Be a trouble maker

     The best book for writers on writing is Sol Stein's "Stein on Writing." Every writer should have it on their bookshelf. Stein, an author, playwright and publisher, provides many tips on writing and tells why they work. I purchased the book many years ago and get it out every once in a while and thumb through it, reading only the parts that I underlined the first time through. Here's one example.
     "Writers are trouble makers. A psychotherapist tries to relieve stress, strain and pressure. A writer's job is to give readers stress, strain and pressure. The fact is that readers who hate those things in life love them in fiction."
      The same holds true in factual writing if it is a story about a dramatic experience in someone's life. So, be a trouble maker.