3 Keys On How To Write A Persuasive Essay

The persuasive essay is one of the first writing assignments students will need to learn. It’s also known as the argumentative essay and simply asks students to take a side on a topic and present arguments in support of their position. It’s one of the most common academic assignments and is seen across all disciplines. Starting from about middle school, students will learn to create outlines, write thesis statements, present supporting examples, and pieces of evidence, and demonstrate sound organization and critical thinking abilities. But there are some things that students overlook which we will discuss in this article. Keeping these in mind will help students gain an extra advantage when crafting a persuasive essay on any topic:

Pick a Persuasive Topic in Which You Are Interested

What do you like discussing or debating with your friends? The issues are probably things that intrigue you to the point that you likely do a little research to prove your points, right? This is essentially what goes into writing a persuasive essay. Your teacher may require you to choose a topic from a list or allow you to develop your own topic. No matter what your options, you should always choose something that you are interested in to keep your motivation to learn more about the topic at its highest level.

Conduct Two Levels of Research: General and In-Depth

When you do research you can’t go in with the mindset that finding a few articles on the web will be enough to make your points in defense of your thesis. Academic research should take several weeks and reference dozens of sources. If you’re in middle or high school, you will not be required to conduct high-level academic research, but you do need to approach your study at two levels. First, check the web for background information and then check the library for academic or government resources you can cite.

Write the First Draft without Hesitation or Self-Doubt

Don’t wait to start the first draft. No one else has to read it, so it doesn’t have to be perfect. Take your place in front of a computer or several sheets of paper and just write down whatever comes to mind. It helps to create an outline of your research notes to guide your writing. But the important thing is that you get all of your ideas down in one place. Give yourself a writing goal of 1 hour or 5 pages. You will be surprised and encouraged by what you are able to achieve when you write without hesitation or self-doubt.

All of these things can be easily applied to the writing process – but you can see that they do take up some time. It’s best to incorporate each one separately and to stick with each until it becomes a habit or second-nature. Eventually, you won’t have to think about these things because they will be imprinted in your mind and will seem just as important as any other phase of the writing process.