Splash Pond

Choose one or more of the prompts below and have fun splashing around! The more you play around with the possibilities of organization, the stronger and clearer your Structure will become.

1. Create a mind map or visual diagram of your main argument and supporting points.

2. Use different colored pens or highlighters to track different themes through a draft.

3. Write your main points on index cards and physically rearrange them to test different orders.

4. Create a "reverse outline" by writing the main point of each paragraph in the margin.

5. Draw your argument structure as a building—what's the foundation, what are the supporting pillars?

1. Write your introduction last—after you know exactly what you're introducing.

2. Try the "funnel method"—start broad and narrow down to your specific argument.

3. Experiment with different organizational patterns: chronological, thematic, problem-solution.

4. Write the same content as both a list and as flowing paragraphs.

5. Practice "signposting"—add phrases like "first," "moreover," "however" to show logical relationships.

1. Write questions your readers might have in the margins, then make sure you answer them.

2. Read your work aloud and mark every place you get confused about the logic.

3. Give someone your headings and ask them to predict what each section will contain.

4. Try explaining your structure to someone in three sentences.

5. Write "breadcrumb" sentences that remind readers where they are in your overall argument.

1. Write three different opening paragraphs for the same piece and compare their effects.

2. Practice the "so what?" test—end each section by explaining why it matters.

3. Try starting with a question, a surprising fact, or a brief anecdote.

4. Write your conclusion as a letter to a friend explaining why your argument matters.

5. Experiment with "circular structure"—end by returning to your opening image or question.

1. Practice introducing sources with phrases like "X argues that..." rather than just dropping in quotes.

2. Try the "quotation sandwich"—introduce the quote, present it, then explain its significance.

3. Write one paragraph that weaves together three different sources around a single point.

4. Practice transitioning between your ideas and others' using connecting phrases.

5. Create a "conversation" between two sources that disagree with each other.

Do you have a Splash Pond experiment to share? We’d love to hear about it! Email your ideas for splashing with Structure to writespace@helensword.com.