Focus

Overview: Your paper needs to have a strong focus. To achieve this, you need a thesis statement near the beginning, in the first paragraph or two, as well as two kinds of transitions:

1. transitions from one point to the next. These can be called "daisy-chain" transitions that explain the logical relationships between adjacent points. They shouldn't just be "The next point is," but they should explain why the next point is next, why you put the points in this order. They are illustrated in blue in the figure below.
2. transitions relating your points back to your thesis. These can be called "so what?" transitions that explain what contribution a point you are making has to your overall point in the paper. They are illustrated in red in the figure below.

Illustration:

Example: You want to write a paper on the latest spring fashion line.

Introduction: Your thesis is that this spring, designers have used classic lines but with a Bohemian twist.

Paragraph 1:

• Your first "daisy chain" transition: Michael Kors makes the greatest use of classic lines in his coats and suits.
• In the paragraph you describe some individual pieces and also point out some of non-classic (Bohemian) things he includes.
• Your "so what?" transition: Michael Kors represents the most classic of the designers you saw, but even so, he gives his clothes a bit of Bohemian flair.

Paragraph 2:

• Your "daisy chain" transition to the next designer: Daisy Fuentes takes a more Bohemian point of view than Kors in her ensembles.
• In the paragraph you describe some individual pieces and also point out the classic touches she includes.
• Your "so what?" transition: the Bohemian and classic elements Fuentes has.

Paragraph 3:

• Your "daisy chain" transition to the next designer: Betsey Johnson has always been more Bohemian than anybody, including Daisy Fuentes.
• In the paragraph you describe some individual pieces and also point out some of classic touches Betsey Johnson includes.
• Your "so what?" transition: talks about the Bohemian and classic elements Johnson has.

Your conclusion refocuses on the whole line and ends by saying no matter how Bohemian women want to be, this season they have a range of choices with a classic underpinning.

Warning: Be careful to use this idea only as a guide, not a template. The papers you write should have their own flair and their own way of achieving focus and should not blindly imitate the example given above. It is the idea of continuing to connect your points to each other and to the main point that matters, not the simplified five-paragraph structure shown above.