I'm a STEM major, so writing isn't my natural strength. My research papers used to be these rambling messes where I'd just dump all my information into paragraphs and hope for the best. My professor's feedback was always "unclear organization" or "this paragraph has multiple ideas."
Then a friend in the writing center gave me the simplest advice ever: Write your topic sentences first.
Seriously. Before you write a single paragraph of body content, write one sentence that summarizes the main point of that paragraph. For the whole paper. In order.
Then, step back and read JUST your topic sentences, one after another. It should read like a mini-essay. You should be able to follow your entire argument just from those sentences. If they jump around or don't connect, you know you have a structural problem BEFORE you've wasted hours writing paragraphs that don't fit.
It's so simple but it completely changed my writing process. Now my papers have flow, my paragraphs have focus, and my professors actually understand what I'm trying to say.
Anyone else have a simple trick that made a huge difference in their writing?
Then a friend in the writing center gave me the simplest advice ever: Write your topic sentences first.
Seriously. Before you write a single paragraph of body content, write one sentence that summarizes the main point of that paragraph. For the whole paper. In order.
Then, step back and read JUST your topic sentences, one after another. It should read like a mini-essay. You should be able to follow your entire argument just from those sentences. If they jump around or don't connect, you know you have a structural problem BEFORE you've wasted hours writing paragraphs that don't fit.
It's so simple but it completely changed my writing process. Now my papers have flow, my paragraphs have focus, and my professors actually understand what I'm trying to say.
Anyone else have a simple trick that made a huge difference in their writing?