Making Your Writing Flow

As a writer, it is your responsibility to guide readers through your ideas. But readers may not share your background knowledge on the topic, so take your reader from familiar concepts first into new ideas.

Old-to-new does not imply that you guess what your reader already knows. Rather, consider anything you have already mentioned in your writing to be old, and all concepts you include for the first time to be new. Once a new idea has been provided, it then becomes an old idea and can serve as the foundation for future sentences and paragraphs. 

Sentence-level flow and cohesion

Look at an example that does not use the old-to-new technique compared to an example that does. 

Notice how most sentences in this example introduce ideas that are not mentioned in preceding sentences, which leads to a choppy, confusing reading experience. It is almost as if the paragraph is a series of claims that do not grow from one another.

In the example above, joint pain is introduced in the first sentence and then used as a bridge to discuss a dog’s weight. Once the dog’s weight has become “old” information, the writer introduces two ideas that grow from the preceding sentences. As a reader, you can reasonably build the expectation that the next few sentences will be about “discussing dietary options” and “exercising your dog.” Good writing allows the reader to know what they are about to encounter!

Paragraph-level coherence

In addition to sentence cohesion, paragraphs must also provide a sense of coherence. This coherence indicates to your reader that the order in which you have presented your ideas was purposeful and logical, and that the ideas have an interrelated connection to one another.

Consider how topic sentences interact with one another, using the old-to-new technique in this example:

Notice that each paragraph shows a clear progression by moving from old-to-new. This gives the piece a sense of forward movement that helps a reader understand the “big picture” of how the ideas support the main point of the paper rather than creating the disjointed feeling of three separate, unrelated points.

If you were to remove the phrases that create coherence between paragraphs, readers will have a difficult time with your ideas and may not know what to expect next as shown in this example:

While a careful reader may be able to “build the bridges” between your ideas for themselves, a good writer takes that responsibility by creating proper flow, cohesion, and coherence. Indicate the connections between your paragraphs to your reader so that they can follow along on the journey that your writing takes!

Another important way to create cohesion is to tie ideas together by using one or more of the following techniques:

1. Use internal summaries to remind the reader of points you have already made.
   • Example: Four possible solutions to the problem have been outlined, but it is also important to consider flaws to these ides.
2. Use pronouns and pointing words (such as this, these, etc.) to refer to nouns mentioned previously. Make sure the reference is clear.
   • Example 1: The suggestion was very creative. It saved the company several thousand dollars.
   • Example 2: Buying a house can lead to a lot of unchecked stress. This stress can affect a buyer's ability to remain realistic of financial limitations. 
3. Repeat a key word or phrase.
   • Example: Several employees participated in the health fair. Of the events the company sponsors during the year, the health fair is one of the most important.
4. Insert transitional words or phrases such as therefore, similarly, however, or consequently to connect one idea to another and help prepare readers for upcoming shifts.
   • Example 1: Four-day work weeks produce loyalty and satisfaction in employees. Similarly, increases in paid time off show substantial morale boosts. 
   • Example 2: I went to the store; however, I did not find the equipment I needed.

Notice in each of the above examples how tying ideas togethers creates clarity. With an internal summary, you keep important ideas in your reader’s mind; pronouns and pointing words offer variety in word choice while connecting your ideas from sentence to sentence; repeating key words creates emphasis and consistency; and transitional words build an expectation that the writer can meet. As a reader, similarly indicates that the next sentence will be validating a previous idea; however shows that the writer is going to “counter” their initial point.

Create variety in your sentences by (1) varying the types of sentences you use, (2) varying the sentence length, and (3) varying the way a sentence begins. The choices you make can alter the effect you create for your reader.

For Example

• After we hired Vlade, he finished all his work but did not attend any staff meetings. 

The example above indicates more conflict than the following 2 examples. 

• Vlade didn't attend staff meetings after we hired him. He did, however, finish all his work. 

The above example balances the focus to create a neutral feeling. 

• Even though Vlade didn't attend staff meetings after we hired him, he finished all his work. 

This final example above places more emphasis on the work finished, which can indicate that the writer did not mind that Vlade missed meetings. 

Varying your sentences allows you to place the focus on the ideas you deem most important.  

Use parallel sentence construction. (Phrase similar ideas in similar ways.) To ensure parallelism, repeat articles and verb tenses with each item in a series.

For Example

Incorrect: Speaking in public is sometimes harder than to speak on the phone.

Correct: Speaking in public is sometimes harder than speaking on the phone.

Incorrect: Donna Jo was asked to write, answering phones, and attended meetings.

Correct: Donna Jo was asked to write, to answer phones, and to attend meetings.

Incorrect: For his birthday, Harvey asked for a watch, bicycle, and a tennis racquet.

Correct: For his birthday, Harvey asked for a watch, a bicycle, and a tennis racquet.

Each of the incorrect examples shows either a change in the tense (past, present, etc.) or article (a, an) of the similar (or parallel) items in the sentence, but the correct versions keep a consistent use of tense or article.