Grammaropolis
The Writing Company · with the Mayor

Write to Persuade

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Write to Persuade

When you persuade, your reader is not sure yet. That is why you build.

An argument is a little bridge you build for your reader. Here is what holds it up.

  1. What I think
    Say it plainly. "I think..." One sentence.
  2. Two reasons, the pillars
    A pillar is a leg that holds the bridge up. Your reasons are the pillars. Two pillars hold better than one. Pick reasons your reader would nod at.
  3. Two proofs, the footings
    A footing sits under each pillar. Your proofs are real things that happened, or true facts. Give each reason its own footing.
  4. The far bank
    End by telling your reader what to do next.

Spend your tools

Your craft moves still help. Here they are, pointed at persuading.

Nelson portrait

Nelson · Specific nouns

A noun names a person, a place, a thing, or an idea. "Pet" and "food" stay vague. "Fish" and "flakes" are the exact things. Name the exact one.

I gave the pet some food. I shook flakes into the fish tank.

The Mayor portrait

The Mayor · Voice

You talk one way to a friend and another way to a principal. I talk one way, and my friend Slang talks another. Match your words to your reader.

Greetings. I shall describe the feeding of the fish. Guess who fed the fish today. Me and my brother!

Connie portrait

Connie · Join two sentences

Two short sentences can become one. Use and, but, or so to join them. "He poured, and they came up" reads smooth.

My brother poured the food. The fish came up. My brother poured the food, and the fish came up.

The Mayor portrait

The Mayor · The three parts of a paragraph

A paragraph is like a tiny story. It starts by telling what it is about, fills the middle with more, and ends. Three parts, every time.

A bunch of sentences, all in a heap. First tell what it is about. Then add the middle sentences. Then finish it.

The Persuade Plan

Same three moves as always. When you persuade, the plan is the Bridge.

The Mayor's Power Plan

  • Pick it. Choose something you really think.
  • Plan it. Set your two pillars and their footings.
  • Pour it on. Write, and make your reasons strong.

The Bridge

A bridge stands when the pillars hold, and each footing holds its pillar.

  1. Your claim spans the river: say what you think, plainly.
  2. Your two reasons are the pillars: ones your reader will believe.
  3. Each pillar needs a footing of proof: something real under each reason.
  4. The far bank: tell the reader what to do.
Watch the Mayor plan it

Watch me build a little bridge from the fish afternoon. What I think: kids can take care of a pet.

Pick it. Kids can take care of a pet. I think it, and I have one real afternoon to prove it.

Plan it.

  • My claim I think kids can take care of a pet.
  • My first pillar (reason one) A pet needs someone every single day, and a kid can be that someone.
  • My second pillar (reason two) Taking care of something small teaches you to be careful.
  • The footings (my two proofs) I fed the fish every day. When my brother spilled too much food, we scooped it back out together.
  • The far bank Ask to help with a pet at home this week.

Pour it on. When I write it, I ask the bridge question: would my reader nod at each reason? Two strong pillars, each with a real footing, can carry a reader all the way across.

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