2.11 Step 6: Write Your Topic Sentences

Write a good sentence which states a paragraph’s topic.

Adler and van Doren (1972) describe writing as beginning with a skeleton which the author works to hide. The author’s aim “is to conceal the skeleton artistically or, in other words, to put flesh on the bare bones” (Adler & van Doren, 1972, p. 90). After Step 5, your scaffold provides a highly structured skeleton. You can now put flesh on the skeleton by converting your topics into a partial manuscript: your outline.

Because each of your topic cards now corresponds to one paragraph’s topic, Step 6 (Table 2-2F) can begin putting flesh on your manuscript’s skeleton by adding topic sentences to each paragraph. Step 6 proceeds as follows: You process your index cards – your paragraph topics – in order. For each card, you read the topic you wrote on its blank side. You then turn the index card over and write the topic sentence for the paragraph at the top of the card’s reverse side (see Figure 2-6). Remember, a topic sentence states the paragraph’s topic.

Because you worked hard creating your scaffold, you can easily accomplish Step 6. You do not have to think a topic up from scratch, because you have already generated topics while building the scaffold. Instead, you face a more straightforward task: writing a complete sentence which communicates your paragraph’s topic.

To illustrate how you can easily convert topics into topic sentences, Table 2-3 provides some examples for the current section. The first column lists the paragraph topics for Section 2.11’s first eight paragraphs. The second column provides the topic sentence I wrote on each paragraph’s index card. Note the topic sentences in the table may not match the topic sentences in the book perfectly, because my topic sentences evolve when I revise my manuscript.

Importantly, Step 6 only requires you to write a topic sentence for each paragraph topic; you need not do anything else. You must fight the urge to write a concluding sentence underneath the topic sentence. (You write concluding sentences in Step 7). You postpone writing concluding sentences because each concluding sentence must relate meaningfully to the topic sentence on the current card as well as to the topic sentence on the next card (Figure 2-3). Therefore, you need all your topic sentences in place before you begin to write concluding sentences.

In Step 6 you finally write sentences. How much effort should you put into writing excellent topic sentences? The quick answer: you should write the best topic sentences possible in a fairly short time. You should not waste time or effort trying to write perfect sentences. Remember, Step 6 creates your first drafts of topic sentences. You do not need to write “one true sentence” on each index card in Step 6.

Admittedly, if you write better topic sentences now, you will have less work to do later when you revise your writing. So, if you can write a good topic sentence, then you should.

How can you improve your sentence writing? I shy away from providing advice for improving your sentences for several reasons. First, I recognize I can always improve my writing, and do not feel comfortable offering much advice about writing quality. Second, many better writers than I have written excellent books about how to improve writing. I advise you to find a book about improving writing which resonates with you. I have my own personal favorites (Sword, 2012, 2016; Zinsser, 2006). I consult these books frequently, try to take their advice to heart, and try to use the advice to improve my writing.

My preferred books about improving writing agree on certain best practices. I should use simple sentences, I should use active verbs, and I should place related nouns and verbs close together in a sentence. I suggest you find your own favorite books about improving writing and treat them as I treat mine.

I know I could write better first drafts of my own topic sentences (see Table 2-3 for evidence). I write less than perfect initial topic sentences because I try to complete Step 6 quickly. I do not worry about writing poor topic sentences in Step 6. Anne Lamott provides excellent advice when she reports “the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts” (Lamott, 1995, p. 21. She likes the freedom which shitty first drafts provide, because they make writing easier, because no one ever needs to see or judge them, and because she knows she will rework the draft later. Following Lamott’s advice, I’m content to jot down really, really shitty topic sentences for all the reasons she provides. I feel even more liberated, perhaps, because my shitty topic sentences appear long before my really, really shitty draft takes form!

Remember, you don’t use Step 6 to produce perfect sentences; instead, you use Step 6 to add plausible flesh to your manuscript’s skeleton. Step 6 produces more of your outline and does not require you to really write yet! When you complete Step 6, each paragraph’s index card will have a topic written on one side and a topic sentence written on its reverse side. With all your topic sentences created, you can move to Step 7 to add more flesh to your skeleton.