Task 1Today we begin working on the second major writing style for our course: persuasive writing. In persuasive writing you are trying to convince an audience to think a certain way or to move them to action. This is done, usually, through a process of argument. This kind of writing seems straightforward, but there are a number of tactics that will make the work you do more succesful. We will work on one of these tactics today, namely choosing a workable topic.
Before you can write convincingly about anything, you need to first have a topic that is of interest to you and to others. Additionally, there has to be some sort of controversy involved with the topic--you can't get much intelligent argument going about the best textures of squeeze cheese.
So, you need to start with a topic or issue and it has to be arguable, that is there must be some controversy and room for people to agree and disagree about the topic. You may already have something you want to write about, or you can begin browsing for a topic at some of the category sites on the Web. As you browse for a topic, keep an open mind and remain flexible. Remember to save files that look interesting and to Bookmark and keep track of your movements.
Here are some places to browse for topics:
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If you have questions, let me know.
