I’m going to start by saying something that a lot of people aren’t going to want to hear. When you are a writer and you have opinions about things and express those opinions in print, there are going to be people who aren’t going to agree with you, aren’t going to like what you have to say, and will do anything they can to try to stop you from saying it. In some cases, this will be simple censorship. In other cases, it can turn violent. You need to then make a decision. In my opinion, if you’re any kind of a writer, you’ll remain true to yourself and write what you know needs to be said.

Is this going to have consequences? Darn right it will. In some cases, dire consequences. But if you sell out and write only what people want to hear, you end becoming nothing but a puppet. Last I looked, puppets had no hearts and no souls. They just existed for the benefit of the puppet master. And let me tell you…having worked some lousy jobs in my life, there is nothing that will kill your soul faster than working for a puppet master.

Having said that, if you’re going to be true to yourself, you also need to be responsible. There is a VERY big difference between giving your opinion and stating your opinion as fact. For example, if I were to say that article writing is the best way to generate traffic to your web site and state it as fact, I have to be very careful about doing that. For one thing, article writing takes a talent and not everybody has that talent. So if somebody who has no talent for writing takes my words as gospel, they could be setting themselves up for a big disappointment. So it is important that I express this as opinion and not fact.

Let’s take another example. Let’s say that I feel that the best autoresponder service is Aweber. Again, this is just my opinion. However, if I simply say, “According to independent statistics, Aweber has the best delivery rate” and show the stats, then I’ve stated a fact. I’m not saying Aweber is better or worse than another service. I am just giving some figures.

You have to be very careful about what you state as fact and what you offer as opinion. They are NOT the same thing. But in either case, you must be true to who you are. You can present the stats, but if you feel that they’re bogus because the agency providing them has been known to take bribes to give favorable reviews, and you can verify this via lawsuits or other court cases, then great…state the facts. But your opinion that these particular stats are bogus is just that…opinion. Without proof or wrong doing, all you can do is say that you “believe” that the stats are bogus and give your reasons why.

It is quite possible to be true to yourself and still be a responsible reporter, writer, or whatever you want to call yourself. The key is knowing the difference between fact and opinion and not being afraid to state your opinion.

Just make sure your reader knows that’s EXACTLY what it is…YOUR opinion.

This may just keep you from getting stoned…literally.

And yes…this is ALL just my opinion.

Take it for what it’s worth to you.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

Want to write articles that get people’s attention and can earn you up to $200 per article written? Then check out my Complete Article Writing And Marketing Guide that you can find at http://www.honestincomeprogram.com/tcawamg.html – This is my own book that I wrote from over 30 years of writing experience.