Addressing Plagiarism

I have seen the comments. I have seen the messages being sent to my wife. I have seen the charge that I am living in open sin and refusing to repent.

So I am going to say this clearly.

It has become obvious that I used another man’s work in a way I should not have.

Andy Squyres’ posts were not merely an influence in the loose sense.

In my mind at the time, this felt no different than drawing inspiration from Lewis, Elisabeth Elliot, or any other writer whose work has shaped me. Writers are always being formed by other writers. We all springboard from what we have read, heard, loved, and carried with us.

But I can see now that the parallels between my piece and his were too close. I should have given clear credit to the original author.

I have reached out to Andy privately, as this should have been handled from the beginning. I also addressed this last night in a longer post here: [Woodwork (https://deadhidden.substack.com/p/the-wood-work?lli=1)]

That was wrong.

Not because writers are never shaped by other writers. We are.

But because in this case the parallels were too close, the credit was not clear enough, and the reader could reasonably walk away thinking the work began entirely with me.

I have taken down the posts in question. I have messaged Andy directly, which is how this should have been handled from the beginning. I am not asking anyone to defend me. I am not asking anyone to attack the people who raised the concern. Some of them were right to be concerned.

To Andy: I am sorry.

To my readers: I am sorry.

To my wife: I am sorry you have had to receive messages for something that belongs on me.

I believe repentance is not a sentence you write. It is fruit you bear. So I am going to stop arguing, stop explaining, and do the next right thing quietly.

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

Proverbs 28:13