Monday, March 4, 2019

Writing About Social Issues

Feuding cups 1


Virtual fist fights break out on Facebook all the time. People have their opinions, but rarely couch them in polite terms. How can we express our opinions without alienating those who differ from us?

In a word: Story.

When faced with difficult questions, Jesus often told a parable. Think about The Good Samaritan, The Pearl of Great Price to name a couple. He painted a word picture in real-life terms.

I started out as a non-fiction writer. The task of communicating scriptural principles came out more as a textbook than something to catch the reader's attention. Using some basic fiction techniques helped "put skin on the words."

Dialogue
Anecdotes
Action

These changes made the pieces come alive. Readers (and editors) could relate to the stories, and the principles jumped off the page without beating the reader over the head.

Ha! Perhaps if we applied these less combative methods to social media, it wouldn't feel like a war zone.

And that's my opinion for today.

Writers:  Do you touch on social issues in your writing? How do you keep it from aggravating the reader?

Readers:  How do you feel about expressing your opinion on social media? Is it something you dive into or do you shy away from it? Please share.

Photo Credit:  Richard Styles




2 comments:

quietspirit said...

I rarely touch on social issues on social media. People either see things as black and white or as grey. If black and white, their views are usually very rigid. If grey, I feel their views are more cultural than mine.

I have been bolder lately with the abortion issues than I have anything else. But, that is because of the way I read my Bible. I am a traditionalist in my thoughts on God.

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Quiet Spirit - Thanks for sharing. Yes, the abortion issue has morphed into a monster. I've been more vocal lately as well. It's obvious many have not learned the lessons from the 20th Century horrors of WWII.