The Art of Transitions

In life, we have a habit of transitioning from one season to the next. Sometimes, of course, there’s big events that puncture our routine or shake up our thinking. But on the whole, we adapt, grow, and evolve in a fluid, organic way. (This progression even allows us to better see those big event when they do occur).

And writing isn’t much different. We glide from one paragraph to the next, guiding the reader while we illustrate our journey. Of course, then we hit them with those lines, perhaps at the end of a paragraph, that are big, world-shocking insights or observations. How we manage this process helps define our voices as unique writers.

But do your young writers have all the transitional phrases to make this happen? Here’s a few handfuls you can highlight in your writing classroom:

Adding more:

In addition,

Furthermore,

Next,

Contrasting a thought:

On the other hand,

Besides,

Opposite of,

Illustrating a point:

To demonstrate,

For example,

In particular,

Summarizing or clarifying

In other words,

To summarize,

To put it differently,

“How we manage this process helps define our voices as unique writers.”

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