I’m a very opinionated person. I’ve never been particularly shy about telling people what I think. So, it seems like writing about those opinions should be no problem for me. I write all the time—articles for my school newspaper, long-form fiction, book reviews, and papers for my English class.  

This year, I've had to do more opinion writing than ever, and I’ve realized that it's the most unapproachable and terrifying form of writing for me. There’s something unnerving about putting my thoughts out into the world, immortalized by the internet. 

I write for many reasons: to process my experiences, make sense of the world around me, share about things I love, and make my ideas permanent. To escape the world, and also to ground myself in it. And I write all the time. 

Some things are much easier for me to put on the page than others, especially when I know that piece of writing will be shared. I do a lot of journalistic writing and I have no problem with it: looking at the facts, analyzing the facts, writing about the facts. Writing the news isn’t easy, but it’s much more straightforward. Objective, unbiased reporting is a challenge, but a fun one.  

When I’m not focused on journalism, I love writing about books. My book reviews are the place I’m most comfortable describing my actual opinions about a topic. There’s something about discussing the plot and characters of my latest 5-star read that feels easier than talking about my own life experiences. I can’t say exactly why that is, but I think that part of it comes from the safety of talking about more concrete topics.  

While book reviews and news articles are different, they both allow me to write entirely about something other than myself. Covering the who, what, when, where, and why of an event in a news article or discussing various aspects of a book in its review both feel a lot safer than going into the details of my stress about the world.  

The moment I write with any vulnerability, I second-guess every opinion. I get caught up in fact-checking my thoughts and gravitate toward the facts instead of working to incorporate my own experiences.  

While that system can work, I have sometimes struggled to express my opinion on the topic I’m writing about. In a previous blog post I wrote for the Rising Voices Fellowship, I chose the topic of gender inclusivity in BBYO (B’nai Brith Youth Organization). I am very passionate about it because I’ve had both positive and negative experiences with my chapter of this Jewish youth group, with many issues arising from increased separation between the boys’ and girls' chapters. Despite my initial flood of ideas about the topic I chose, it was hard to write the post itself. I found it difficult to best vulnerable in writing I knew many others would read. 

In the end, however, I was happy with the result. It felt good to have processed my feelings about BBYO and the lack of gender inclusivity I’d experienced in the organization. Writing the blog post helped me organize my many, messy thoughts into something more cohesive. Now I see that it’s also something powerful. 

 Writing functions as a tool for social change. Journalists can bring attention to urgent topics, encouraging people to pay attention and fight for a better world. Authors can use fiction to provide powerful commentary on real-world issues. As I’ve learned this year, through my blog posts for the Rising Voices Fellowship, essays in my English class, and the occasional opinion piece for my school newspaper, the ability to put my emotions into my writing makes it stronger overall. Overcoming my fear and writing about my vulnerability has made me a better writer.