In the last activity, you learned a bit about what a paragraph is and what the main types of paragraphs are. In this activity, you will think about starting to write a paragraph.

How to start?

You may be assigned a topic to write about.

Or you may have to think of a topic yourself. If you are choosing the topic, do some brainstorming  to begin.

• Think about ideas that interest you, subjects that you know a lot about or enjoy talking about, or experiences for which you have had vivid memories.
  

Here is a great way to brainstorm:

• Start by listing five general topics such as sports, social issues, community events, school, friends, interests, etc.

• Then, choose three of the general topics and for each one, list five specific topics. Instead of trying to pluck an idea out of thin air, you now have some specific ideas from which to choose. If it's hard to think of five specific topics, try to come up with at least three.
  

In fact, sometimes, you may not even end up actually writing on one of the listed topics, as they may bring something else to mind.

Once you have a specific topic or idea in mind, go to the next step.

Think about the things you looked at in the last lesson: the purpose, the audience, and the format for your writing.

• Purpose: Why are you writing the paragraph? What point do you want to make about the topic? What idea do you want to share?
• Audience: Who will be reading your paragraph? What will your writing need to be like to most effectively reach your audience?
• Format: You know that you are writing a paragraph. But what kind of paragraph will be the most effective for communicating what you want to say? 

You will be surprised at how easy it can be to write an interesting paragraph if you just keep those points in mind!

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