Persuasive writing

Jackie Harder

My coach sent me a copy of a letter to the editor she was planning to submit.

“Can you whittle this down to 500 words?” she wanted to know. Quick check of the document — it was nearly 1,700 words, more than three times the size of the final letter.

Holy smokes! That’s one heck of a lot of whittling!

Fortunately, whittling is something I did in my nearly 30-year career as a writer, editor and publisher in the newspaper business.

After the first pass, I got her letter down to 679 words — still too long for her purposes, but a heck of a lot closer than the original. I sent it back to let her fine tune the rest to get it where she wanted it to be.

Here are some tips to keep in mind to make your persuasive writing its most effective:

• Check the guidelines. Most newspapers have a word limit. Many will not publish third-party letters (your letter to a senator, for instance, even if you submit it).
• Remember your audience. Your language will be different if you’re writing for a professional journal than for a newspaper.
• Keep it short. Attention spans just aren’t what they used to be.
• Keep it simple and focused. Pick one point and stick to it.
• Be passionate, but be logical. Back up your arguments with facts. If you’re trying to change someone’s mind, “Because I said so” won’t cut it.
• Attack the position, not the person. While name-calling may be fun, ultimately it serves no purpose other than to give a momentary thrill. Remember – some day you may need the support of the person you’ve just called an idiot. This is especially true if you live in a small town where you undoubtedly will run in to your “victim.”
• Anticipate objections. Know the arguments of the “other side” and defuse them up front.
• Watch out for humor. The written word is pretty unforgiving. Your readers can’t see you wink or smile. Very few writers can do satire or humor well, even the professionals.
• Let it age. Go ahead and vent — get it all out and off your chest. Then let it sit for 24 hours. Go back and look at it with a more dispassionate eye.
• Edit, edit, edit. Yes, you’re the author and yes, this is your baby. It’s fine to have pride of ownership, but no writer is perfect. Make each word count. Make sure it says what it wants to say. Check for spelling and grammar.