by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: October 07, 2007   Last Updated: October 29, 2008

The power of persuasion is a skill that really does help a writer to be convincing, no matter what genre of writing that writer participates in. It is this power that keeps the reader reading. It is also the power of being able to use words that give written work substance. Taking a look at the ways in which persuasion acts as a powerful tool, one must examine the different genres of writing so that each kind of writer can hone the skills that will set their work apart from the competition. This article sets about doing that, so that information is easy to find for writers of different kinds and with differing needs.

*Fiction

*Non Fiction

*Poetry

FICTION

Fiction needs several elements of persuasive power, and here, the structure of a story matters. Imagine a written piece of work as you would a painting, and taking away the elements of persuasion what happens is that the colors fade and the work does not stand out from the competition because the picture it paints is incomplete.

To develop the art of persuasion, a writer needs to recognize where and in what way persuasion plays a part in the writing of a fictional piece. This takes on different elements, but all the elements combined add to the substance and thus give the item the power the writer seeks. Taking a look at the different elements, these are:

*Characterization

*Beginning, middle, end

*Backdrop

The characterization of those people who play a part in a fiction project must be projected in such a way that readers can visualize those characters. Here, knowing your characters well helps, because if you imagine writing about a stranger, your writing is instantly limited in nature, constrained by knowledge. Knowing your characters inside out before you write makes the writing come alive, and will entice the reader to read on, caring sufficiently about what happens to the characters within your work.

Beginning, middle and end are all important elements of every written work, from a short story to a long historical novel. Here, working out a plot that is detailed in advance means that the words within your beginning, middle and end are stronger, and that you will not be tempted to wander the paths of aimlessness, looking for where you are going. Those that know where the story is going in advance are able to produce a beginning to tempt the reader into the book, a middle that develops the characters and plot, and an end that will leave the reader knowing they got their money's worth and wanting more of your written

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