When beginning a writing project, one of the steps in your process might be to decide just what “voice” to use in your next post/article/missive. And in this case, by “voice” I mean in terms of what the article is meant to do. Is it an explanation? Is it a definition piece? Do you have a strong case for, or against, something and want to convince your reader?

While it is not critical to know which voice you want to write from, sometimes–when you are “stuck”–it is helpful to go back to basics. Start your writing process from a simpler level by asking yourself what kind of article am I writing? What am I trying to say and how do I want to say it?

There are 4 choices of direction from which your article can be written: Argument: An attempt to convince someone about a subject. Answers “why” Explanation: Gives the reason of subject. Answers “what happened” Definition: Gives the nature of the subject. Answers “what” Description: Gives the nature/qualities of subject. Answers “what is”

Argument: This type of writing is meant to convince the reader FOR the case being stated. It is about convincing someone that a stated proposition is correct. You are attempting to persuade someone to believe that your conclusion is the correct one and to take the further action you suggest, whether to make a decision about a subject, make a purchase or believing a certain way about something. In order to succeed, you should present more than one reason for asking your readers to believe what you are saying.

Explanation: What this is should be fairly obvious. An explanation tells why something you are writing about is what you are saying it is. By giving examples, or the sequence of events leading up to your proposition, or, why “this” instead of “that,” you are leading your reader to come to an informed decision.

There are 3 parts to an explanation:
1. Identify the subject you are explaining.
2. Tell what could have happened leading up to your conclusion.
3. Describe how the outcome came to be, and not some other outcome.

Definition: identifies meaning.
There are 2 parts to a definition: the concept being defined and propositions you are setting forth that do the defining.
Writing a definition article can be done in a couple of different ways.
1. Using words and concepts.
2. By giving a name to something you can point to or describe.
3. Define something indirectly, by giving examples.

Description: A description gives information about the subject of your article. Sentences in your description will describe events, state of being or other some such propostions about your subject and then ascribe a property, or element, to that subject.

The shape of the subject in question, or the current standards of the subject, even down to its unary properties—color, taste, etcetera. (pertaining to a function whose domain is a given set and whose range is contained in that set – http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/unary) are all ways of describing your subject.

This is just a rough outline, but, when you are beginning a writing project, sometimes “back to the basics” is the best first step. HOW do you want to say whatever it is you want to say? Choose one from the list above and move to the next step in your process.

You might also want to read this post >> About Discursive Writing.

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