There is a technique I use in my writing which many writers don’t even know is an option. I use this technique sparingly, but knowing it’s available - and when to use it - makes certain situations I face as a writer much easier.
A few years ago, I was composing a eulogy for a funeral. Eulogies are rhetorically very complicated. You need to take into account not only your own thoughts, but the deceased and their living family and friends who are present in the room. I wanted to include a passage from a novel I loved in the eulogy. However, the novel is somewhat obscure. You probably haven’t read it - most people I meet haven’t. So if I had quoted the book, most people in the room wouldn’t have read the novel, and so wouldn’t understand the context. People’s eyes glaze over when you talk about books you haven’t read.
The book I was thinking of was not only obscure, but not a perfect fit for the person who died. The original quote’s major themes were relevant to their life, but it had some minor themes that were either irrelevant or antithetical / distracting to the point I wanted to make.
What to do?
The answer was simple. I simply copy pasted the quote, took out the quotation marks, and dramatically transformed the original quote into my own words and a more modern tone.
While that’s a particular circumstance I was in, I think authors have this problem a lot. They want to cite something else, but it requires context. My answer: just adapt it!
I call this technique “removing citations.” It doesn’t make sense to do all the time, or even most of the time. But it’s good to have it available as an option!
Is this plagiarism? Similar, but different. By transforming the source material into your own words and tone, you create something new.
To try this technique, pick a quote about something that you could use in your own work. Perhaps the content is useful, or you like the way they say something. Remove the quote and citation of the original author, and change the quote as much as you can. Remove irrelevant parts; and change what remains into your own words and tone. If you want to include this in a piece you’re working on, make sure what you write transitions smoothly!
What's next?