Writers' Tool Shed

1. Know your stance: Make sure you know exactly where you stand on the issue! Which side will you take? What are your biases? The importance of a persuasive essay is to be able to assert your point while simultaneously acknowledging the opposition. State your claims and back them up.

2. Understand your topic: One of the most important aspects of a persuasive essay is the evidence that you use to back your assertions, and disprove your opposition’s argument. This can only be done if you have a very clear and thorough understanding of the topic at hand. This means doing research, research, and more research!

3. Audience: It’s important, especially in a persuasive essay, that you know your audience. While you may stand strongly on one side of the argument, keep in mind that there will always be others who don’t see the situation through the same lens as you do. It’s important in a persuasive essay to not only assert your opinions, but to also consider and address the opposing side. Whether it’s to disprove an argument, or to concede to some valid points, it’s essential to acknowledge the other side.

4. Structure is key: The foundation of a good essay (of any kind) is in its organization. The introduction to your essay should grab the audience’s attention, state your thesis, as well as provide some background information on the subject at hand. The body is where the bulk of the argument comes in. Remember that each paragraph should assert a certain point (a clear topic sentence is key), and that each of your points should be backed with strong evidence. Evidence can include research, quotes, data, or real life examples etc. And finally, include a strong and succinct conclusion to round off your essay!

Tips: Remember that the flow of your essay needs to be logical, so that your reader can clearly see the point of the argument instead of getting lost in the midst of a scramble of ideas.

Additionally:

Outline and Draft! Forming an outline really helps when writing any essay. If you have written a structured and detailed outline, then writing the draft will be much easier. Flesh out the outline that you have prepared and just let your ideas flow. Don’t worry too much about wording or grammar the first time around, just try to get your ideas out onto the paper.

Revise! Congrats! You’re almost done! Now, go over and edit your draft. Really pay attention to the flow, coherence, and organization of your ideas. This is also the time to look for any grammatical errors. 

No matter how hard you’ve worked on a project, turning in a final draft can always be somewhat intimidating. Remember that writing is a process– not the creation of a product, and every draft could be further revised or edited in conversation with the author and audience. 

1) If you don’t know exactly how a specific medium works, learn. Most social media and online platforms have extensive troubleshooting guides and many accompanying YouTube tutorials. Let’s say, for example, I can’t remember how sharing settings work for Prezi. When I google “share a Prezi,” voilà:

Similarly, I faced an issue trying to view a Windows Media Player video on my Mac. I quickly learned that I needed a new video player, VHL, which was free and easy to find online. You have knowledgeable communities— and the power of Google— to help you with any issues you face with the new technologies you are using. Be proactive and a problem-solver.

–Neil Gaiman

I am always uplifted by the ding that means my inbox has just received a new blog entry from Maria Popova’s *Brain Pickings.* Here, Papova highlights novelist Neil Gaiman’s encouraging advice to writers.May this be a reminder that persistence–not divine inspiration–  will be crucial to the success of your own writing endeavors (academic and otherwise).