Hello Goudreau!

Don't say what you think; show how you think.

Then let your readers decide.

So was the main idea that Rosemary Goudreau instilled in me during her visit to share her input and experience on editorial writing with our class.

"Everyone has opinions. The value of an editorial is that it is an educated opinion and has something to say," Goudreau said.

This illuminates your readers to the point you are trying to make through sound arguments so that they may react to what you have said and make up their own mind about it.

At first, the idea of forming one's own opinion based on another's opinion, no matter how much evidence is presented, seems contradictory to original thought.

However, one of my favorite feelings in this world is when someone says something to me that sheds light on a new facet to an old story and leads me to reconsider my former stance on that subject.

If my writing can do this for even one person, that's the best result I could ask for.

In truth, I realized that I would rather incite a reader to act against my editorial view than for them to simply read it, agree passively and move on to the next part of their day without giving it a second thought.

This idea connects with another of Goudreau's more powerful points from our discussion last week that "a newspaper should be a champion for its community."

Within that context, an editorial should serve as a benchmark by which that community can test its own values over time. It should be an open forum that makes a connection to its public and builds on the conversations that occur every day within it.

Although Goudreau's discussion with our class will undoubtedly help me to write future editorials, or any persuasive pieces for that matter--for which I thank her--I knew all along that I would enjoy her visit.

After all, her name is French.