Writers on Writing is our regular conversation with a writer or industry professional about the writing craft, industry insights, and their own practice. This week, we spoke to Saman Shad about the importance of remaining true to oneself and crafting compelling arguments in opinion writing.
You’ve been a playwright, journalist, novelist and more. It’s a generally-accepted truism that a writer’s voice should remain consistent across mediums, whereas style can vary from project to project. Does this ring true to your experience writing across such a variety of mediums?
I have not thought about consistency in voice across mediums I have to say, but I can say I have been true to myself. My work across different mediums represents how I see the world and the themes and ideas I am interested in exploring. Rather than focusing on voice, I would suggest writers be true to who they are. What matters to you, and why is this a story worth telling?
Can opinion writing ever successfully argue both sides of a coin, or is it imperative to have a consistent point of view?
We’re humans so, as humans, especially if we are open-minded, we have to accept that our points of view will change depending on what we learn and as we grow. So, sometimes when certain issues aren’t so much black and white, but much of it is in the ‘grey’, it can be easy to see both sides of the coin – in fact it’s probably a good thing if you can see where the other person is coming from.
But, as for writing an opinion piece, while it is good to show the other side of the argument, have a clear line of thought about why you feel the way you do and argue for that – it helps clarify your own beliefs about what you’re writing for.
Does a writer’s opinion have to be provocative or out of left-field in order to make a splash?
I would like to say no in response to that, but the truth is, especially in our current media landscape, the more provocative your opinion, the more it’s going to cut through all the noise and avalanche of content we all come across daily. That doesn’t mean you should purposefully create outlandish opinions just because of that, sometimes the most important and impactful of things are said in a quiet, controlled and thoughtful voice.
What’s the one piece of advice you have when it comes to crafting compelling arguments?
Try to make your argument as simple as possible. I’ve seen a lot of very smart people use big words because, either that’s part of their day to day vocabulary, or because they have an inherent belief that big words make them sound smarter. I personally think that being able to condense big, difficult ideas into the simplest words is one of the hardest things to do – if you can do that, then you can sway a lot of people with the argument you’re trying to make.
Saman Shad is an editor, journalist and teller of stories. Her writing credits span mediums, including radio scriptwriting for the BBC in the UK and the ABC in Australia, and playwriting, with works commissioned by theatres in London and Sydney. She is a regular writer for several publications, including The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald and SBS. She has also worked on screen projects. Her debut novel The Matchmaker is out now, published through Penguin Australia.
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