: Re: What do you do when your message could be dangerous? I've long believed that for a novel (or any kind of fiction) to have a certain weight or power behind it, there must be a message. I've

@Alves689

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Imagine a world where bold, innovative, life- and world-changing authors didn't write.

No Bible, Quran, or Tanach. No Vedas, Sutras, Tao Te-Ching, or Book of the Dead. Terrible wars and breathtaking works of art have come from these.
No "I have a Dream" or "Das Kapital" or "Mein Kampf." No "Communist Manifesto" or "U.S. Declaration of Independence" or "Long Walk to Freedom." Books that shaped national policies and resulted in riots.
No "Origin of Species" or "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems" or "The Selfish Gene" which changed our views of science and got people put in jail or vilified.

Perhaps the hallmark of the greatest works of the writen word is that they bring the opportunity for change into the world. No movie has ever done that. No work of art or illustration. No piece of music. Only words have the power to change the world.

If you are sincerely concerned about the potential negative effect your words might have, then I'll give you a snippet from the publisher's introduction to a little-known work, "Free Speech 101" by Joe Vogel.

In our opinion, the best protection against what is perceived as offensive or controversial speech is not suppression, but more speech. And the only acceptable limitation on the right to free speech is the right not to listen.

If you're araid that people might take your words the wrong way, either write better words, or write more words. But always choose to write.

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