The great Writing with Andrew videocast offers advice to anyone (like me!) who struggles to write. Here he has me offer ways that rhetoric—and self-persuasion—can help overcome writer’s block, imposter syndrome, and a lack of inspiration.
Read MoreThis outline frees people from prison.
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The filmmaker Matt Nadel crafts short documentaries of New York State prisoners. His purpose: to get the governor to grant clemency.
Read MoreThe “It” Girl of college essays reminds me of a certain 1950s gym.
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Civility isn’t the end of deliberative argument; it’s just the beginning. To get anyone even to listen to you, you have to make your audience believe you’re worth listening to.
Read MoreSame book, different covers
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My new book got completely different treatments. Which is better?
Read MoreThe most underrated figure of speech
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The orators in ancient Greece and Rome recognized the magic of rhythm. They noticed that the cadence of an expression could have a huge influence on an audience[. Cicero was especially fond of one of the more powerful rhythms, the paean. We think of the paean today as a song or poem that praises, gives thanks, or celebrates a triumph. But it first meant words that heal.
Read MoreTo tell a story, put a camera on a cat.
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In any story—the narration part of a speech, or a fictional tale, or the proofs in an essay—you want to put the scene right before the audience’s very eyes. Ancient rhetoricians called this quality enargeia. While the word literally translates as “visibility,” I prefer “before their very eyes.”
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The great Writing with Andrew videocast offers advice to anyone (like me!) who struggles to write. Here he has me offer ways that rhetoric—and self-persuasion—can help overcome writer’s block, imposter syndrome, and a lack of inspiration.