Writing about Tough Topics

Today is a day that many Americans spend in a somber mood. I don’t have to talk about why, even if you aren’t from the United States. September, 11, 2001, changed the entire world forever.

As a writer, I rarely find it hard to put my feelings into words. Tough topics, however, get me a little tough tied – or whatever you call the equivalent for writing rather than speaking. I never feel like I say enough, and often I feel like I say too much. Yes, at the same time. Here are a few tips that I use to write about sad or upsetting topics, and hopefully, you all can add to my list.

Tough topics always give me writer's block. Image: sxc.hu

• Use the topic as a starting point, but have some class.
  

Today, many bloggers are using the history of the day as inspiration for a topic relating to their field. Hell, it’s what I’m doing right now. There’s a right way and a wrong way to do it, though. A bad example? Check out this sports column from earlier this week. OC Register columnist Mark Whicker uses the recent news about kidnap and rape victim Jaycee Dugard as a jumping off point for a brief 20-year sports history. Now, the idea in and of itself isn’t a bad one, but the way he did is was ridiculous. His article was sarcastic, and at one point he even suggests that missing sports was the worst thing to happen to Dugard. It’s tongue-in-cheek, but that doesn’t mean it is classy.

• Don’t use a tough topic to get hits.

It is ok to mention a tough topic. What’s not ok is to use it to make money. I mean, we all write to make money, but if you’re baiting people using a tough topic, that’s just low. Yes, people will be searching for that topic, but you should only write about it if you really have something to say, not because you want to cash in on someone else’s pain.

• Remember, emotions are running high.
  

If you get negative comments on  your post, try to be kind to the commenters. Their emotions are running high, and your post may have hit a wrong note. If comments get out of control, be prepared to turn them off. I usually enjoy a debate via comments, but with some comments, things can get out of hand.

Again, this is something I find hard, personally. I usually feel like nothing I say is better than what has already been said, yet I also feel as though it is ignorant to not mention the topic at all. Leave us your own tips for talking about tough topics with a comment below.