Chose a topic in which both you and your audience have a stake. Use brainstorming strategies to narrow the topic. When drawing a cluster diagram, place the general idea inside a box and draw lines leading to more boxes to break down the topic. To list, record what you know about a topic and place a check next to patterns. Asking who, what, where, why and how are other ways to arrive at a topic.
The most common writing purposes are "to inform, to interpret, to persuade, and to solve a problem," explain Rebecca Howard and Amy Taggart in their book "Research Matters." Expository writing involves reporting or explaining, interpretive writing requires analysis of information and data, and argumentative writing entails problem solving or persuasion. A rough outline helps writers visualize where to build upon what they already know with research and other support.
Picture your audience as you write. Strive to determine their current level of knowledge and interest in your topic, and use your words and tone accordingly. Create common ground by using appeals to logic, ethics or emotion --- strategies that can overcome resistance and help readers connect to your issue. Explain unfamiliar terms to avoid distancing the audience.
To build a thesis statement, combine your topic and stance --- for example, advertisements should be regulated because they send dangerous body image messages to young women. In argumentative writing, add the reasons for your beliefs and a reason someone would disagree with you --- for example, "While some think advertisements are benign, advertisements should be regulated because they send dangerous body image messages to young women by featuring models who are too thin and flawless and who wear too little clothing."
Tell readers what each paragraph is about in a topic sentence. Create a topic sentence by combining the main idea of the thesis with the paragraph topic and a transition --- for example, "One of the most dangerous messages advertisements send young women is that only thin people are considered beautiful." Transitions for subsequent paragraphs could begin with "the second reason" or "another reason," making the shift to new topics clear to the audience.
Using transitional words and phrases contributes to flow and guides readers through points. Paragraph unity results from the placement of transitions before examples. Transitions also create logical connections in the minds of audience members. While transitions vary, common examples include "for instance," "on the other hand," "for example" and "to illustrate." Transitions can also build bridges between paragraphs when writers use the last sentence of paragraphs to sum up the main points.