We as writers will influence others if we ourselves are inspired while we write. But this inspiration rarely comes as revelation. More often, it works itself out through spasms of good and bad ideas while our pen is on the page. But two principles—motive and argument—should guide you as you figure out what you want to say in the first draft and polish your thoughts in the final draft.
Motive. No one will care about what you write unless you give them a reason to do so. You must present a motive to read on, answering their “so what?” doubts before they even arise. By way of illustration, the motive of this blog is to do away with unethical writing—writing that wastes your breath as a writer and squanders the attention of your readers.
A motive fires up a good discussion on both emotive and rhetorical levels. Emotionally, we like reading about things that affect our lives or the lives of others. This means we’re gossipy at our worst but visionary at our best, and the most forceful motives appeal to this higher drive. In rhetorical terms, a motive gives a frame for the main message—the argument.
Argument. Like a motive, an argument is present in any piece of writing. It may seek to persuade and motivate, to inspire and entertain, or simply to inform. In a sales pitch, the argument is a persuasive case for what we should buy and why. An ethical argument motivates people to change their behavior. A news blurb, in turn, is largely informative, laying out the skeleton of its message in the headline. Many genres combine these approaches, but any strong piece has a core claim.
These two elements—motive and argument—are the essence of clear writing. They set a course for your thoughts in the first draft, and belong in the opening of your polished product. While you need not dwell on the motive, try to weave your entire text around the argument, bringing all evidence and reasoning to bear on your main point with no dead ends and minimal detours.
If your argument is not clear to you from the start, don’t worry; the best introductions are usually written last. Of course you need some sense of direction to begin, but don’t hesitate to revise it as you go. You will only know if you have a good argument once you run it through the gauntlet of counterargument. Entertain alternatives as you write, and use this understanding to strengthen the main idea in your introduction. If you are truly rigorous here, you might even talk yourself out of your initial argument. Don’t shy away from this, but rather embrace the chance to mature as a thinker and reset the tack of your piece.
