If you have a strong opinion you want to write about, try jotting down a list of the reasons or points that support your position. Then study the list-are your points logical and persuasive? Which aren't, and why not? After this bit of prewriting, you may discover that although you believe something strongly, you really don't have the kinds of factual evidence or reasoned arguments you need to support your opinion. In some cases, depending on your topic, you may wish to talk to others who share your position or to research your subject(for help with research or interviewing, see Chapter 14): in other cases, you may just need to think longer and harder about your topic and your reasons for maintaining your attitude toward it. Keep an open mind: your exploration may lead you to a surprising new position. (Remember the words of humorist F. G. Burgess: "If in the last few years you haven't discarded a major opinion or acquired a new one, check your pulse. You may be dead.") But with or without formal research, the better you know your subject, the more confident you will be about writing your argumentative essav