Writing to Persuade

I'm reading an excellent book on writing by Trish Hall, the former editor of the New York Times Op-Ed Page. The title of the book is, Writing to Persuade: How to Bring People Over to Your Side.

I'm through about 25 percent of the book and I'm relearning a lot that I've seen in William Zinsser's writing. And I like that the author sums up the book in "15 Principles of Persuasive Writing." Here they are:

1. Listen to people.
2. We believe what we believe.
3. Respect your audience. Learn to be empathetic.
4. Don't get into fights.
5. Play on feelings.
6. Understand moral values.
7. Emphasize your similarities.
8. What do you know?
9. Surprise your reader.
10. Be specific.
11.Tell stories.
12. Facts aren't magic.
13. Facts do matter.
14. Abandon jargon.
15. Prune ruthlessly.

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Dr. Francine Shapiro

I just recently discovered that Dr. Francine Shapiro, the originator of Eye Movement Desensitization  and Reprocessing (EMDR), has died. It happened about six months ago. I guess I'm shocked because sometimes you expect larger-than-life individuals to live to 100 or more.

I consider EMDR--even though at first it seems like something you would see on a late-night infomercial--essentially miraculous for treating trauma. I'm surprised it is not used more and that it isn't almost mandated for use. In the future I hope to take the needed training to practice EMDR.

The studies backing up its utility and speed, are legion. I must say that I am in awe of Dr. Shapiro for being the originator of this stunning form of therapy.

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Closer, But Maybe No Cigar

President Trump, I must admit, continues to remain moderately calm even during the turmoil he is in. I must say that I'm surprised. I thought by this time in the investigation he would be unraveling, and, indeed, he may make it unitl the end of his four-year term. I predicted he would not.

I may be eating a thing called "crow."

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William Zinsser Again

As I mentioned last post, I have been looking over William Zinsser's excellent book, On Writing Well. I am amazed at all the good stuff I overlooked the first time I read it. Here's a few sentences that really caught my attention: "You learn to write by writing. It's a truism, but what makes it a truism is that it's true. The only way to learn to write is to force yourself to produce a certain number of words on a regular basis." (Emphasis mine.)

I'm trying to really take that in. Yet, I forget so easily.

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