- Albert Camus

Americans tend to take freedom of speech for granted, without fully understanding what it is that the First Amendment protects and what it does not protect. As a writer, I feel it’s important that we exercise, but not abuse, this civil liberty (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_liberty) frequently, lest we weaken it or lose it altogether.

It’s important to note that the First Amendment does not apply outside the U.S. (though many other countries also have laws protecting freedom of speech). Further, it applies to government action, not to censorship by private entities on private property or in privately-owned media, such as Writing.com. Here, the freedom of speech means freedom to write anything so long as it does not violate the membership terms of agreement and so long as content is properly rated.

Why is freedom of speech important? Open communication and the free exchange of ideas and information leads to a more effective democracy. How can we vote on candidates for government office if we know nothing about them? How can we vote on proposed legislation if we don’t understand it? How can we ensure that we act on the best ideas the members of our society have to offer, if some ideas are suppressed and never reach a wide audience?

Even offensive ideas have the right to be heard. I believe that the irrational, offensive, and downright bizarre will flourish in darkness, but will perish when brought to light and debated in the “marketplace of ideas.” As critics of the “marketplace of ideas” theory often concede, the alternative – government control over speech – would be far more dangerous. Even if some “bad ideas” are embraced, from time to time, the truth will bubble to the surface, as it is examined and expressed in a variety of ways.

Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote:

It is only the present danger of immediate evil or an intent to bring it about that warrants Congress in setting a limit to the expression of opinion where private rights are not concerned. Congress certainly cannot forbid all effort to change the mind of the country. …when men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths, they may come to believe even more than they believe the very foundations of their own conduct that the ultimate good desired is better reached by free trade in ideas-that the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market, and that truth is the only ground upon which their wishes safely can be carried out. That at any rate is the theory of our Constitution. It is an experiment, as all life is an experiment. Every year if not every day we have to wager our salvation upon some prophecy based upon imperfect knowledge. While that experiment is part of our system I think that we should be eternally vigilant against attempts to check the expression of opinions that we loathe and believe to be fraught with death, unless they so imminently threaten immediate interference with the lawful and pressing purposes of the law that an immediate check is required to save the country. –Oliver Wendell Holmes, ABRAMS v. U S , 250 U.S. 616 (1919)

For an in-depth discussion of freedom of speech, see Freedom of Speech, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_speech

Can the U.S. government restrict the freedom of speech? Consider the following quotations:

When a nation is at war many things that might be said in time of peace are such a hindrance to its effort that their utterance will not be endured so long as men fight and that no Court could regard them as protected by any constitutional right. –Oliver Wendell Holmes, SCHENCK v. U.S., 249 U.S. 47 (1919)

The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic. –Oliver Wendell Holmes, SCHENCK v. U.S., 249 U.S. 47 (1919)

Clearly, “freedom of speech” is not absolute. Political speech is more highly valued and protected than commercial speech. Purpose counts.

Do we have a responsibility, as writers? Is it enough to say “I write only for myself, for my own pleasure”? I believe we have a responsibility to ourselves. Like the U.S. founding fathers, I believe we all have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (Note that the authors of our Declaration of Independence were wise enough to phrase it so that the attainment of happiness was not, necessarily, a right. We’re welcome to chase it all we want, but we cannot take our suit against the Muse and our latest case of writer’s block to the U.S. Supreme Court.) So if the act of writing for yourself, and yourself alone, leaves you feeling personally fulfilled, I am not going to argue that you are not living up to your potential as a writer.

On the other hand, I think we do have a duty to society, and that is to act as a mirror, reflecting the truth. We may go one step further, to show what the truth could be. The following quotes are taken from the Nobel banquet speeches given by John Steinbeck and William Faulkner:

I hold that a writer who does not passionately believe in the perfectibility of man, has no dedication nor any membership in literature. -- John Steinbeck

I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poet's, the writer's, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. The poet's voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail. -- William Faulkner

Arthur Miller, when asked about the responsibility of a writer beyond his work, said, "I don't like to think of it in terms of responsibility because then you're telling somebody what they ought to be doing. Rather, it's an opportunity to affect the freedom of other people."

Dr. Ike Okonta, winner of the 1998 Association of Nigeria Authors (ANA) prose awards, describes himself not as a political activist, but as “a public intellectual who creates ideas for the advancement of the society.” In this article, he tells the Daily Sun that it is the search for justice that compels him to write and talks about the Structural Adjustment Programme that destroyed reading and publishing in Nigeria. See http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/how/2005/April/19/how-19-04-2005-...

The Nobel Prize in Literature has recognized the whole spectrum of literary works including poetry, novels, short stories, plays, essays and speeches. Starting off with the first prize in 1901 to the poet and philosopher Sully Prudhomme, author of Stances et Poèmes (1865), the Prize has distinguished the works of authors from different languages and cultural backgrounds. It has been awarded to unknown masters as well as authors acclaimed worldwide. Although the deliberations are kept strictly secret for 50 years, this article gives a glimpse into how the Nobel Laureates are chosen: http://nobelprize.org/literature/articles/espmark/index.html

Scan through the list at http://nobelprize.org/search/all_laureates_yd.html - how many authors' names do you recognize? (How many would you have recognized had they not won the prize?) It’s not a popularity prize. No doubt, many of the recipients were stunned. I can’t imagine that any of them sat down to write, thinking “I’m going to win that Nobel Prize next year!”

It’s unlikely you or I will win it next year, the year after, or ten years from now; but from this moment on, make it a point that when you dream, you dream big. So long as your dreams do not turn into unfulfilled expectations and disappointments, the sky’s the limit. Let me know when you win the Nobel Prize.

Or, How About the Pulitzer Prize? Prestigious as it is, you can even nominate yourself: http://www.pulitzer.org/

Have you been setting your sights too low? Aim higher. Even if your arrow falls short of the mark, it’ll fly farther than if you’d aimed it at your feet.

PastVoices writes:

Jessie,

I did study German -- four years in high school and two in college. That could explain a great deal.

I have held my book proposal and the volumes of handwritten work on it for three years because I feared getting scammed. I ventured to invite a group to help me with it and have just lately applied and joined the GoingPro Group Forum here at WC. I tried to tell my husband I needed an agent and he said I couldn't afford one. As we sit here on the fourth of July (he on his laptop, I on my PC), you better believe I just turned around and shared the editorial with him!

Part of my fear may stem from sending my son (with a poem that blew me away) to Poetry.Com to learn later what a scam it was. My son quit writing altogether.

Thanks for another great newsletter!!

PastVoices

P.S. Do you ever go through your newspaper with a highlighter and mark the typos and grammar errors? Have I fallen into insanity here?

Starr* Rathburn writes:

Is there a way to see the archives on these newsletters? I accidentally deleted one that I wanted to keep. Thanks!

Starr*

robi4711 writes:

Just what I needed to know. These hyphens, dashes, and dots have me confused a lot of the time, but your information has helped me no end. Thanks.

rabbitrun writes:

Jessie, thanks for the great info on hyphens, em and en dashes. I have added the site explaining compound words with hyphens to my favorites.

Thank you also for your indepth article "Avoiding the Agent Scams." I am far, far from worrying about agent issues, but I still see that I will need to know about them!

*~* Judie *~* writes:

Jessie, thanks for including my forum in your newsletter. If it ever catches on, someone might just find it beneficial!

MatWeller writes:

Jessie,

Based on the piece you included in the last newsletter about vanity presses, I'd like to offer my services. I worked for a subsidy publisher for two and a half years and would be happy to share any insights I can offer from the other side. If people have any questions about how it works or when it's appropriate or anything else, I'd be glad to field them. I've been looking for a place on the site here to make that offer, but haven't really been able to find the right spot.

Point is, let me know if there's something I can do. I love this place and I'd like to help the writers here any way I can.

shadowdawn writes:

Hi! Great newsletter! I enjoy the newsletters where I actually learn something. Some can be vague, with generic advice. Can you (or any of the editors) do a newsletter proper ways to submit to publishers, and query letters?

Thanks,

ShadowDawn

Voxxylady writes:

Great newsletter! A put a space on each side of my dashes because I don't like the look of the em dash, but I didn't realize there was a difference between an en dash and an em dash. I think Word formats it automatically into an en dash when I leave spaces. Now I know why! Since I'm self-publishing my own fiction, written in my own casual style, I guess it's fine to do it that way. Thanks for the extra knowledge!

Ready or Not writes:

How do you make an Em Dash or an En Dash? I don't see buttons for them on my key board or ALT commands for them. I only see the hyphen...

~Rin

grim writes:

I'm glad somebody made a 'colon' joke.

Hyphens etc. Now that was worth reading. Another kickass newsletter.

On the scams: I had someone call me once after I requested information on self-publishing, I believe from Firstbooks.com. She called and asked if I had a manuscript, and I lied and said no but I am currently working on one. This was before I was an English major or had even moved back from Florida. Well, this lady called me back three months later to find out if my manuscript was done yet, and then again after another three months. Never read a word I'd written. Makes you feel as though your tears, sweat, and blood were sacrificed in vain, because they'd call anyway.

Well, now I'm all depressed from the memory. Good newsletter, in any case.

mousybrown writes:

Jessie, WOW! What a great newsletter. This one is surely chocked full of info.

Janne

karabu writes:

I really enjoyed this newsletter. Right now I'm focused on improving my writing, but publication is definately a long term goal. The resources you gave appear to have somthing for every writer, no matter where they are on the path. Thanks!

mithrandir writes:

Great news! A double threat with the hyphen / dashes and publishing advice

I always enjoy when things I am meaning to look for show up before I look for them!

I'm not sure if my keyboard can make an m-dash; I think I have to do this: -- Is that ok, or am I being lazy?

Thanks for your efforts, as always, they are much appreciated.

Matthew C. writes:

Jessiebelle: Goddess of Google: Excellent newsletter. I never knew that the en dash or em dash existed. I thought they were all just hyphens. I suppose that's what happens when you don't practice / study writing very often. Oh well, thanks again for the great information.

-Matt L.

PlannerDan writes:

Jessie, your information on hyphens, en dash, and em dash was very interesting. I'm sure that I rattle along inserting hyphens and dashes at random, considering little their proper use. I will try to be more careful now. My, how the rule mount. I don't think I will ever feel as if I have mastered even a small portion of them. However, I do think I have gotten the period down.

schipperke writes:

Thank you for your links and info about agent scams. The same goes for some contests also...

Johnny_mac writes:

Great work again,Jessie; you're a gift to someone like me that is bereft of Grammer.

Thought you should check out this web-sight that was advertised on here, write.com. It seems to be a bit shonky.

Childrensliteraryagency.com.

Johnny_mac

nomlet writes:

Thanks for the topic! The nomlet understands grammar and punctuation about as well as he does women, but he strives. And, satirically speaking, how much are those comma-splicing permits? (That should be an en dash, right? If only I knew the codes.)

Vivian writes:

Yes, we so want to believe that our writing is good enough to attract attention of someone who can help us market our book(s). I'm glad that you are one of those people who searches and finds out. ~~ Viv

brianpalmer recommends: "The Last Page (1)"  [13+]

Thanks for making that point about all the scam artists out there. I attended an event a few years ago and learned that agents should never make any money until you do, and I have stuck to that advice as it makes the most sense to me. I took my first novel unagented to a small press and got it published, but I am think I may look for an agent for future efforts, so this is a good reminder to me to be careful when searching for prospective agents.

concrete_angel recommends: "Invalid Item" 

Your newsletter has really helped me. I joined in late May, and this site is the best thing that has ever happened to me as a writer. Thanks to all who work hard to make it!

Starr* Rathburn

Hi,

Here's something that you may find useful for your next newsltr: "Invalid Item" 

Cordially,

Starr Rathburn

I love getting feedback on the For Authors Newsletter – it lets me know you’re reading, and it tells me whether I’m writing about the subjects that interest you. Please keep those questions and comments coming!

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