Tips on Writing a Persuasive Essay - The Ins and Outs

If you received an assignment to write a persuasive essay, it would most probably mean that you have entered the more sophisticated level of your education. Persuasive writing is one of the most complicated academic tasks. You should take it extremely seriously. To know how to write a persuasive essay is to be halfway to mastering the craft of rhetoric. In this kind of paper, you need to convince or persuade, as the name hints, your reader about something. Be it your opinion or someone else's, but the goal is one and the same - to sway and entice. You need to muster up all your skills when writing a persuasive essay in order not to come off as unprofessional. People won't believe you and your arguments if your writing doesn't match the level of complexity with the problem you pose.

Before sitting down to start writing your paper, think about what it's going to be about. Don't just spurt all the words you have in your head on the paper, spice it up with a complex metaphor and submit without formatting. You have to put down all the arguments for and against the subject of your essay, break them into categories, and then use them when you're making a persuasive essay outline. Besides, you need to combine them all into one simple statement, also known as persuasive essay thesis. There is no good essay without a proper thesis; hence, think thoroughly about it. When you start writing, it will be hard to erase everything and start anew just because you've changed your thesis. Don't rush it, and think carefully.

There is a particular pattern that is easy to follow when writing a persuasive essay. You need to keep to it in order to make your paper really count. Now, it is just an example, and you are free to use your own methods, but we'd like to offer you these tips on writing a persuasive essay. They are simple, they are tried and true, and they are all for you!

How To Start A Persuasive Essay

You know what they say - it's easy to start a novel, but it's extremely hard to finish it. Well, do you even know how to start a persuasive essay? We'll get to the ending later, but right now let's focus on how to lead your readers into the intricate trap or your writing. First of all, the aforementioned persuasive essay thesis. There are a few rules that are a must. You are writing a specific kind of essay, so if you stray from the particulars, you're risking to change the intent of your paper, and that is unacceptable.

• State an Opinion

Develop it, write it, stick to it. You can't change your thesis once you're set on it, so think hard about what you want to write about, and don't wander off.

• Specificity

A persuasive essay isn't a place to be vague. You have to state all the arguments and facts clearly. Don't hypothesize, give real examples.

• Support Everything

Find as much evidence as you can, and put it in your essay. You can't just throw in a statement and expect people to believe your words without any supporting facts. People love to question everything, so don't give them a chance to.

After your thesis is all set, it's time to start the actual writing. A persuasive essay introduction is a vital part of your paper. It is why people get hooked and proceed reading or get bored and drop your essay. Once again, try not to be too ambiguous. It is good if you're able to wax poetic for hours on end, but with this essay, you need to be precise and laconic. It's like shooting, only with words. So reload and start coming up with nice intro sentences!

Writing A Persuasive Essay Outline

Some people may advise you to ignore the outline stage and start writing on the go. "You can reread it when you're finished! Making an outline only wastes your time." While skipping the planning part will save you some time, it can significantly affect the quality of your work. You can't just improvise all the way through. Eventually, you will have to redo some parts because they don't fit in the body of your persuasive essay. And when you've spent another two hours on doing that, you'll realize that it would have been wiser to make an outline beforehand!

Remember that, just like with any other paper, there is a specific structure of a persuasive essay that you need to follow.

1. Introduction
• Introduce the topic and the problem you're writing about.
• Briefly present the opinions that exist on the matter.
• State your own opinion clearly.
• Three supporting arguments.
2. Main Body
1. First paragraph
• The first argument of those you stated in the introduction. Elaborate on it, but don't make it too lengthy.
• Examples to support your reason. They have to be sufficient and precise.
• Closing statement.
2. Second paragraph
• The same pattern as with the first, but using your second argument.
3. Third paragraph
• Similar model as in the first and the second paragraphs, but with your third argument.
3. Conclusion
• Sum everything up, draw a conclusion from your previous three paragraphs. Make it original and unique.
• Point out the 'obvious' solution to the problem, call your readers to action and make them feel some kind of closure. You can find more specific information about the conclusion in the next part of this article.

This is an example of a proper persuasive essay structure. It works for pretty much any topic, so don't be shy and use it for your paper!

How to End a Persuasive Essay

With all your arguments lined up and explained, you are now at the point where you have to write a persuasive essay conclusion. It is a tricky thing because if the main body gives you at least some freedom of expressing your thoughts, the conclusion is where you have to wrap it up very succinctly. You're done reasoning, just finish it!

First of all, summarize all the points you've made in the Body. Do it briefly. You already wrote a lot about them, and you don't want it to seem like you're trying to make your word count bigger just by repeating everything you've said before. Don't forget to smoothly mention your thesis statement in the conclusion; otherwise, you're missing the whole point of writing a persuasive essay. Make your essay circular by tying each sentence in the conclusion to a sentence in the introduction. Don't leave any important parts unattended, take care of every letter! In the final lines, comes one of the most vital moments. You've spent a few paragraphs leading up to it, so now you can show your reader your solution to the presented problem. "Make a move," as they say. Call your readers to actions that will solve the problem! Give them a feeling of satisfaction as if they achieved something great by reading your essay, albeit just gaining some new knowledge.

Well, when it looks like everything is written, styled and formatted to the best standards, you can finally take a break! Enjoy your time with friends and family, read a book or watch a movie, and get to enjoy your college life. Unless, of course, you have five more assignments to finish, and that's only today. In this case, you can either give it your best to try finishing them all in time or apply for some persuasive essay help! Our professional writers will compose an excellent custom paper just for you within any deadline.