Writing composition

A topic sentence

HintIt tells the reader what the whole chunk is about before any detail arrives.

The whyEverything else in the paragraph should support it. If you cannot write one for a paragraph, that paragraph is probably carrying two ideas.

One

HintIf you can write two different opening sentences for it, it should be two chunks.

The whyParagraphs break writing into digestible units of thought. A wall of text holding three ideas is far harder to follow than three short blocks.

A plan

HintBuilders draw one of these before laying a single brick.

The whyTwo minutes spent deciding the order saves ten minutes of rewriting. Most weak answers are not badly written, they are badly ordered.

hook

HintAnglers use one; so does a good first sentence.

The whyAction, dialogue or an unanswered question all work. Starting with the weather and a character waking up almost never does.

Sight

HintThe one you are using to take in this card.

The whySmell and sound place a reader in a scene faster than another visual detail does, partly because they are so much less expected.

She twisted her sleeve

HintThe version that hands you an action to picture instead of a label to accept.

The whyNaming a feeling closes it down; an action lets the reader work it out, and readers believe conclusions they reach for themselves.

Start a new line

HintThe layout shows the change of voice before the words themselves do.

The whyIt saves the reader working out who is talking, which means you need far fewer "he said" and "she replied" tags to stay clear.

Proof-reading

HintDo it aloud if you can — the eye skips over what the brain expects to see.

The whyYour brain autocorrects your own writing, so the errors you miss are the ones you make most often. Saying it aloud forces you to meet every word.

Brand-new evidence

HintBy the end the case is closed — nothing fresh may be smuggled in.

The whyA conclusion pulls together what the reader has already been shown. A fresh point there has no room to be explained, so it weakens the piece.

Connectives

HintThe signposts that tell a reader which way the argument is about to turn.

The whyThey do real work: "however" promises a contrast and "therefore" promises a consequence, so the wrong one misleads the reader about your argument.

rhetorical

Hint'Do we really want to live like this?' — nobody is meant to put a hand up.

The whyIt works by making the audience supply the answer themselves, so they feel they arrived at your position rather than being told it.

A thesis statement

HintThe steering line at the top — everything after it has to serve it.

The whyIt tells the reader where the essay is going and tells you which paragraphs belong. Anything that does not support it should be cut.