Writers often mention or list ideas without fully developing them in their early drafts. Working in this way can be very helpful for generating ideas. However, you must check your draft for such points and consider how to extend them as you revise.
Each paragraph should have a central idea that is developed in some way related to the overall context of the paper. As you review each paragraph for focus and development, also check that you have appropriately acknowledged any sources you used for the ideas in the paragraph.
When writing early drafts it is also common to write paragraphs on a particular aspect of a topic without worrying too much about how to order the paragraphs or how to link them. It is essential, however, that drafts be revised to tell your reader how one paragraph leads to another. For example, one paragraph might provide evidence for a claim made in another, or one paragraph might show a potential application of an idea from another.
As you review the paragraphs of your draft, begin adding transition sentences if you did not include them earlier. Typically transitions are best placed in the first or last sentence of the paragraph, so pay particular attention to these locations as you review your paragraphs.
It is common when writing early drafts to be unsure exactly what your focus will turn out to be. You gain a better sense of your purpose as you write, and a common result is that the concluding paragraph of the draft is a good statement of that purpose.
During the revision process, experienced writers look to the concluding sections of their drafts for ideas about how to revise their introductory paragraphs. In fact, writers sometimes find that with only minor changes, the conclusion of their first draft can be turned into a good introduction and starting point for a second draft.
Click on the sections below to learn more about reviewing and revising paragraphs.