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IWW Practice-W Exercise Archives
Exercise: What bugs you?

These exercises were written by IWW members and administrators to provide structured practice opportunities for its members. You are welcome to use them for practice as well. Please mention that you found them at the Internet Writers Workshop (http://www.internetwritingwor kshop.org/).

Prepared by: Carter Jefferson
Posted on: June 22, 2008

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Exercise: In less than 400 words, write an op-ed essay in which you try to persuade readers to take your side on a controversial local issue. Exclude religious disputes or national issues.

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The city's not keeping up with the potholes on major traffic arteries? The parks are unkempt? The mayor's a dolt? School policies need to be reformed? One way to get something done about these things, or whatever else you might want to change, is to write an op-ed article for your local newspaper. Writing this kind of essay can help you learn to write paying non-fiction for magazines as well.

Writing to persuade is not easy. Calling the mayor an idiot is not enough; you need to *show* your readers that his or her policies are not working. If you want the park system expanded, you must show how this will make life better for taxpayers. A rant seldom persuades--a reasoned argument can make a difference.  This is your opportunity to write the first draft of an essay that will promote your cause.

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Exercise: In less than 400 words, write an op-ed essay in which you try to persuade readers to take your side on a controversial local issue. Exclude religious disputes or national issues.

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In critiquing, suggest anything that will help the writer improve the argument, and comment on things that may hurt rather than help. If you find yourself hotly disagreeing with the writer, consider whether that's a failure on the part of the writer; if it's simply a conflict with your basic philosophy, perhaps you should not critique that submission. Remember--in this workshop, we're all to critique the writing, not the writer.


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Modified by Gayle Surrette.