I can tell just from reading this that you're being thoughtful about it, and that to me is what matters most. Emotionally honest, authentic writing--like what you post here--works because you're speaking your truth, not just endorsing some side in an argument. I agree that starting small and gentle is a good idea, too. And don't forget about what you can say through your fiction! It's kind of the ultimate "show, don't tell" in my opinion. 😁
This is something I've struggled with too. I've decided that there are some topics that I'm just going to avoid sharing publicly, if I want to write about those then it won't be on this Substack. For other topics that I do feel comfortable writing about, but that I worry might upset some of the people I know read my writing, it becomes an interesting design problem: how do I share my strong opinions honestly without making people angry or making them raise their shields? One of the best tools I've found for this is humor, people usually don't raise their shields if they're busy laughing. Another is to acknowledge opposing points of view and show that you genuinely understand them and don't think they're crazy. Sandwiching the spicy articles between more neutral topics is a good one too, I saw that one was already on your list. Finally, phrasing things in a way that shows you are open to different opinions, like "this is my perspective" rather than "this is absolutely the way it is!" helps a lot too.
These are excellent suggestions, thank you!! I also like your framing it as a “design problem”; that really helps to ease the tension by switching to problem-solving mode from just emotions-navigating mode.
I can tell just from reading this that you're being thoughtful about it, and that to me is what matters most. Emotionally honest, authentic writing--like what you post here--works because you're speaking your truth, not just endorsing some side in an argument. I agree that starting small and gentle is a good idea, too. And don't forget about what you can say through your fiction! It's kind of the ultimate "show, don't tell" in my opinion. 😁
This is something I've struggled with too. I've decided that there are some topics that I'm just going to avoid sharing publicly, if I want to write about those then it won't be on this Substack. For other topics that I do feel comfortable writing about, but that I worry might upset some of the people I know read my writing, it becomes an interesting design problem: how do I share my strong opinions honestly without making people angry or making them raise their shields? One of the best tools I've found for this is humor, people usually don't raise their shields if they're busy laughing. Another is to acknowledge opposing points of view and show that you genuinely understand them and don't think they're crazy. Sandwiching the spicy articles between more neutral topics is a good one too, I saw that one was already on your list. Finally, phrasing things in a way that shows you are open to different opinions, like "this is my perspective" rather than "this is absolutely the way it is!" helps a lot too.
These are excellent suggestions, thank you!! I also like your framing it as a “design problem”; that really helps to ease the tension by switching to problem-solving mode from just emotions-navigating mode.