You can be an opinion writer without being obnoxious

 Good morning everyone and thank you so much for stopping by!

I would like to address the subject of being an opinion writer for a moment today. To me it is ironic how many good folks have a low opinion of someone who shares their opinions in a straight forward manner on an opinion based website or blog. The funniest part about that is that unless you write pure text book blogs all blogs in one way or the other are opinion based. The difference is that it isn’t clearly labeled that way.

One of the misconceptions I encounter from time to time is that if you are an opinion writer you have to be obnoxious, rude, and without substance. Nothing could be further from the truth actually. In most cases being informed is a prerequisite before you can write a good opinion piece. This means you don’t just throw something out there, but actually pick a topic carefully and research it a little bit first. How can you form an opinion without being at least mildly informed to begin with?

Are some of the topics and opinions going to be offensive? Certainly simply because they voice a personal intake on a subject matter that some people will disagree with. Pay attention in your own circle of friends and acquaintances. You can’t go through the day without offending someone. You don’t even have to open your mouth half the time to be labeled as offensive. Maybe you wore something that is not within another persons moral standard. Maybe you are eating something you enjoy but someone else finds as wrong.

Reality is that you are going to offend someone today if you leave the house. Regardless of what you do, say or not do, someone is going to get their nose out of joint. It is sadly a simple fact of life these days.

I have published a book called “Not quiet Satan” a few years ago via lulu.com. The title alone was offensive to a lot of people. The book didn’t sell very often simply because the title seemed so “out of step” with many. Add to it that it is a pure opinion / sarcasm / humor book and you have a grand mixture of “How dare she?”

I have decided to edit, rewrite and extent the book within the next two weeks in the form of a second edition. Having learned from the mistake of the first title I am going to change it slightly, but the original title phrase “Not quiet Satan” will remain. By the way, no that isn’t a spelling mistake.

The book is held in a humorous way and depicts some of societies most noticeable idiocies these days. The reason it is titled ”Not quiet Satan” is because I am having “Satan” (as in the scapegoat) be my co-writer or sparing partner in it. With other words he refuses to remain quiet or silent.

As an opinion writer nothing is truly safe from me and that of course includes my own foolishness. As I pull the shades away from many topics and shine some glaring light on the dark recesses I most of the time uncover my stupidity as well. Don’t ever think that an opinion writer is exempt from making some really poor choices.

For me at least I think that is where my writing becomes a little easier to swallow for many. I don’t just point the finger at everyone else, but readily laugh and point the finger at myself as well. I am not greater than you, nor do I claim to be perfect in any way. Matter of fact one of my favorite statements is: “I am perfectly imperfect!”

I belief that the one reason an opinion writer is frequently so poorly thought of  is that it seems as if they belief only their opinion is valid and counts. That is ridiculous actually since we are all entitled to our own opinions. Matter of fact I encourage people to form their own opinions about my writing an my opinions as well.

To me being an opinion writer is a service in many ways. I simply voice the things out loud many may be afraid to speak about in a public form. This not only gives them validation that they are not alone in their thoughts, but it also gives others the opportunity to think about the topic at hand as well and form their own conclusions.

Consider it as an open invitation for discussion. I try not to cuss too much or be overly rude in the way I word things. Of course at times when you feel extremely passionate about certain topics you may not edit your language as well as you might like. I am guilty of that myself at times.

The one thing that is for certain is that being an opinion writer means you need to have a lot of courage and grow a really thick skin fast.

Now my dear readers it is your turn. I would like to know YOUR OPINION on opinion writing.

As always yours truly

Regina Sunderland
http://iwriteforcash.com
http://theopionatedwriter.com
http://witchjournal.info