Hello, SE readers. It’s been a month since I last wrote, and what a month it’s been. We’ve seen riots, listened to yelling pundits, been quarantined off and on, won or lost an election … need I go further? If you are like me, you’ve retreated. The six-foot distancing rule has extended to even online communication. There’s just too much negative stuff being thrown around, and this “stuff” is what prompts today’s post. Won’t you join me as I tiptoe into the dangerous waters of persuasive speech?

As writers, most of us stand at the sidelines and watch as the world shakes, explodes, twists, and turns. We’re observers, we’re dreamers. We sit at our computers much of the day and create imaginary stories. Most of the time, we avoid the polarizing topics of religion, politics, and race, but there’s a catch. People dominate our stories. Can we really ignore these…