All About Writing Controversial Topics
Writing about controversial topics can feel like walking through a minefield. One wrong step and the internet might explode.
These 6 tips on writing controversial topics don’t guarantee that the internet won’t explode. However, the points below gave me the confidence to write about it and even publish the book, Until the Walls Come Down.
My novel is a story about a Jewish Israeli woman who discovers her childhood home in Jaffa used to belong to her Palestinian husband’s family. Here’s what I learned navigating the very real – and potentially controversial – elements of my story.
1) Do the research
This sounds obvious, but when you write about controversial topics, research is especially important. For Until the Walls Come Down, I talked to Israeli Arabs, Palestinians living in Israel, and activists in Jaffa, as well as to people who became ultra-orthodox.
In Israel we call these people khozrim betshuva (literally “returning in answer”). It is a kind of repentance and “going back” to religion, even for people who grew up in secular communities). I read lots of books, particularly studies that feature interviews with different people, so that I can get a feel for the personalities and motivations.
2) Keep it human
While I wrote characters who represent particular populations, it was important to me not to have a token character. That’s why I have several characters from each “identity group”. They disagree on fundamental things, just like in life.
For instance, Barak and Tammar are siblings and represent secular Jewish Israelis. However, their views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are very different. Ali, his father, Muhammad, and Sara, the activist, represent Palestinians, but again with very different political views.
3) Use sensitivity readers (even if you don’t call them that)
This is crucial to get the details of the life right. I learned this from being an immigrant. It took me a couple of years of living in London to develop an understanding of which brands are considered ‘posh’, for instance. The easiest way to get more details right is to have someone with lived experience read through your descriptions.
You don’t even have to call them sensitivity readers (as long as you pay them for their time – in money or cupcakes, whatever they choose). I was very reluctant to ask any ultra-orthodox person to read through the book because I have an explicit sex scene. However, I have a friend who worked as a family physician for years in an ultra-orthodox community. She was instrumental in helping me get the flavour of life there.
MORE: Why Should Writers Work With A Sensitivity Reader?
4) Set Boundaries
Writing about difficult topics is emotionally taxing. I was about two-thirds of the way through my almost final draft of the book on October 7th, 2023. My social media feed exploded with painful posts. First, from my Israeli friends and family; then from my Palestinian loved ones.
For a long time, going into my IG account meant holding an immense amount of pain while being able to do almost nothing about it. Right from the get-go, I set firm boundaries for myself. For instance, I never watched videos. I’m thankful for that luxury: traumatising myself wouldn’t have helped my traumatised family and friends. Safeguarding my own mental health meant I was able to be there for them.
5) Build (and maintain) your support network
I don’t know what I would have done without my people. My partner read the book and literally pushed me to publish it. My Israeli friends read versions of the book and gave me their unvarnished opinions.
My writer friends read versions of the book and pointed out plot holes and weird quirks. Besides, you need your network to talk you off the ledge when you feel like this is stupid, and you may as well give up and get a proper job.
6) Know when to let go
This is the trickiest one of all, and I’d be lying to you if I told you I have a bullet-proof answer. There are several points at which I had to let go. First, I had to let go of the research. When I started working on this book, I was reading and talking to people, rather than writing.
That made sense for a while. But at some point I had to convince myself that I know ‘enough’ … Enough to start writing, and that whatever I don’t know, I’ll have to catch up with during the writing phase.
Then, when I had a bunch of jumbled scenes and I was struggling to figure out how to make them into a story, I let go of “going it alone”. I sent everything I had to Lucy. It’s incredible what an outside pair of eyes can do for a story.
Finally, I had to let go and accept that this book will never be perfect … but it needs to be out there.
Last Points
Writing about controversial topics isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about having the difficult conversations. My job as a writer is to bring different points of view into the best story I can tell.
Good Luck!
BIO: Gal Podjarny was born and raised in Israel/Palestine and has made homes in Canada and the UK. She draws from these diverse cultural landscapes to examine how social forces shape personal narratives and relationships. Her writing, including the short story collection Human Fragments and contributions to various anthologies, captures these intersections of identity and community. From her home in London, she continues this exploration through her blog at galpod.com and her work with The Disrupt Foundation. Until the Walls Come Down is her first novel.
