Play it safe or speak up?

So, I’m currently on the way back to London and I couldn’t resist writing a reflection piece. We’re coming to the end of 2017 and oh, what a roller coaster it has been. I’ve been reflecting on the type of journalist I want to be, what I plan to do differently and how I want to expand Inthewritersmind in the new year. I’ve been focusing a lot on the question…

“Play it safe or speak up?”

This is a question which I think really reflects the mood of journalism today. It’s like there are two ends of the spectrum and you’re either on one side or the other. It’s a question I myself have been battling with to some extent, as I think more intensely about my career path. It is an essential question for any upcoming journalist. One that I believe should be confronted quite early on. What do you stand for? What do you believe in? Are you brave enough to speak your mind? Are you confident enough in your narrative? Does your argument excite you? As journalists or writers (both fiction and non-fiction) these are questions we should constantly be asking ourselves, as part of our own personal development.

Are you a journalist who plays it safe or are you the type of journalist who takes risks? It’s very easy to claim the latter, yet when you are put in a position to challenge yourself as a writer – you back out. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Write well-informed articles that take you to different places. Write quirky articles that use humour to play on a much deeper issue. Take on a different angle each time and allow the passion that comes from within to be seen in your writing.

Write politically motivated articles that challenge people to think. Don’t be afraid to move out of your lane – to feel uncomfortable. With time, you’ll find your voice. You could sit in the shadows, while those ideas lay dormant in your rich mind-palace. Or you could write it down and change perception.

From,

My thoughts to yours.