5 Tips for Writing About Controversial Topics
Bestselling author Syed M. Masood shares his top 5 tips for how to handle a controversial topic in your work.
Author:
Feb 9, 2021
I might not be the right author for this piece. I just want to admit that upfront.
Yes, my work is considered controversial in some quarters. I mean, my next book is called
The Bad Muslim Discount. Obviously, that was always going to raise some eyebrows.
But I truly don’t set out to be controversial. My fictional worlds are based on the truths I know and have experienced. My goal has always been to tell these truths in the most entertaining way possible. That’s it. It just so happens that there are people holding a wide variety of beliefs on the ideological spectrum who find these truths uncomfortable. That, so far as I am concerned, is more of a ‘them’ problem than a ‘me’ problem.
Jan 8, 2021 When I speak with screenwriters, I always inquire about their career goals and the projects they’re working on. They enthusiastically express a desire to win a contest, sell a script, and get representation.
But when I dig deeper into their story idea, the answer is rarely something high concept enough that Hollywood would be interested in buying. The stories are often about someone or something they know, not necessarily something that appeals to a larger audience.
Writing gurus advise us to write what we know or what we’re passionate about, but we also need to write something that will sell.