This is a sore subject with a lot of people but it still needs to be addressed. When writing articles, it’s okay to have an opinion about something. Not everything we write about has to be cold hard facts. However, when you do give your opinion on something, make sure that it’s YOUR opinion and not somebody else’s. This article explains.

Opinion pieces themselves are great. For one thing, opinions can’t be wrong, just so that you make your reader aware that it IS your opinion and not fact. Too many people give their opinion and present it as if it were the gospel according to the law giver himself. This can be dangerous, especially when you’re offering advice on solving a problem. So it’s important to make it crystal clear that the information being provided is YOUR opinion only. Whether or not the reader takes you up on your advice is then up to them. Of course it would be nice if you based your opinion on some kind of solid foundation.

But let’s get to the main point of this article, making sure that the opinion you give is in fact your own. See, opinion pieces are easy to write, so you’ll find them all over the Internet. Because of this, it’s easy to get lazy and just give somebody else’s opinion as your own. It saves the article writer time in having to form their own opinion on the subject, especially if it’s a subject that don’t really know a lot about. It’s also plagiarism on the worst level. It’s bad enough presenting facts as your own, but opinions? It doesn’t get any lazier than that.

Try this. Let’s say you don’t really have an opinion on something. Maybe you’re undecided or you don’t know a lot about the subject. Go and read a few opinion pieces. By reading other people’s opinions you’ll begin to develop your own. I mean after all, you’ll either agree or not agree with these people.

Then, what you do is simple. In your article, cite the opinions of the other writers. State that so and so believes that this is the best way to do whatever. Then, if you agree, state that you agree but give your own reasons why you DO agree. If you don’t agree, then state that you don’t and why. Make your argument compelling. You’ll be surprised at how reading the opinions of others will get your own blood boiling.

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.