Organizing Ideas
When writing, organize ideas in an order that makes sense. Order refers to what to
present first, second, third, and so on in the essay. The order chosen closely relates to
the purpose for writing that particular assignment. For example, when telling a story, it
may be important to first describe the background for the action. Or a writer may need
to first describe a 3-D movie projector or a television studio to help readers visualize the
setting and scene; or a writer may want to group evidence effectively to convince
readers that her point of view on an issue is well reasoned and worthy of belief.
In longer pieces of writing, a writer may organize different parts in different ways so that
the purpose stands out clearly and all parts of the paper work together to consistently
develop the main point.
Methods of Organizing Writing
The three common methods of organizing writing are chronological order, spatial
order, and order of importance. An outline is a written plan that serves as a skeleton
for the paragraphs. Later, when drafting, writers will add support to create “flesh” and
“muscle” for the assignment.
A writer’s goal is not only to complete an assignment but also to write for a specific
purpose—perhaps to inform, to explain, to persuade, or for a combination of these
purposes. This purpose for writing should always be in the back of the writer’s mind,
because it will help her decide which pieces of information belong together and how the
ideas will be ordered. In other words, choose the order that will most effectively fit the
purpose and support the main point – the thesis.