Module 2: Section 1

Choose How to Organize What You Want to Say

Once you have decided on the ideas you'd like to express in your writing, you'll need to choose organizational structures which work best to present your information. Good writing matches ideas with the structures that best support them. The purpose for your writing and the audience will also help to determine how you organize your ideas. Would you for instance, use the same format to tell a story as you would to give directions to your house? Would you write the same way for a child as you would for a university professor? A good writer thinks about structure as he/she composes sentences, paragraphs and longer pieces like essays and stories. A good writer thinks about making good choices, rather than trying to fit his/her ideas into a predetermined structure.

There are some features that all good organizational structures have in common.

• They are consistent with audience and purpose.
• They are logical.
• Effective communication is the primary concern.

View the Beginning, Middle, End tutorial.

There are also many organizational patterns to choose from!

View the Basic Organizational Structures tutorial.