Noting Pros & Cons


Once you know your topic for writing, develop ideas by pretending you’re preparing for a debate. List all of the pros and cons you can think of related to your topic. When you have your lists of pros and cons, you can then decide whether to include one or both sides in your writing. For example:

* Smoking Outside of Buildings

Pros:

  • Conforms with state legislation for no smoking in the interiors of public places
  • Inconveniences smokers, perhaps an inducement to quit?

Cons:

  • Creates a wall of smoke that people need to walk through
  • Businesses must purchase and maintain a place for smokers to discard matches and cigarettes
  • Inconveniences smokers