Develop the reasons supporting your position.

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For more idea-generating strategies, see Chapter 11.

The following activities will help you find plausible reasons and evidence for your position. Begin by writing down what you already know. You can do some focused research later to fill in the details, or skip ahead to conduct research now.

Ways In

How Can I Come Up With Reasons That Support My Position?

One way to generate ideas is to write steadily for at least five minutes exploring your reasons. Ask yourself questions like these:

  • How can I show readers that my reasons lead logically to my position?
  • In addition to appealing to readers’ intellect (logos), how can I convince my readers that I am trustworthy (ethos) or appeal to their feelings (pathos)?

At this point, don’t worry about the exact language you will use in your final draft. Instead, just write the reasons you hold your position and the evidence (such as anecdotes, examples, statistics, expert testimony) that supports it. Keep your readers in mind—what would they find most convincing?

If you prefer to brainstorm a list of reasons, try this:

  • Start by writing your position at the top of the page.
  • List as many potential reasons as you can think of to support your position. (Don’t judge at this point.).
  • Make notes about the kinds of evidence you would need to show how each reason supports your position. You may be able to use this list and you notes as a starting point for further research and drafting.