Writing the paragraphs
How many of you have experienced a day in your life when you feel like your head is bursting with so many ideas? You feel so excited and ready to go, so you sit down and start writing your thoughts. But where should you begin?
When writing, I always follow a particular pattern: the point – discussion – action pattern. It always helps to organize my thoughts into a coherent, uncluttered manner. This pattern is useful whether you are writing for publication or writing a speech for public speaking. Let me explain this technique.
- The “point” is that part of your work where you introduce the main topic. If you are writing several paragraphs, this corresponds to the first paragraph. It is always better to introduce one topic or idea per paragraph.
- The “discussion” is the following paragraph or paragraphs wherein you provide supporting information about your main topic. You can give as many information as you want to enable your readers to have a clear understanding of the topic you introduced in your first paragraph.
- The “action” corresponds to the last paragraph of your article. In this section, you either issue a ‘call to action’, or give a recommendation, or make a very strong summarizing conclusion. This last section is very important if you want to achieve the purpose of your writing. It is in this last paragraph where you either challenge or ask your readers to commit an action or reaction to what they have just read.
To illustrate this technique, here is a very short example below:
“Gardening and Exercise: Are they the same?”
I love plants, they’re not only pleasing to the eyes but they also help keep the environment healthy. So I keep a garden around my house. Gardening not only makes me happy but for me, it’s also a good form of exercise.
I start a garden by clearing the patch of land where I want to plant. I spend my free time weeding, watering, and cultivating the plants. These activities leave me huffing and sweating from the exertion. Watching the plants grow gives me an enormous sense of satisfaction, so I walk around my garden every day, keeping an eye on which shoot will reveal itself or what bloom will appear soon.
Gardening for me, therefore, is a form of exercise – where you sweat and exert effort doing something that you love. So if you share the same passion, I encourage you to start a garden now and exercise at the same time!
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Please note that this technique should be used also when writing just one paragraph. There must be one major sentence and several minor support sentences, each one contributing to control the idea. Exclude any information which does not belong to the topic.
Till next time when I show you how to organize your ideas!