I found it was much more challenging to write the letter than a regular academic essay. Writing in the first person has always been difficult for me, and addressing someone I know regarding a subject that truly bothers me made it even more complicated. When writing in the third person, I can concentrate more on the subject matter itself as opposed to my own thoughts and feelings about the subject.

The letters and speeches by A.O.C., Young, Douglass, and Wollstonecraft were all very powerful, and I borrowed heavily from their writing strategies. For example, I really liked the way Douglass started his speech by praising the people he wanted to convince even though he did not really mean to give them praise. I started my letter the same way. I also “stole” A.O.C.’s strategy of making the reader empathize by putting them in your shoes hypothetically. I couldn’t quite pull it off, but I tried to paint a picture for the reader where they are the one affected by the central issue of my letter.

While working on the letter, I found that the outline process can be much more useful with a flexible approach. I added paragraphs to my outline one by one, and did not have to do a lot of editing at the end.