Focusing on the paper as a whole

Keeping in mind all the elements of the rhetorical situation discussed earlier, first evaluate whether the piece of writing reflects your original purpose and supports your thesis. If you have wandered from your purpose, cut out the irrelevant material — unless you discover that you have wandered in a direction far more interesting than the original one, in which case you may wish to reconsider your purpose and begin all over again.

The same is true of your thesis, or central idea. If some paragraphs are not clearly related to it, either directly or indirectly, this lack of unity may be due either to the paragraphs or to the thesis itself. If the process of writing has changed your view you may want to rethink the thesis and rework the paper.

However, if the thesis still seems valid and is stated clearly, the unrelated paragraphs may need to be rewritten or deleted.

Once you have determined that your focus is clear, it is time to consider drafting your introduction. Although some writers feel they must have their introduction before they can proceed with the rest of the draft, others either find such pressure frustrating, or else they write an introduction that ultimately fails to interest the reader or to get to the point. If you fall into either of the latter categories, now is the time to decide how to begin your paper.

Introductions may take a variety of forms: you might use a definition, question, quotation, or analogy; a characterization, description, example, or anecdote or facts, statistics, or background information. The type of introduction you choose should be determined by your papers purpose, but it should also take into account your reader’s needs. If you want people to read your paper or agree with your ideas, you first have to get their attention. So take some time to experiment with different types of paragraphs pick two or three to freewrite, and then decide which one is most appropriate.

When you feel that the introduction is suitably developed, see how it fits with the body of the paper by reading through the entire manuscript. If you feel that the introduction and body are cohesive, then move on to examine individual paragraphs.

Outlining the paper can be helpful in revealing shortcomings in structure and logic. Skipping over any purely transitional paragraphs, write down, in order, the topic sentences, or central ideas, of all the other paragraphs, indenting the subordinate ones under those they support. This outline is the skeleton of your paper. Look at it closely. Do any points need to be supported with more information or examples in order to be clear to your readers? Do any problems of logic need to be corrected?

Next, consider the sequence of the paragraphs. The coherence of a piece of writing depends on the ease with which readers can move from idea to idea and grasp the relationships among them. Coherence is achieved in a number of ways, especially by establishing a natural, logical sequence of ideas by choosing appropriate methods of development for the whole paper and for individual paragraphs; by providing transitions that help readers move easily from one idea to the next by eliminating material that interrupts the flow of ideas (see conciseness /wordiness); by supply necessary information that the readers could not be expected to know; and by avoiding distracting shifts in tense, mood, or point of view.

FOCUSING ON PARAGRAPHS

Take a close look at the first paragraph or two, you may find that these paragraphs — or at least the first few sentences — are nothing more than “throat clearing” and that your paper really starts farther down the page. This may also be a good lime to consider whether you have an opening — one that both captures the reader’s interest and sets the stage (or what follows — and whether the paper’s conclusion is consistent with your purpose and will leave the reader with a satisfying sense of completion. If you have not already done so, start thinking about a title. Even a working title (subject like everything else in the paper to further revision) will help you maintain a clear focus and a consistent tone.

Read each paragraph to assess whether its central idea is either clearly stated in a topic sentence or so clearly implied that no explicit statement is necessary. Does each paragraph have unity; that is, is everything in the paragraph related to the central idea? Is each paragraph coherent and well developed? (See coherence and methods of development.)