BLOG #4 Where do I start??

If college writing classes have taught me anything it is that my opinions are marvelous things that belong nowhere near my assignments. Writing has always been my weakness and it is mostly due to being restrained from contributing my ideas to the assigned subject. Now that I think about it, that way of writing resembles the way I am in person. I rarely, if ever, give my opinion on a subject unless I am asked to share. I believe writing an op-ed will prove to be a great personal challenge that I am looking forward to. The structure and rules of an objective essay are so ingrained in my head that I could barely imagine what a subjective peace of writing would look like. 

In order to surpass this hurdle in my head, I found that the op-ed about middle and high schools starting later in the morning was very helpful. Right from the start, the article appealed to me because I currently work at Mission Bay High School and the change in start times would affect my programming. That alone showed me the importance of catering to your audience and how to keep them reading. I found that The Times Editorial Board made a convincing argument with the use of statistics, informative pros and cons, and even ended the article with a reasonable solution/option. Although the concept of writing a subjective op-ed was difficult, I found the examples to be an extremely useful resource. I realized the subjectivity portion of the op-eds is tiny compared to the amount of supportive information and facts I have to incorporate to support it. 

Another source that I found helpful was Allena Tapia's article, Learn What an Op-ed Article Is and How to Write One. Allena breaks drown writing an op-ed into six tips and she does so in a way that simplifies the transition from objectivity to subjectivity. I found this article to be more helpful than the others because the six tips resembled the outline of a five page essay. The more familiar I can make the process of writing an op-ed the easier it will get. The six tips are:

1. Own the opinion-know what you're writing about and your motive
2. Start with a hook-personalize the issue to keep readers interested
3. Aim Correctly-know your audience
4. Back it up-evidence and support
5. Follow all the rules-cut word count, stick to one subject, no passive sentences
6. End with action-tell readers to support something

Rule number three is definitely one I have to dedicate some time to. The audience you choose can determine the effectiveness of your op-ed. This became clear to me after reading the article, Across America, Latino Community Sighs with Relief  by Daisy Hernandez. I understand the point she is trying to make and although it was written in 2011, her concern is the same if not more relevant now that Donald Trump is president. The sentiment she portrays is familiar since immigration issues hit close to home. Regardless, I can't help but notice Hernandez drastically limits her audience to Latinos. Not only does she exclude much of the population of readers, Hernandez minimizes the severity of the Tucson shooting which I found off-putting of her whole article. Despite what I feel about Hernandez's article, what holds true is that the choice of an audience can make or break an op-ed's effectiveness.