What Is Persuasive Writing?

AuthorArthur Rizer
ProfessionDirector of Justice Policy and a senior fellow at the R Street Institute
Pages1-9
1
1
WHAT IS
PERSUASIVE
WRITING?
What is persuasive writing? What makes writing persuasive? What makes
someone a persuasive writer? Although quite similar, these questions lead us
to dierent answers, each of which still only gets at the answer to the question
we should be asking: How do I become a persuasive writer?
But to answer that question, we need to know the answers to all those other
questions. We need to know what “persuasive writing” is, how to write in a
persuasive style, and, perhaps most importantly (especially on larger and more
public stages), what an author can or must do to be in a position to persuade
others. is chapter aims to provide very general answers to these questions,
answers useful to the reader because they are directly related to the lessons we
draw from omas Jeerson’s life and writings in the rest of this book.
To start with the last of those questions, the most essential feature of “persua-
sion,” as such, is the audience’s perception of the author. Without the right
perception of the author, why would the audience believe or be inuenced by
the words on the page? Even a well-reasoned, evocative, and otherwise per-
suasive piece of writing will not gain much traction without a noted author.

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT