There’s a counterintuitive truth about writing which continually floors people when I talk about it. You must alienate a portion of the people with your writing to be successful. It’s not just “nice to have.” It’s actually necessary. If everybody can more or less agree, you’re not making any impact. If no one’s pissed off at what you write, no one’s feeling magnetically attracted to it. Attracting and repelling happen at the same time. What attracts some people is what repels others. You have to take a stance. You have to pick a side. Do so strategically, but do it—no matter how uncomfortable it might be.

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