Controversial Writing Versus Noncontroversial

Controversy, gossip, and sex fill the pages and people continue to swallow the stories like M&M's. Stand in any grocery store line and see if this is not true. Anna Nicole Smith's death and little Anne Marie continue to plague the tabloids. Who is the father? How is Anne Marie's first Easter? These are exclusive stories making news recently. We have to face it, people love to hear about the lives and times of celebrities. We cannot forget about the paparazzi, they are everywhere just waiting for their next big payday. If a company is willing to part itself of $100,000 for a photo, then it is fairly easy to see why they are willing to pay a writer well to contribute as well. Of course, they are going to make a killing.

The only thing a writer should consider is what will make them most comfortable. Seriously, writing articles without any controversy is the safest place to be. The writer will not have to worry about someone waiting to take a shot at them, because they have not offended anyone. Noncontroversial writing involves no risks and will probably provide valuable insight about a generalized topic for a specific audience. The audiences will generally gravitate toward these writers because they have established a connection with the material and will look forward to the upcoming works. Fans will contact these writers with commentary about how much they appreciated the articles and when they can expect to hear more from the writer.

The controversial writer is looking to establish a name and a game. The topics are written without regard to what people think or feel. These are the writers that are willing to risk everything to reap the most reward. Common risks can be found in editorials, entertainment, gossip, erotica, and politics. The real irony is that people will read the article because either they love or hate it. The authors tend to get flooded with fan and hate mail alike, however negative commentary tends to provide the writer with more material. In essence, the negative publicity tends to create a huge buzz circling the submissions. The results will have people flocking to discover what all the hoopla is about.

Noncontroversial writing will pick a popular viewpoint and stick to the most accepted beliefs and views. The noncontroversial writer is writing with a conservative perspective, therefore the writer needs to spend a lot of time in research. These are generally the most time consuming articles written, because the writer has to find a way to separate himself from the rest of the pack.

Controversial writing tends to have a longer shelf life than noncontroversial. Some of the most famous known writers are remembered for their most controversial offerings. Salman Rushdie became a household name with the release of The Satanic Verses, Dan Brown brought us The Davinci Code, James Joyce shared his offering of Ulysses and was ultimately exiled from Ireland for it, and Langston Hughes gained notoriety for his works on racism. These are just a few of the many that made a career of their controversy.

What makes a work controversial? Take a topic, determine how the overall public sees this topic, jot down the most popular point of view, and finally dedicate an article to the opposite point of view. This is controversy at its finest. However, there are topics available that are obvious hot spots. A hot spot is something without any real median, it is a topic that most people want to stay away from. Therefore, if an author were to write an article about something falling in this category they would cause an instantaneous reaction with the public.