Reading Response In chapter 7 of Bruce Ballenger’s the Curious Writer (Concise Edition), she merely discusses the steps needed to writing an argument paper that not only catches the audience’s attention, but also accurately comes to one conclusion pointing out other point of views along the way. Bruce tells about many examples of informal arguments one such is writing letters to the editor of a newspaper. She explains, “While these essays are often informal, they are still persuasive forms, and as you’ll see later, they often employ the same methods of more formal arguments.” Just like in “more formal” written arguments, newspaper letters to the editor, argue a main point and usually for the most part are interesting and can draw a reader in to the main point (202). There are numerous different ways to argue a point. A lot of people argue everyday whether in relationships, at school, or at work; they all have their own opinion and think that other people should know about it. If you are a lawyer you argue for a living. “When scientists seek to understand something about the way the earth works, they often begin with hypothesis. They then design an experiment to collect data that is meant to determine the truth of the hypothesis.” This is an example of a scientific argument. An argument paper is similar because you too have to do some form of research to support your topic well; plus a topic of an argument paper has a unique hypothesis of its own. In an argument paper you aren’t supposed to “reinforce” any already known “ideas”, you are supposed to come up with your own way of seeing something and let others know so it can lead people closer to the truth about something, or even just to “discover a new way of thinking about a topic” (203). A good argument is one that has not yet been acknowledged by most people, and it’s a strong argument if you show other peoples opinions and “evidence” of why your own should be considered. Bruce also explained a lot of important argument paper misconceptions such as: the similarities and differences between “argument and inquiry,” “making claims,” and the fact that there aren’t always just “two sides to an argument.” These are all important factors to consider while writing a persuasive argument paper.