Ever wondered what
persuasive essay writing entails? If so; it can be described
as that genre of essay where the writer needs to convince the reader
about a certain aspect or idea. For a better understanding of the
genre, put yourself in the shoes of a lawyer in front of a jury
trying to present their case. The way they put across their case in a
precise and persuasive way is the manner in which this essay should
be written. You can convincingly write your essay based on any
subject where you have a strong opinion on. All you have to do is to
air out your opinions in a logical and organized manner. Since these
things normally happen on a daily basis, an individual should not
have a hard time writing a persuasive essay. It is a skill that each
and everyone should posses. Even if you find it hard to write one, it
is never too late to learn.
The key to writing one is
to take a stand on the issue in discussion. Whether you opt to write
for the subject or against, the most important thing is to take a
stand and argue your case. An impressive persuasive essay requires a
lot of work. As the writer you need to do a lot of research in order
to have a proper understanding of the subject matter probably from
both sides. Besides that, you also need to have a natural awareness
of what the reader wants.
As a good persuasive
writer, you need not only to focus on one side of the argument. In as
much as you are arguing lets say for a certain subject you also need
to present your argument on why you think the other opinion does not
work for you.
This form of writing has
continued to attract attention even in the modern society. This style
of writing continues to be applied in advertising, political speeches
and even on newspaper editorials. Before writing a persuasive essay,
the most important thing to take note of is that your writing should
be aimed at convincing/persuading the reader as opposed to informing
them about a particular opinion. In case you want to sharpen your
skills in as far as persuasive essay writing goes, follow the
guide below.
Prewriting phase
This is the most
challenging stage when it comes to writing a persuasive essay. This
is the stage where you give yourself enough time to study the subject
matter. As the writer, you need to understand the subject so that you
can take your stand. As the writer, do not at any point rush things;
rushing can only mean presenting your arguments in a not so
convincing way.
Take time to understand
your target audience and their take on the subject in discussion.
This is the only way you ensure that your essay hits home. After
understanding the reader's opinion, go ahead and do your research.
Before writing, you need to have strong evidence that is capable of
supporting your argument. You cannot be arguing on baseless facts and
expects the reader to be totally convinced. The best way of doing
this is to collect as many reference materials as possible from where
you can source your evidence. Make sure you collect information on
both sides of the argument before taking your stand. Once have all
the information about the subject, you need to pick the most
convincing evidence and present it in the most logical way.
This phase also involves
brainstorming, coming up with a draft and an outline from which you
are going to expound on. The purpose of doing this should be come up
with a good view and foundation from which you can build your essay.
Introductory part
At this stage you need to
be well equipped with all the information that is needed in order to
write up the essay. In as far a persuasive essay goes, you need to
make the introduction standout so as to be in a better position of
persuading the readers. You need to grab the attention of your
readers from the go so that they can continue reading your essay.
Make your introduction impressive by informing your readers about
what they should expect from the rest of the essay. If the
introduction is good, the reader will feel the need to continue
reading.
You may also want to
impress the readers by introducing your essay with a catchy hook. At
this point you can either use a question of a quotation that goes
with the subject matter. The aim should be to make the reader want to
continue reading. With your introduction, you also need to include a
thesis statement. A thesis statement should be on point, direct and
should show the reader your stand.
The body
paragraph
From your structure and
outline, you need to at least come up with three paragraphs for this
section. The most important part about this section is that you need
to write the exact points that relate to the subject matter. In this
section you also need to justify your argument by giving the reader
all the evidence you researched on.
Make use of
transitions words
This is a perfect way of
introducing a new paragraph. Make sure that at the end of each
paragraph you make the most of transitions. This is a great way of
establishing flow which is very vital in a persuasive essay.
Conclude your
essay
The
purpose of this section is to end your essay on a probing note. This
can be done by summarizing all your main points then giving the
reader your probing thought.
Review for essay
You can review your
persuasive essay by proofreading and doing all the editing stuff to
make it a top notch essay.
When writing persuasive
essays one thing you need to take note of is that the objective of a
persuasive writing is to convince and not necessarily inform.
