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發揮寫作說服力的六大準則之一：鍛鍊自我，迎接挑戰
【學術專欄】
不管是自己選擇或教授指定，若要寫作論說式學術文章，必須先做好心理準備。你必須說明個人意見，選定觀點也很重要，結構與表達尤其攸關文章成敗。本專欄介紹六大關鍵準則，讓你寫作時發揮說服力，每項準則都會刊登在 TPS 粉絲專頁，並在最後集結於 TPS 學術電子報。
When an argumentative academic paper is the task at hand, whether by choice or assignment, the writer must approach it with an appropriate mindset. Subjective values come into play. Point of view becomes important. Organization and presentation become even more critical to success. The elements of successful persuasive writing are explained in this series, “6 Essential Rules for Persuasive Writing.” Each of the rules will be presented on the TPS Fan page before being compiled.
Rule # 1 – Steel thyself
準則一：鍛鍊自我，迎接挑戰
Unlike expository writing that explains something in great detail, persuasive writing postulates at length on a specific subject. It claims to be the last word on the subject, or the first defensible one. The goal of the writer and the purpose of his paper is not to inform another person’s mind; it is to change a person’s mind. However, a writer’s assertion of final authority can run up against a reader’s assertion to the contrary. Therefore, persuasive writers should expect push-back.
論說文不像說明文，說明文解釋詳細，論說文則以充份的篇幅討論特定主題、發表有力的總結，或率先提出質疑。論說文的目的並非說明資訊，而是改變他人的想法。然而，由於作者的最終主張可能與讀者牴觸，因此讀者可能反彈。
If you are a shrinking violet, persuasive writing is not your garden. Persuasive writers do not mince words. They write using confident, charismatic phraseology that speaks with unqualified authority. Some readers are likely to respond in kind (even professors, who nonetheless should grade a paper on its merits rather than its conclusion) and a writer should not be intimidated by it. Rather, he should inoculate himself in advance by expecting scholarly disagreement.
如果你生性害羞，論說文就不是你表現的舞台。寫論說文時不能吞吞吐吐，遣詞用字應該充滿自信與魅力，語調威嚴。若遇到讀者以牙還牙（教授也可能如此，不過教授應該根據文章內容評分，不應只看結論），你不能就此退縮，應該事先調整心態，準備面對不同的學術意見。
The same high level of professionalism is demanded of every writer, whatever the purpose of his paper. Yet a paper that argues it represents prototypical thinking carries the extra burden of being potentially controversial. Its argumentation could ignite additional scholarly argumentation. Therefore, a persuasive writer should prepare his paper with meticulous care and also prepare himself against strong responses that seldom come to writers of straight-forward exposition.
無論寫作何種學術文章，都應該展現同樣的學術專業，然而一篇文章如果宣稱自己的論證具有代表性，就額外多了爭議性，其論證可能引發更多的學術論證。因此，寫作論說文時，應特別仔細謹慎，並自我鍛鍊，以備面臨直截了當的說明文不會引起的強烈反彈。
When an argumentative academic paper is the task at hand, whether by choice or assignment, the writer must approach it with an appropriate mindset. Subjective values come into play. Point of view becomes important. Organization and presentation become even more critical to success. The elements of successful persuasive writing are explained in this series, “6 Essential Rules for Persuasive Writing.” Each of the rules will be presented on the TPS Fan page before being compiled.
Rule # 1 – Steel thyself
準則一：鍛鍊自我，迎接挑戰
Unlike expository writing that explains something in great detail, persuasive writing postulates at length on a specific subject. It claims to be the last word on the subject, or the first defensible one. The goal of the writer and the purpose of his paper is not to inform another person’s mind; it is to change a person’s mind. However, a writer’s assertion of final authority can run up against a reader’s assertion to the contrary. Therefore, persuasive writers should expect push-back.
論說文不像說明文，說明文解釋詳細，論說文則以充份的篇幅討論特定主題、發表有力的總結，或率先提出質疑。論說文的目的並非說明資訊，而是改變他人的想法。然而，由於作者的最終主張可能與讀者牴觸，因此讀者可能反彈。
If you are a shrinking violet, persuasive writing is not your garden. Persuasive writers do not mince words. They write using confident, charismatic phraseology that speaks with unqualified authority. Some readers are likely to respond in kind (even professors, who nonetheless should grade a paper on its merits rather than its conclusion) and a writer should not be intimidated by it. Rather, he should inoculate himself in advance by expecting scholarly disagreement.
如果你生性害羞，論說文就不是你表現的舞台。寫論說文時不能吞吞吐吐，遣詞用字應該充滿自信與魅力，語調威嚴。若遇到讀者以牙還牙（教授也可能如此，不過教授應該根據文章內容評分，不應只看結論），你不能就此退縮，應該事先調整心態，準備面對不同的學術意見。
The same high level of professionalism is demanded of every writer, whatever the purpose of his paper. Yet a paper that argues it represents prototypical thinking carries the extra burden of being potentially controversial. Its argumentation could ignite additional scholarly argumentation. Therefore, a persuasive writer should prepare his paper with meticulous care and also prepare himself against strong responses that seldom come to writers of straight-forward exposition.
無論寫作何種學術文章，都應該展現同樣的學術專業，然而一篇文章如果宣稱自己的論證具有代表性，就額外多了爭議性，其論證可能引發更多的學術論證。因此，寫作論說文時，應特別仔細謹慎，並自我鍛鍊，以備面臨直截了當的說明文不會引起的強烈反彈。