I'm stuck - help!

cloudy

Alabama Slammer
Joined
Mar 23, 2004
Posts
37,997
I really need some help here, family.

I'm writing a short story about adoption....this is for publication, first draft due in about a week.

The problem I'm running into is the publisher wants "positive adoption language" used, and although I'm sure it is a positive experience for some, I don't feel all that positive about it (for various and sundry reasons).

I need help getting around this stumbling block. Any ideas?
 
I think it's obvious what's required. It sounds as though you're having a problem because you want to write a different story, with perhaps a subtler "argument". I'm in commucation with someone whose fifteen-year old daughter gave up her baby for adoption. There were no real losers in that case: adopters, baby, mother and grandmother were all a lot happier.
 
Lets see... one positive thing is that the adopted one is chosen out of all the other children to get 'another', loving family. God (or whatever higher being or chance) thought of him so much that he had another chance at getting a complete family.

Point two - a child who is adopted is loved for being himself, not because he is related to someone by birth.

Hope this helps.
 
Positive language about adoption sounds suspicious to me. Like your editor wishes the piece to have an agenda. If that agenda isn't yours I would suggest asking for a firm statement of what such a nebulous term means from the editor.

-Colly
 
This is what they sent me:

HANDY GUIDE
TO
CONSTRUCTIVE ADOPTION LANGUAGE

The way you write -- the words you choose -- convey important messages. That is why we, who have been touched by adoption, would like to educate the public on terms that convey negative adoption messages and their constructive alternatives. Adoption should never be referenced unless it has a relation to the issue or story at hand.

Positive Language
*Negative Language

Birth parent
*Real parent, natural parent

Birth child
*Own child

Born to unmarried parents
*Illegitimate

Termination of parental rights
*Give up, taken away

Make an adoption plan
*Give away, give up, put up

To Parent
*To keep

Child in need of a family
*Unwanted, Abandoned Adoptable/available child

Meeting, making contact with
*Reunion

Parent
*Adoptive parent

International or intercountry adoption
*Foreign adoption

Adoption triad
*Adoption triangle

To locate, contact
*Search, track down

Adoption agreement
*Surrender

Child with special needs
*Hard to place

Child from another country
Foreign child

Was adopted
*Is adopted

Genetic relatives
*Blood relatives
 
cloudy said:
This is what they sent me:

HANDY GUIDE
TO
CONSTRUCTIVE ADOPTION LANGUAGE

The way you write -- the words you choose -- convey important messages. That is why we, who have been touched by adoption, would like to educate the public on terms that convey negative adoption messages and their constructive alternatives. Adoption should never be referenced unless it has a relation to the issue or story at hand.

Positive Language
*Negative Language

Birth parent
*Real parent, natural parent

Birth child
*Own child

Born to unmarried parents
*Illegitimate

Termination of parental rights
*Give up, taken away

Make an adoption plan
*Give away, give up, put up

To Parent
*To keep

Child in need of a family
*Unwanted, Abandoned Adoptable/available child

Meeting, making contact with
*Reunion

Parent
*Adoptive parent

International or intercountry adoption
*Foreign adoption

Adoption triad
*Adoption triangle

To locate, contact
*Search, track down

Adoption agreement
*Surrender

Child with special needs
*Hard to place

Child from another country
Foreign child

Was adopted
*Is adopted

Genetic relatives
*Blood relatives


It looks hideously PC to me. It appears they wish you to write a "sanitized" version of your story. That is removing all questioning, concerns doubts etc. Basically a totally unrealistic fairy tale. I could be misreading it, but while those may be the terms they wish to foster upon people, they aren't the ones people use.

-Colly
 
Yes its very PC, and sometimes I have a knee-jerk reaction to that.

And, no, they're not the terms that people use in reality. I guess that's why its hard for me to use them.
 
My best advice is to write it your way, using your words, then go cak with your little list and make the changes to the words they want changed. If you try writing it using their words you won't ever get into the flow because the words won't be yours.

Best of luck,

-Colly
 
Thanks, Colly. That's probably the best way to do it, or else I'll never get around the block of being terrifyingly PC.
 
I don't see that theres so much wrong with the alteration of certain words after all I'm not legally married and I certainly wouldn't want anyone calling my child illegitimate or saying that my wife wasn't related to the child by blood or otherwise granted some of the terms are a bit much but when writing for a target audience you sort of have to consider the readers feelings
 
Good advice from Colly. Write your story and then use the search/replace feature.

Pssst Renza: I used to call my son a little bastard, but only in a very loving way. :D
 
Thanks to all of you, for your help on this. Every one of you had something I could use.

:kiss: :rose:
 
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