Convincing A Reader
Mar. 13, 2024 • By Jason Elhilow
DescriptionSome quick tips and tricks on how to convince their readers in their essays.
MessageYour mileage may vary. This is just general help, not a fix for everything.
ImageWRTN
When writing an essay, there truly is just one goal—to convince. Whether it's about a book or a character or a historical figure, YOU, as the author, are coming up with a claim, providing evidence to that claim, and trying to persuade those who are reading it to see and maybe even agree with your reasoning. But there is so much more to it than just writing "this proves this because this means this." To actually CONVINCE a reader of your essays, there are three major pieces that must be perfected: making a defensible claim, gathering relevant evidence to said claim, and taking advantage of rhetoric to give a reason as to why that evidence proves it.
The best claims seek to restate the prompt/mission of the paper, while having the additional layer of what take you will be defending throughout it. There are countless examples on our Essays page, but for some simple help in starting this convincing journey, ensure that the thesis is specific. The claim that you are making must be at least somewhat unique. But the most important is ensuring that it is defensible, meaning that there is ample evidence (quotes, events, anecdotes, documents, etc.) that can be linked to said idea. Keeping this setup sentence clear and concise is critical as well, with one sentence being the ideal length. To put this all simply: restate, make a claim, and quickly detail what main points you will be using (topics of body paragraphs) to defend it. Now the reader knows what they're there for, but what about this evidence; how does that convince them?
Evidence may be the most crucial piece of an essay, as, regardless of what type, if there are concrete, verifiable, and relevant facts and history that can connect to the core of your paper, then there is little room for readers to doubt it. The evidence itself, as long as it is from a reputable source, is absolutely the crutch of this type of writing, as it can confirm your logic while helping disprove opposing opinions. It, together with your own writing and opinions, helps paint a clearer picture, taking ambiguity and turning it into insight.
Though the pinnacle of essay writing comes in the form of reasoning, as it, above anything else, is how to convince your reader. This is the glue between your claims and facts, the glue that holds the thesis and evidence together, and is where the powerful tool of rhetoric and rhetorical choices can come into play. Ask them questions. Point out hypocrisy. Concede a little to the opposition. This can be done in the reasoning, or could be an entire paragraph itself, having a counterclaim to seek a more complex portrayal of the issue at hand. All of these and more, like appealing to possible ethos, logos, and pathos, can change how some may experience your piece, as it starts to meld the worlds of rhetorical ideas/speech writing with essays. As always mentioned, all writing is connected; essays, articles, stories, speeches: there is always a way to use those skills together.
Ultimately, convincing a reader is not easily done, but if you follow these three steps, you're already halfway there. Nothing, no article or AI or Google search, can tell you how to do YOUR reasoning for defending YOUR argument, but there is always a formula behind it all, whether you realize it or not. Recognize that, and you'll conquer all that you write.
The best claims seek to restate the prompt/mission of the paper, while having the additional layer of what take you will be defending throughout it. There are countless examples on our Essays page, but for some simple help in starting this convincing journey, ensure that the thesis is specific. The claim that you are making must be at least somewhat unique. But the most important is ensuring that it is defensible, meaning that there is ample evidence (quotes, events, anecdotes, documents, etc.) that can be linked to said idea. Keeping this setup sentence clear and concise is critical as well, with one sentence being the ideal length. To put this all simply: restate, make a claim, and quickly detail what main points you will be using (topics of body paragraphs) to defend it. Now the reader knows what they're there for, but what about this evidence; how does that convince them?
Evidence may be the most crucial piece of an essay, as, regardless of what type, if there are concrete, verifiable, and relevant facts and history that can connect to the core of your paper, then there is little room for readers to doubt it. The evidence itself, as long as it is from a reputable source, is absolutely the crutch of this type of writing, as it can confirm your logic while helping disprove opposing opinions. It, together with your own writing and opinions, helps paint a clearer picture, taking ambiguity and turning it into insight.
Though the pinnacle of essay writing comes in the form of reasoning, as it, above anything else, is how to convince your reader. This is the glue between your claims and facts, the glue that holds the thesis and evidence together, and is where the powerful tool of rhetoric and rhetorical choices can come into play. Ask them questions. Point out hypocrisy. Concede a little to the opposition. This can be done in the reasoning, or could be an entire paragraph itself, having a counterclaim to seek a more complex portrayal of the issue at hand. All of these and more, like appealing to possible ethos, logos, and pathos, can change how some may experience your piece, as it starts to meld the worlds of rhetorical ideas/speech writing with essays. As always mentioned, all writing is connected; essays, articles, stories, speeches: there is always a way to use those skills together.
Ultimately, convincing a reader is not easily done, but if you follow these three steps, you're already halfway there. Nothing, no article or AI or Google search, can tell you how to do YOUR reasoning for defending YOUR argument, but there is always a formula behind it all, whether you realize it or not. Recognize that, and you'll conquer all that you write.
