Writing, Writing Tips
New Writers: 3 First Aid Tips For Better Paragraphs
Building a story foundation avoiding boo-boos
New writers, are you having difficulty creating solid paragraphs? Maybe you cannot get your words to flow smoothly, or your sentences go on and on. Perhaps you have some fantastic ideas, but your paragraph structure hurts your writing.
Never fear; first aid is here! 👨⚕️
Paragraphs are essential in writing. Each section provides an idea supporting a chosen topic. Think: building a house. The house represents your story, and each room, a paragraph creating a solid foundation.
Keeping in mind that each additional paragraph introduces a new idea or thought to support an ongoing topic, let’s tackle some things that may be hurting your story sections. Don’t worry; this will not be painful; no bandaids are necessary! 🩹
3 Firstaid Tips For Better Paragraphs
- Define your topic sentence- The first sentence in every paragraph highlights the topic of a particular section. Using the house for reference, and each room a paragraph, let’s begin building spaces. For example, if room number one is a living room, the topic sentence should speak about the living room. 🩺
- Write effective supporting sentences- A paragraph needs sentences that support the topic sentence. Ideally, sections are most effective when kept to an eye-pleasing minimum. Of course, opinions on sentence length vary from three to eight. My thought: aim for four, but vary paragraph length throughout a story, avoiding text-heavy sections. Rooms in a house are not all the same size variant depending on personal needs. 🚑
Remember to stick to details building on your theme sentence. Each new idea or speaker introduces a fresh perspective requiring a new section. You would not put a toilet in your living room or attempt hanging a door without a frame, right? Keeping everything in its proper place prevents a home hazard with potential boo-boos or a weak article lacking a solid foundation in the writer's situation.
- Write a clear transitional sentence- The closing sentence in each paragraph transitions to a new section. Again, using the rooms in a house as an example, let’s pretend that the living room is complete. It is now time to move on to the kitchen. Think of the doorway as your transition, your route to a new space. Keeping this notion in mind, a writer’s doorway to a fresh idea is a paragraph’s final or transitional sentence. 👩⚕️
Now Let’s Write a Paragraph
Sticking to our house theme, I will write a paragraph about a kitchen. Lookout: accidents are waiting to happen! I think some much-needed first aid for boo-boos lies ahead.
Dad painted our kitchen blue. I love our new appliances; the stove is my favorite because I enjoy baking for my family. The oven timer is the best. My lasagna comes out perfect with the three-cheese blend oozing from the noodles. The ocean blue walls add delight to our mealtimes. Everyone seems more relaxed, and now we all sit down as a family to eat. My lasagna recipe was my great-grandmother’s. Her secret lies in the sauce, a balanced blend of Mediterranean herbs and spices. I think she would be proud of my cooking and in awe of our larger-than-average stove with quirky modern extras. I wonder where dad found this beautiful paint; it is so glossy!
Did you spot the boo-boos? Never fear; first aid is here!
Did you notice two themes going on in my paragraph? Yep, paint, and appliances.
Let’s do an edit.
Dad painted our kitchen blue. The ocean blue walls add delight to our mealtimes. Everyone seems more relaxed, and now we all sit down as a family to eat. I wonder where dad found this beautiful paint; it is so glossy!
As you can see, the topic in this paragraph is paint. Albeit a short section written in three sentences, I stick to thoughts supporting the topic sentence. My final sentence points to another idea: where the paint came from, which is a doorway or transition to another paragraph; idea.
Of all our new appliances, the stove is my favorite because I love baking for my family. The oven timer is the best for making my lasagna come out perfect with its three-cheese blend oozing out from the noodles. The larger than average stove size with quirky modern extras would have had my great-grandmother in awe of her lasagna recipe—the real success: a secret sauce blend of Mediterranean herbs and spices.
In the second paragraph about an oven, I noted why I loved the new stove while transitioning into a new idea: my great-grandmother’s secret sauce.
See how I took one unorganized paragraph making it into two themes? If this was an article written about a kitchen, I could create an entire piece about a kitchen by building sections from the ground up, like a house, forming a stable foundation!
New writers: I realize that creating a story might feel overwhelming when starting. Sometimes, thoughts become scattered, and our words, although with the best intentions, do not come out right, injuring an otherwise excellent article. But, no worries; using these 3 tips, you will write better paragraphs providing a solid reading experience with a floor-plan or article goal.
Define your topic sentence
Write effective supporting sentences
Create a closing or transitional sentence
With practice, new writers, you will see improvement in your articles!
Thank you for reading my 3 first aid tips for better paragraphs! I don’t know about you, but I think a well-deserved sticker is waiting; my favorite part of childhood medical attention!
Until next time, happy writing — Marilyn