lord. Hoagy Carmichael? Now there is a sexy image. :roll:

Yes, I do know what he looked like but I'm a jazz fan. It's a reference that would definitely be dating. Something to consider.

nerds · Nov 10, 2007

James D. Macdonald said:
Okay, show of hands for everyone here who knows what the hey Hoagy Carmichael looked like (without looking it up on Google Images, that is).

heh. I can give you a whole wave. Google-free.

:TheWave:

David I · Nov 11, 2007

I always wince when I see that sort of thing, not only because it can date the book or be obscure to many readers...

...but also because it suggests that the writer is either lazy or really doesn't have descriptive skills to handle their tasks.

Hoagy Carmichael? Amazing. If he would have just been born decades later, Sean Connery could have handed over to him instead of Rgoer Moore.

Help, clarification, advice or whatever on comparisons?

Alana Mortensen

CheshireCat

Mostly purring. Mostly.

Teige Benson

Live. Dream. Write.

RickN

James D. Macdonald

Your Genial Uncle

J. R. Tomlin

nerds

of all the gin joints

David I