Boom, that’s it. It’s the equivalent of a page and a half, double-spaced every two weeks. That might sound a bit much during the school year, but once you actually start writing, it goes by pretty fast.

I should be clear: This isn’t for everyone — it might not even be for most people. Writing for print is an invitation to criticism, and believe me, there will be criticism. There is no clearer illustration of this than the section called “Commentary” under the articles published on
statenews.com. Our system of commenting allows completely anonymous submissions which can — especially in the case of opinion — contribute to comments that are less than savory.

There are people who express disdain for the authors, the views, the writing as well as individual sentences and concepts they either did not or could not understand before hitting the “add comment” button. It’s the nature of anonymity on the Internet: The trolls are hungry and require sustenance.
It isn’t all bad. There is recognition in writing. Columnist’s faces and names run along with the articles they write. For better or worse — I’ve only experienced better — strangers will know who you are and what you look like.

During the summer, I encountered a man who I had never met who asked me if I was the guy he had seen in “that paper, the State something.” I shrugged, he offered up the subject matter on the column I had written.

As the only black man with dreadlocks working at The State News who wrote about that exact subject at the time, I figured I must be the person he was searching for. And, as I often do when I run into strangers who are looking for me, I prepared for an altercation. Instead, he simply said, “I like your stuff, it cuts through all the noise, gets to what’s important.” We fist-bumped and I went about my business.

I suspect moments such as the one I shared probably are rare. That someone recognizes and also has the guts to say something to you is a rare thing indeed. The thing about having a column is that you have a voice. And when I say you, I mean you, specifically, have a voice. It is one thing to sit back and listen to someone lay out arguments for the things we believe in.

I can relate to the simple pleasure of sitting back and letting someone else do all the work. It’s akin to those moments in class where the instructor asks a question and even though everyone knows the answer only the overachiever has his or her hand up. Doesn’t mean they say exactly what you want, but they get the gist of it. A column gives you the chance to cover all the points you feel are important. Even when I agree with certain points of an argument, I occasionally think about what could have been done better or if it could have been presented in a better way.

It is human nature to criticize and critique. It’s easy to read something or hear something and say, “Oh, I could have done it better.” A column provides the chance to “do it better” and cover everything you think should be covered. It’s true that there will be people who disagree with what is written — some will be more vocal than others — but the point is not to convince everyone.

The point is to share with readers something you think is important — that, in essence, should be important to everyone. To illustrate my point, I offer you this e-mail sent to me by someone at MSU:
“I like your writing and thoughts. The majority of the content is clear, crisp and with conviction. However, it does not mean that I agree with everything you opinion, but it means that I will read your ramblings whenever I see them in The State News.”

It is impossible to be everything to everyone, but a column will give you the chance to explain your views the way you see them.

David Barker is the State News opinion editor. Reach him at barkerd@msu.edu.