The most nerve-racking part of being a columnist is the fact I’m sharing my opinion on topics that hold a great deal of importance to me based on my own personal experiences.
That nervousness used to prevent me from writing what I wanted to write about. During my time at the Northern Star, however, I’ve learned you can’t please everyone and it is more important to write for yourself than for other people.
As a columnist, writing for yourself means not worrying about what other people think about the columns you create. The best columns come out of something personal where you are unabashed in your honesty, even if that said honesty makes you uncomfortable.
A good example of this is one of the columns by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s student newspaper FNEWSMAGAZINE. There was a column written by Sisel Gelman called “Slut Saga: The Anonymous Ones.” In short, it was about how taking SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) ruined her sex life. I think the bravery in writing about a vulnerable topic like that is something to admire.
For me, writing about topics such as religion or the LGBTQ+ community makes me nervous as I’m scared of what people in my personal life will think of the content I put out. But I realized that what I create is not for them, it’s for me. Anyone should be able to write what they wanna write about without any fear, especially if that topic holds a great deal of importance to them.
Now, I realize that the phrase “writing for yourself” sounds selfish, especially as we are taught as journalists or writers to write for your audience and keep them in mind. But I think that writing for yourself can connect with readers on a deeper level.
Something you may find inspiring is that readers can connect and relate to your own experience through your writing, finding what you say beneficial and helping them in their own way.
One thing audiences might appreciate is the level of authenticity in your writing when you are writing about something you care about. People can tell when you are holding back in your writing or you are writing about something you don’t care about. It can sound uninspired, boring and what you created is overall bad as you have no skin in the game.
Don’t be scared of being honest in your writing. You will have more fun writing and your best work comes from a place where you are writing about something you care about. People are always going to be critics, but don’t let the fear of what others think prevent you from writing the story you need to.
