How to write a persuasive essay

Being persuasive

photo by Torley

Have you ever attempted to persuade someone to do something or to believe something? Attempting to persuade someone verbally is similar to writing a persuasive essay. You are trying to persuade someone to see your point of view.

This guide will help you to write a persuasive paper where you will learn how to persuade someone to believe something. However, you need a specific topic and viewpoint that you want to pursue, so you can persuade someone to do something.

For example, you might want to persuade someone to keep a journal everyday, to read the Bible, to believe in Christianity, to quit smoking, to stop doing drugs, to set goals for their lives, to spend a little more time around people, to watch their finances, or anything else that you want to persuade someone to do or believe.

The picture on the left was in a section on journals. Readers are asked if they created something today. If you're a writer, you want to create something every day such as a journal entry.

Instructions

Step 1

Beginning your persuasive paper

Before you can begin writing your persuasive paper, you need to choose a topic that you have a strong desire for and want to persuade someone else to turn to your viewpoint.

Once you have your topic, you need to write down specific notes for your viewpoint.

For example, you might select a topic of journal writing. You decide to choose the point of view that people should write in a journal as much as possible especially if they are a writer because it would help increase their writing skills.

Step 2

Writing down the facts

Before you start writing your paper, you need to make a list of the facts for you viewpoint. As you write out the list, you need to make sure that you believe everything and that you don't have any doubts.

You want to have a strong viewpoint for your side, and if readers see any kind of hesitation or doubts for your side, they are not likely to be persuaded.

For example, you want to persuade readers to keep a journal, especially if they are writers because it will benefit them. However, if you don't keep a journal, and you're telling others to keep one, they aren't likely to be persuaded.

You need to make sure that you are following your advice, so readers will be persuaded to see your viewpoint.

Step 3

Writing your persuasive essay

When you have completed your facts for your viewpoint, you are ready to write your paper. You need to start out with a topic statement that supports your viewpoint.

For example, you are going to persuade people to write a journal and to create something everyday or as much as possible.

You want to start your paper with a statement such as: Keeping a journal will benefit you in various ways: __________________________________________.

You need to state the ways that keeping a journal will benefit readers. Then, you will continue with the first way in the first paragraph by stating how it will benefit you.

After that, you will continue with the second fact and continue throughout the paper.

By the time readers have read your paper, they should be persuaded to see your viewpoint.

Step 4

Preparing the final essay

After you have written your persuasive paper, you need to read it over again and make sure that it reads smoothly. You also need to check for any errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, and paragraph structure.

You also want to make sure that if you haven't read your paper before that the facts you read have persuaded you to keep a journal. If you are convinced, your readers will be, too.

Things Needed

Spiral notebook

Pens

White Outs

Tips & Warnings

Choose a side that you want to support

Stay with that side

Make sure you don't have any doubts about your viewpoint

Academic Writing Tips : How to Write a Persuasive Essay

Writing a persuasive essay involves systematically proving one side of an argument against another side and developing the best arguments into a standard format essay. Write a persuasive essay with tips from a produced playwright in this free video on writing. Expert: Laura Turner Bio: Laura Turner received her BA in English from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., graduating magna cum laude with honors. Her plays have been seen and heard from Alaska to Tennessee. Filmmaker: Todd Green

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Janet Blaylock
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