To me, the best writing should explore something uncomfortable, it should subvert an idea that other people are already comfortable believing.

I don’t think you need to have the smartest or most original take in the room. You just need to be genuinely curious and willing to expand that curiosity into something more important.

Take whatever main point that caught your eye and try to figure out a larger pattern or contradiction within it. I usually ask myself—

☐ Is this part of a bigger trend or shift?

☐ Have versions of this conversation been had before in a different time or context? And can I use those other versions as reference for my own angle?

☐ Does this contradict... See more

When you sit down to write, it should be to figure something out. “What underlying issues is this perpetuating?” or “Why are people gravitating towards this in our current social or political time?” Why this object, this trend, this behavior, this interest, right now?