Celebrate the Freedom of Writing and Being an Author

It’s America’s Birthday Week…
Celebrate the Freedom of Writing and Being an Author

This Saturday is the 4th of July … a huge day in America. It’s America’s birthday. For some, the celebration of America’s independence becomes a stretch weekend.

Since it’s Saturday, it means a long weekend for many, adding Friday, it will become a three-day get-away time off for many. Neighborhoods and downtown areas will celebrate in full view. Flags will be out. Families and friends planning gatherings for picnics, barbecues, movies, and or just a layback and take a few days off. All a good thing, celebrating a long weekend into the new week.

But there’s more to think about.

What happened within the walls of what became known as Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was life-changing. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were both debated, adopted, and birthed.
Within the Constitution lies multiple Amendments. The First Amendment is essential and critical to what authors do: Freedom of Religion, Speech, and the Press.

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Amendment 1

Freedom of Religion, Speech, and the Press

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

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Value greatly that the Founding Fathers lit the author’s writing path with … freedom. Freedom for words and the creation of books. True independence.

ALL authors and writers globally should be joining in a universal cheer and celebration of the power of words. Their meaning … their impact … their ability to make a difference … to create change … to solve problems … to relieve pain … to entertain.

That’s a tremendous amount of power and ability to practice. It’s a very cool thing to think about this 4^th of July week—wouldn’t you agree?

Many in the literary community see and experiencing clouds growing for censoring, even banning of words … of books. More books. In bookstores I visit, I see tables filled with books that are on the banned book lists. One of the inductees into the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame is Avi, the author and winner of the Newbury Medal for Crispin: The Cross of Lead in 2003. For middle school kids, Crispin is an amazing, creative book with twists and turns based in medieval England from Avi’s imagination that hit the banned book list in many states.

A few weeks ago, I was doing a book signing event at the Littleton, Colorado Barnes & Noble. One of the store’s customers buying one of my books revealed that she was heading next to the section labeled Banned Books. She shared that she reads several each year.

I applaud her … and Barnes & Noble for creating special shelving in its stores to highlight books that have exiled.

Honor this day. Embrace the power of your words and that you can still write what you do and publish and get it published and available. There are avenues to make it happen.

Think of the symbolic sparkler of the 4^th. It’s in your hand representing your words, your passion, and your vision. Hold it high for the freedom to write what you can and do.

I’m celebrating with you. And speaking out for the ability to write what I want and publish it. Here’s to you … always remember, your words matter.

Dr. Judith Briles is the author of 49 books and known as The Book Shepherd to thousands of authors she’s worked with. She empowers authors and works directly with those who want to be seriously successful. Her construction tools are her words and imagination.

Judith is a book publishing expert, coach, author, and podcast host of AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Publishing with over 22 million downloads. Ranked in the Top Ten by Feedspot for Book Marketing and in the Top 10 by Goodpods, a new show is released every Thursday. She is also the Founder of the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame.

Her latest books for authors include The Author’s Walk: Finding and Using Your Voice to Create Publishing Success, How to Avoid Book Publishing Blunders, and How to Create a Million Dollar Speech. Her personal memoir is When God Says NO: Revealing the YES When Adversity and Loss Are Present.

Rolling up her fiction writing sleeves, she writes historical fiction with Brian Barnes. Three books are now available: The Secret Journey, The Secret Hamlet, and The Secret Rise. The Secret Awakening will be available in 2026. Last year, she debuted her foodie skills with Cooking with Judith, followed by Appetizers with Judith available this summer.

Calling Colorado home, when she is not writing, she is most likely planning events for authors, in the garden or kitchen. Her websites are www.TheBookShepherd.com and www.JudithBrilesBooks.com .