Step 4: Order your ideas
In general, the most important things go first and last. I remember a guide that I read about Original Oratory (a speech event) that went something like this.I. Intro
II. Second most important argumenta. Second most important detailIII. Least important argument
b. Least important detail
c. Most important detail
III. Most important argument
Order is also important in debate. Every argument starts off with a tagline that summarizes the entire claim in as few words as possible so that the judge can write down the argument. The argument then ends with a justification for why the claim is important. Both the beginning and the end were crucial. If you cut out a sentence from the middle, no one notices. Cut out the first or last sentence and your argument is crippled.
Every level of writing, from paragraphs down to words, must follow the same principle.
For example(I bolded the beginning and underlined the end to show which parts are being emphasized by the word order):
You have to seize the end when it comes.
When the end comes, you have to seize it.
"The end" and "seize it" are clearly more important in this sentence than "you" and "it comes" so the better word order places them in the beginning and end. Similarly, you should take the most important sentences and put them at the beginning and end of the paragraph, and the most important paragraphs at the beginning and end of the essay. With that in mind, I'll conclude by urging you to act on the request I made earlier and take five minutes to write--without worrying about quality until you start rewriting. Go ahead. Write about anything you want. Write now.
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