Why We Write
Depending on the PURPOSE of your writing, your content will consist of at least one paragraph but probably multiple paragraphs so that your ideas can be adequately conveyed to your audience.
There are many reasons for writing something down, but ultimately, the goal is to transmit what is in your mind to someone else (the audience). If you cannot write clearly enough, your audience will be lost and not understand your point.
How to Create a Basic Paragraph
When discussing paragraphs, you will want to keep in mind that there are 3 main constructs for paragraphs: an introduction paragraph, body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. For now, we will ignore the specialized introduction and conclusion paragraphs and focus on the basic paragraph: a body paragraph.
A basic paragraph is a grouping of sentences about ONE TOPIC that works together to convey a specific point. Your point may be to entertain, educate, persuade, compare, or analyze. No matter the point of the paragraph, the topic should be very clear to the audience.
Every basic paragraph has 3 sections to it:
- TOPIC SENTENCE
- DETAILS
- CLOSING
These three sections work together to lead the audience into your topic, explain it, and then wrap it up.
TOPIC SENTENCE: The topic sentence will mention to the reader the TOPIC and the POINT of the whole paragraph. It will only be 1 sentence in length. Be clear. Be direct.
Example: At 12 years old, I decided to put my trust, faith, and life in Jesus Chirst's hands by accepting his gift of salvation.
DETAILS: The details of the paragraph come directly after the topic sentence, and they must directly relate to the TOPIC and POINT of the paragraph. You can have 2-3 detail sentences for a minimally developed paragraph; however, a well-developed paragraph has typically 4-5 detail sentences.
Example: I was living in Naples, Italy with my mother, stepfather, and two sisters at the time. Our church made it possible for our youth group to go on a youth retreat to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. While the historical sites were fascinating, nothing compared to the days spent high in the Swiss Alps learning about the gift Jesus prepared for me long before I was ever born. I had been raised in the church, but it was not until I was away from my parents that I was able to recognize the importance of fully trusting Jesus.
CLOSING SENTENCE: The closing sentence will reiterate to the reader the TOPIC and the POINT of the whole paragraph while wrapping it up. It will only be 1 sentence in length. Be clear. Be direct.
Example: Even though I had been involved in the church my whole life, it was not until I was away from the routine of my everyday life that I completely understood what it meant to follow Jesus Christ.
FULL PARAGRAPH
At 12 years old, I decided to put my trust, faith, and life in Jesus Christ’s hands by accepting his gift of salvation. I was living in Naples, Italy with my mother, stepfather, and two sisters at the time. Our church made it possible for our youth group to go on a youth retreat to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. While the historical sites were fascinating, nothing compared to the days spent high in the Swiss Alps learning about the gift Jesus prepared for me long before I was ever born. I had been raised in the church, but it was not until I was away from my parents that I was able to recognize the importance of fully trusting Jesus. Even though I had been involved in the church my whole life, it was not until I was away from the routine of my everyday life that I completely understood what it meant to follow Jesus Christ.
As you work on creating your own paragraphs, please keep in mind that the TOPIC SENTENCE and the CLOSING SENTENCE must not only relate to each other, but they must serve as bookends to the content found in the DETAIL SENTENCES.
In the past, I have used the 'hamburger method' to explain the flow of a basic body paragraph.
Take your time to create clear TOPIC SENTENCES that will clearly let your audience know what your focus will be in that paragraph and be sure to stay on one topic throughout the whole paragraph.
NOTE: For new writers, I do not suggest writing more than a 7-sentence paragraph. As you get better at writing well-developed paragraphs, you will notice your paragraphs grow to 10-12 sentences in length. Take your time and practice often.
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