Lynn of Reflections in D Minor asks an interesting question[emphasis mine]:

I've been planning to write one more big political post before the election, to get all those thoughts out of the way, but after days of thinking about it I just can't get it all to come together. I guess the problem is that I want to be convincing but I know I can't convince anyone of anything. Far better writers than I are being ignored so what possible hope is there for me?

The thing is, not everyone reads the "better writers". The maze of links comprising the blogosphere leads people down the strangest paths, and those who are yet convincable may stray into your garden.

Though you may not make your points perfectly, you may make them "perfectly enough". You might phrase it in just the right way for the mind that's at the tipping point to topple in your direction.

Most people I know are open-minded to some degree, and those that ARE still uncertain are busily weighing THIS against THAT. You may - especially if you're a dynamite wordsmith like Lynn - phrase one side of the argument in such a way that all the loose pieces suddenly come together for the reader.

When it comes to what finally pushes someone off the fence, it's not always the 3000 word essay full of facts, figures, diagrams, and supporting linkage that does the trick. All that beautiful rhetoric may not even be read. Sometimes all it takes is one apt metaphor to pull the entire picture into focus. And, as when finally discovering a hidden image in a drawing, the picture, once seen, can no longer be UNseen. The vision cannot be undone, and the mind can no longer be unconvinced.

Even though you won't persuade everyone, you might persuade someone, and it is for the sake of the few - or even the one - that you must try.

Because you just never know...

Posted by: Harvey at 10:23 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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