It's not a talent: 5 Ways to be a Persuasive Writer

If you want to excel in paper writing, then you must prove to your professors that you're a good persuasive writer. It doesn't necessarily mean that you would write a position paper. An essay that reveals your political views is far from what you must learn in this particular task. You must differentiate "persuade" from "convince", as awareness of their respective meaning (and their difference) will set the tone for your paper. Persuade means changing another person's mind while to convince means to dispel doubts. You're about to do a scholarly exercise, so let's elaborate on it.

Merriam Webster Dictionary defines persuasion as the changing of belief(s) followed by action. If you interpret it correctly, then it's another way of saying that you can persuade someone without the correctness of it. Let's put it another way: You can persuade someone by appeal. It may sound Machiavellian, which would be right during the Middle Age. (Knowledge was confined to the scholars, who happened to be in the position of authority.) It's no longer the case, as technology would make information accessible to everyone. You still have to plan your approach to your assignment, though.

You must think of your outline. You should be clear about your assignment. You can visualize your readers. You're able to define your writing style You must have managed your information (in your paper) after an extensive research.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Refine Your Persuasion Skills as a Writer

Your outline will be your compass. If you want to be persuasive enough, then you must avoid anything that can confuse your professors. An outline is more than the gist of your paper, supporting information, and conclusion. You must have decided on your argument, which should be unheard of. You must be thinking of the possible facts that you must include in your paper, but it's not necessary to do it. Select three. (You'll be able to cover a lot of ground.) A conclusion doesn't close out your argument, probably assuming that your professor would agree with you have written (in your paper). There's no guarantee, so it has to be an opening for another study. You're presenting a theory all along.

What have you written? Different written materials mean the rules in writing aren't the same for all kinds. Your essay writing doesn't need to be an exercise in defining (and contrasting) the essays of Michel de Montaigne and Ralph Waldo Emerson, where both writers are credited for popularizing the genre. Your professors will be impressed if you're able to do it, but your hands will be full with what you're about to undertake. A teenage mind attempting to persuade an older, more experienced one about an assigned text. How you like (or dislike) will book must be based on its literary merits (or the lack of it). No one is restricting you from keeping it short and simple, but you're not writing for yourself (or your friends).

Whom do you write for? If you can imagine your millennial readers, then you should be able to relate a not-so-old novel to popular culture. After all, relevance should keep your paper interesting enough. Your professor will take note of it, as this kind of paper writing is diametrically opposite of fiction. You don't write to impress anyone, even if it seems to be a hard thing to do. Show the merits (of the text), and justify it.

What writing must you employ in this exercise? Persuasion won't require lots of effort on your part. You must not bombard your paper with lots of information, which can turn off your professor. In other words, don't be pushy about your argument. (Literary discussion encourages a variety of responses, which will make a particular book clearer to everyone.) On the other hand, you must not pen half-baked statements. There have been numerous papers that analyzed the book (that you have been writing about). You still have to think of something new.

You have done a good research, as your paper doesn't contain too many ideas. It doesn't have to be less either. Look at your draft again and again, as you make sure that you have stick to your outline. Any idea that is not related to your argument can be discarded, but think twice before doing it. You may need to rephrase it, if not reconsider it. (You may have overlooked something.)

You Should Do the Following

You must be true to yourself. There's nothing wrong about sharing the same opinion with another writer especially a famous one. You can even quote (and unquote) him/her, but it has to end there. How you'll succeed in persuading your professor (or imaginative readers) depend on your authentic self.

You need to make a good first impression, so you must focus on your argument. In this regard, the first paragraph (or first few paragraphs) should nab your professor's attention. If you've been reading the classics closely, then you should keep it short and simple. It doesn't have to be a subtle statement. (Essay and fiction aren't one and the same.) How will you know if you have left a strong first impression? Read your paper one more time.

Don't forget to get feedback from your course mates, even your tutor. (Let's assume that your tutor is not your instructor on this particular course.) A second opinion is important, but different views will force you to check out your paper once more. You might be convincing (your readers) all along.