One (not so weird) Way to Improve Your Writing
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Internet hucksters promise “one weird trick” to melt belly fat, boost credit scores, or cure insomnia. Unfortunately, real life rarely offers shortcuts to success. Writing is no different. No trick—weird or otherwise—can turn a weak writer into Toni Morrison or Ernest Hemingway. Still, if there's one “trick” that can quickly improve your writing, it's mastering the art of writing good paragraphs.
A good paragraph discusses one idea using a series of related sentences. It starts with a topic sentence clearly stating the paragraph’s main idea. The next few sentences develop and support that idea using evidence and analysis. The last sentence concludes the discussion, often linking the paragraph’s idea to a broader idea or argument.
The paragraph’s power lies in its ability to benefit writers and readers simultaneously. Most writing activities are either writer-centered (improving ideas) or reader-centered (improving clarity). However, writing good paragraphs helps both parties. Writers who invest time crafting good paragraphs earn a generous return in the form of strong, clear writing.
For writers, good paragraphs clarify, strengthen, and organize ideas. Writing a strong topic sentence forces the writer to distill and state a clear main idea. Having a clear main idea helps the writer evaluate and strengthen, if needed, the supporting evidence and analysis. Strong topic sentences also help the writer recognize thoughts unrelated to the main idea that need to be moved or cut. Concluding sentences force the writer to reflect on how the paragraph supports or fits within a broader idea.
For readers, on the other hand, good paragraphs make it easy to understand the writer’s ideas and follow their argument. A clear topic sentence orients the reader. With the main idea in mind, the reader can readily understand and evaluate the writer’s evidence and analysis. Concluding sentences situate the paragraph within the writer’s overall narrative or argument. Psychologically, good paragraphs reduce the mental effort needed to understand the writing, freeing readers to focus on the writer’s ideas.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Lythgoe
Seven tips for writing good paragraphs:
Organize each paragraph around one idea, and only one idea. For two ideas, write two paragraphs.
State the paragraph’s main idea clearly in the first sentence. Early drafts often omit or bury the main idea. Good writers revise early drafts, finding or writing good topic sentences that clearly state the main idea at the beginning of each paragraph.
Develop the idea in the middle sentences. Use evidence and analysis to explain and support the main idea. Evidence might include data, quotes, or examples. Analysis connects the evidence to the main idea, showing the reader why the evidence matters. Make sure each sentence advances the main idea. Move or cut any that don’t.
Write a concluding sentence that links the paragraph back to a broader idea or otherwise helps the reader understand why what they’ve just read is important.
Treat paragraphs as a unit of thought. Ignore “rules” that require 120–150 words, or 3–5 or 6–8 sentences, or one inch deep on the page. A paragraph is a unit of thought, not of words, sentences, or inches. Make it as long as it needs to be to communicate the thought (but no longer).
For complex ideas, two or three short paragraphs are usually better than one long one. Paragraph breaks give readers a short mental break between thoughts, helping them digest complex ideas.
Don’t overthink paragraph transitions. Transitions help readers understand how two paragraphs are related. If the relationship is obvious, no transition is needed. If the relationship is not obvious, a simple signal word or phrase can often make it clear. For example, starting one paragraph with “The first reason to write good paragraphs…” naturally leads to “The second reason…” in the next paragraph. If a simple signal word or phrase won’t work, try an introductory clause at the beginning of the topic sentence. But above all, don’t write a transition sentence at the end of a paragraph awkwardly introducing the next paragraph’s idea. Use the last sentence to conclude the discussion of that paragraph’s idea. Remember: one paragraph, one idea.
Good paragraphs are not a weird trick, but they are a reliable way to improve your writing. By mastering paragraphs, you improve the strength and clarity of your ideas. You also help your reader understand them. Writing good paragraphs, like everything in writing, takes work and practice, but it’s well worth the effort.
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Thank you! I was never able to explain this to a young Foreign Service Officer whose written reports consisted of sentences randomly gathered on the page with no clear coherent point!