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Here are the four parts of my persuasive writing masterclass in one article. Mix it up, take what you need. Your situation is unique and your appeal will be too. #1 Facts It was astonishing to hear a spokesperson from the Donald Trump camp question whether a ‘fact’ even existed anymore. Her argument that ‘truth’ is in the …
Structure and tone How you put your pitch together is crucial. You need to get the structure and the language right if you want to turn your reader’s head and then keep them looking. If you have the other elements in play (facts, understanding and motivation), you don’t want to blow your opportunity for a …
I am drawn to writing about these books, Home, (Robinson, 2008) and The Marriage Plot (Eugenides, 2011) which portray the truncated half-life of a person suffering depression and the stress it brings to their carers. Allowing entry to those darker places is part of being seen, being understood. It’s why I read fiction.
Motivation—yours and theirs The core of any half-decent piece of persuasive writing is the why. If you are looking for an outcome, you have to keep this front and centre. What will make your reader do what you’re asking? It’s both carrot and stick. These things will keep you on track. Where is the power? Even …
The second lesson in my persuasive writing masterclass is about understanding. Once you know what you want to say and can support it with the right facts, demonstrating understanding is critical. Your words need to ring with confidence. You are building trust with your reader. If you are going to persuade, expect to defend. And …
Sometime earlier this year, I added Kent Haruf to my list of ‘books/authors to read’. I’d not heard of him before but caught some reviews of his final work, Our Souls at Night. In a second-hand bookstore in New York City (favourite destinations, both), I found a hardback copy which then sat on my shelf of ‘unread’ …
Introduced to Patrick O’Brian by a friend, I was suspicious. Volume after volume of a boy’s own adventure—ships and sailors, battles on the high seas. Yes, there is that and it is extraordinary in his deft hands but O’Brian’s genius is in taking the Napoleonic Wars as an exoskeleton, holding within it the soft flesh of human …
Travel, exploration, philosophy, religion and science in one luminous work—Peter Matthiesen’s 1978 classic The Snow Leopard is unlike anything I’ve read before. Matthiesen’s narrative follows his expedition to the Himalayas with a zoologist friend to study the bharal, a sheep/goat which has proven elusive to classification—somewhat like this book. The language both soothes and stimulates. …
This is the first of a series I’m writing to recommend some literary gems and authors I've loved. If I can help other readers find some new ‘old’ books, I’ll be repaying some of my debt to writers. Find them! * ‘When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily.’ So begins Alice Sebold’s …
It was astonishing to hear a spokesperson from the Donald Trump camp question whether a 'fact’ even existed anymore. Her argument that ‘truth’ is in the eye of the beholder is a disturbing sign of the pervasiveness of spin, and complete rubbish. In the world that the rest of us inhabit, facts matter. While the …
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