Building Paragraphs

Paragraphs are the building blocks of nonfiction writing, yet many writers have forgotten or perhaps never learned the ingredients of a well-written paragraph. Whether you are writing an article, essay, correspondence or report, you want each of your paragraphs to contribute in a meaningful way to your overall piece. They should be building blocks, not fluffy filler, and should progress logically from one to another. So how do you build a good paragraph? First, you need an opener that announces both the purpose and content of the paragraph. This first sentence should be a hook that draws readers in and a preview that lets them know what will unfold in the rest of the paragraph. This first sentence should also follow logically from the preceding paragraph so there is continuity in the presentation of your ideas. Next, you need several sentences (lengths of paragraphs will vary based on the type of piece you're writing) that present the body or meat of the paragraph. These sentences will contain facts, examples and other data that are necessary to develop the main idea of the paragraph. The body sentences of a paragraph should not stray from the topic and purpose of the paragraph. They should flow in a logical progression from idea to idea. The last but very important part of a paragraph is the closing sentence. This sentence puts a cap on the paragraph, providing a finish that either summarizes the paragraph content or emphasizes the main idea of the paragraph, preferably in a memorable or provocative way. It should be a nice wrap-up that gives the paragraph a finished feel and lets readers know that you've finished with that topic and are moving on to another. Each paragraph is a miniature of the piece as a whole. It has an introduction, a body and a conclusion, just as your article, essay or report does. Building solid, well-constructed paragraphs containing these key elements will help you produce nonfiction that informs, entertains or even enlightens your readers with effective, seamless writing.