Beginning to write, paragraph by paragraph
If you have carried out the various pre-writing activities that have been outlined
in the sections identified as researching for writing, and preparing for writing,
you are ready to begin to write. With your tentative structure as a guide, and
using the notes that you have taken and ordered strategically, the actual task
of writing will be relatively straightforward.
The task of writing seems easier if you think of it in terms of its component
parts. In other words, when you are beginning to write, you should think of writing
paragraph by paragraph. To help you do this, we will give some thought to the
purpose and the principal features of a paragraph. The following four paragraphs
are quoted directly from an article written by S. Gosling, S. Jin Ko, T. Mannarelli,
and M. Morris (2002), titled "A room with a cue: Personality judgments based
on offices and bedrooms" in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
82(3), pp. 379-398.
- "…the mechanisms linking individuals to the environments
they inhabit fall into two categories: identity claims (self-directed and other-directed)
and behavioural residue (interior and exterior).
People spend many of their waking hours in their personal living and work environments,
and they often decorate these places. People choose colours, patterns, motifs,
and décor that fit their own personal taste and aesthetic. To make these
spaces their own, individuals may adorn them with self-directed identity claims
— symbolic statements made by occupants for their own benefit, intended to
reinforce their self-views. Many of these statements can make use of widely understood
cultural symbols (e.g., a poster of Martin Luther King, university memorabilia),
whereas other artefacts may have a more personal meaning (e.g., a pebble collected
from a favourite beach). These latter objects can, nonetheless, convey a private
message to an observer even if the exact meaning of such private artefacts is
obscure; for example, the pebble could signify that the occupant is sentimental
or values nature.
In addition to reinforcing their self-views, occupants can display symbols that
have shared meanings to make statements to others about how they would like to
be regarded (Baumeister, 1982; Goffman, 1959). By displaying such symbols (e.g.,
a poster of Martin Luther King, university memorabilia), occupants may be intentionally
communicating their attitudes and values to others. These statements might be
sincere and intended to convey truthful messages about what the individual is
really like, but they may also be strategic, even deceptive statements intended
to portray the individual in a certain light. For example, the occupant of an
office who has frequent client visits may be motivated to decorate the space in
ways that suggest to others a conscientious, hard-working, and honest disposition.
Similarly, the occupant of a dorm room may be motivated to decorate his or her
space with posters of rock stars and hip movies to be seen as cool by potential
visitors.
We note that self-directed and other-directed identity claims may often result
in similar environmental manifestations; for example, displaying a poster of Martin
Luther King may serve both to reinforce one’s self-view and also to communicate
one’s values to others. Our goal here is to note that although the outcomes
of self-directed and other-directed identity claims may often overlap, they nonetheless
reflect conceptually distinct motivations."
When you read those four paragraphs carefully, you can see that they share
the following features.
1. Each paragraph conveys a related group of ideas
- The first paragraph tells the reader about the paragraphs that follow
- The second paragraph tells the reader about self-directed
identity claims, how these may be accomplished, and their impact on visitors
- The third paragraph informs the reader about other-directed identity claims,
how these may be accomplished, and their impact on visitors
- The fourth paragraph notes the similarities between self-
and other-directed identity claims
2. Each paragraph develops one main idea
- The main idea in the second paragraph is self-directed identity claims,
whereas the main idea in the third paragraph is other-directed identity claims
3. Each paragraph expands on the main idea, using supporting sentences that
are organised in a logical pattern
- For example, the main idea in the second paragraph is self-directed
identity claims. The definition of self-directed identity claims is outlined first.
The paragraph then provides information about the ways people can accomplish these
claims, and how these claims influence visitors’ perceptions of the room
occupant. Thus, the paragraph expands on the main idea, that is, self-directed
identity claims, and it does so in a logical fashion.
4. Each paragraph maintains cohesion by using repetition and synonymous phrases
- For example, in the third paragraph, the writer says, "occupants
can display symbols that have shared meanings to make statements to others about
how they would like to be regarded. By displaying such symbols (e.g., a poster
of Martin Luther King, university memorabilia), occupants may be intentionally
communicating their attitudes and values to others." The use of the word
"symbols" in both sentences links the sentences together and helps to
convey a sense of cohesion.
So, clearly the four paragraphs above have important features in common. Each
paragraph conveys a related group of ideas, each paragraph develops one main idea,
and this idea is expanded on using supporting sentences that are organised in
a logical pattern. There is another important feature of those paragraphs, and
of paragraphs generally, however, that we have not yet dealt with. The first sentence
in a paragraph signals to the reader what the rest of the paragraph is about.
This sentence is called the topic sentence.
1. The purpose of a topic sentence is
- to inform the reader of what the paragraph is about
- to establish the information that should be included
in the paragraph
- to provide unity to your piece of written work
2. In essence, topic sentences can make a piece of written work much easier
to read.
Let’s take as an example the topic sentence in paragraph 3 above.
- "In addition to reinforcing their self-views, occupants
can display symbols that have shared meanings to make statements to others about
how they would like to be regarded."
That sentence tells the reader that the paragraph is going to be about symbols
that the occupant uses to make statements about how he or she would like to be
perceived or viewed by others. The content of the remainder of the paragraph reflects
the content of that sentence, the topic sentence.
A topic sentence can be misleading and unhelpful if it does not capture the content
of the paragraph. To illustrate this point, consider the following example.
- "Freud’s theory of personality development has influenced
our understanding of the role that childhood experiences play in shaping personality.
Freud’s theory states that personality development occurs in 5 sequential
stages. These are the oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages. According
to Freud, if the individual does not pass through each phase successfully, they
may become fixated at that stage. These fixations may then become manifested in
behaviour."
The topic sentence is "Freud’s theory of personality development
has influenced our understanding of the role that childhood experiences play in
shaping personality". That sentence does not capture the topic of the paragraph.
That is, it does not reflect what the paragraph is about. As a consequence, the
point the writer is trying to make is lost. It is difficult to know what one should
be concluding from the paragraph.
So, to reiterate, as the first sentence in any paragraph, a well written topic
sentence facilitates the reading of a paragraph because it prepares the reader
for the content of the paragraph. What follows in a well written paragraph is
a development or an elaboration of the content or idea expressed in the topic
sentence.
Now that you know about the purpose of a paragraph and its features, you are
ready to begin writing, paragraph by paragraph.
1. So, to write a draft of your first paragraph
- take the first point in your tentative structure
- write a topic sentence that captures its essence
- elaborate on the topic sentence
- making sure that your elaboration is consistent with
the topic sentence
- use repetition and synonymous phrases to obtain a sense of wholeness for
the paragraph
2. Having written a draft of your first paragraph
- move onto the next paragraph by
- taking the second point in your tentative structure
- write a topic sentence to capture its essence
- and so on
3. Repeat for the third, and each subsequent paragraph until you reach the
end of the complete draft of your essay or written assignment.
- Practising beginning to write is the most useful activity
for this topic.
< previous | next
> |
