3. Look at the information on those cards. Think about how
the various pieces of information might fit together in a
paragraph.
4. Rearrange those cards so they fall in the order you have
determined is best for the paragraph.
5. Do this for each group of cards until you reach the end of
the deck.
Each paragraph in your paper is like a mini-essay. It should have a topic
sentence—a statement of the key point or fact you will discuss in
the paragraph—and contain the evidence to support it. This evidence
can come in different forms, such as quotes from experts, research
statistics, examples from research or from your own experience,
detailed descriptions, or other background information.
Stack up your paragraphs like bricks into your own “wall of evidence.”
Construct each paragraph carefully, and your readers will have no
choice but to agree with your final conclusion.
If paragraphs are the bricks, transitions—a sentence or phrase
that moves the reader from one thought to another—are the mortar
holding them together. Smooth transitions help readers move effort-
lessly from one thought to another.
Now Put It All on Paper Double- or triple-space your draft—that will make it easier to edit
later. After you are finished with each note card, put a check mark
at the bottom.
If you decide that you won’t include information from a particular
card, don’t throw the card away—yet. Keep it in a separate stack. You
may decide to fit in that piece of information in another part of your
paper or change your mind after you read your rough draft and decide
to include the information where you had originally planned.
How to Study
156
You may, however, wind up with cards that just don’t fit. If you’re
convinced they have no place in your paper, don’t attempt to
shoehorn them in anyway. Put them aside. As Johnny Cochran
might proclaim, “If they blow the flow, those cards must go.”
