Persuasive Writing Assignment

When given a writing assignment with no specified thesis, where I can write about absolutely anything that interests me, I become stressed and have the hardest time choosing a topic. That is exactly what happened just the other day when I was told by my professor to “write what I know.” Now most people probably think that selecting a subject is a fairly simple task when given no restrictions; however, I think that it is one of the most difficult things to do when writing a paper.
When given a topic, I am typically able to construct a reasonable essay to submit to my teacher. That is because I already know what is wanted and expected, so I can concentrate on putting specific information together and formulating a paper that hopefully both interests and pleases my professor. It is so much easier for me to write on a given topic than to have the freedom to choose a topic. I like to know what is expected of me so I am able to meet those standards and hopefully succeed.
Every now and then, a paper is assigned that has no specified topic, and I am left sitting staring a blank computer screen or sheet of paper for much longer than necessary. When this happens, I typically browse the internet
For instance, when writing a persuasive paper, I like to know information such as what interests the reader, and what the reader believes, so that I am able to choose a subject that will grab their attention, and perhaps persuade them otherwise. (That’s the point of a persuasive paper, isn’t it?) As for informative and “how to” papers, although it’s necessary to know information about the topic, I also like to know what the reader takes interest in and what they would like to learn more about. For example, I am definitely no technician, so if I was to read about programming computers, I would become bored out of my mind no matter the quality of the