Article: Standing apart from the crowd: how the 2006 Minority Writers Seminar helped an opinionated person fine-tune her writing style.

Having an opinion has always been frowned upon. A person who voices a view on particularly hot topics such as politics or religion better agree with the status quo or face inquisition, obscurity, or possible execution.

I could never do that. First, I have an aversion to going along with the crowd. Second, agreeing for the sake of agreement just goes against my grain--the wash doesn't come clean without agitation. Third, I firmly believe in weighing all sides, validating sources, and substantiating positions.

That's why I became a journalist. Not because of the thrill of deadline, joy of byline, or the excitement of getting a scoop ... but of the ...

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