You say Tomateo, I say Tomarto - Using Fiction as a Discursive Forum

Many writers over the years have used their novels, short stories and poems as indirect ways of expressing political, social and philosophical beliefs or values. If you are composing a serious body of work this may be something that you want to incorporate into your piece.

This is not to say that you should have all characters or narrative supportive of a particular editorial drive, but instead perhaps you could have different characters expressing different, conflicting or contradictory perspectives, to the point that the reader isn't sure which argument the author is promoting. Such techniques raise awareness of the various viewpoints that may surround a particular issue and also challenge the reader to decide for themselves which points they agree with and why.

A writer who has mastered this technique is Oslo born author Jostein Gaarder. His novels include works such as "Maya" and "Sophie's World" which both offer an array of philosophical arguments and counterarguments presented through the flow of narrative. It is clear that philosophy is an interest for Gaarder, but nobody can be truly certain without speaking to him where his loyalties and beliefs lie.

You too can implement such a strategy with your writing, and if you choose to do so think about what literary techniques you could use to convey certain perspectives. Direct speech is an obvious one, but how about an anonymous narrator, the detailed description of a characters image or demeanour, the setting, the time period, context all such variables can be key in telling your story and conveying points of view or cultural climates.

Such an approach requires you to think deeply about what you are trying to achieve with your work - i.e. what is your purpose? If it's a comedy piece does that mean it has to be void of meaning? Comedy too can be used to convey some of the most intricate nuances of our world. It also requires you to think about your own belief system, what you believe deep down and why, and who would disagree with such beliefs. More importantly can you understand why they would disagree with you - do you see their point of view? Can you sympathise with it?

Considering all these elements will better enable you to devise characters for your piece. Characters that have beliefs and perspectives will "ring true" with readers, engaging them further in whatever discussion you may be raising.