Every writer knows that writing is not just about putting words together; it’s an art that requires precision and skill. One of these skills is logical flow – the invisible thread that weaves your sentences and paragraphs into a coherent whole. Here’s how to ensure your writing is fluid and logically connected.
Understanding logical flow
Logical flow refers to the seamless connection between sentences and paragraphs in your writing. It’s about guiding your readers smoothly from one thought to another, as though they were your passengers on a leisurely boat cruise. If you suddenly steered the boat into rapids or beached it on a sandbank, your passengers would probably demand to disembark.
Readers crave a comfortable, engaging journey without illogical detours or confusing obstacles. The breaks between sentences and paragraphs shouldn’t derail the train of thought.
So, just how do you provide a smooth reading experience? The answer lies in three elements:
- Logical arrangement of content
- Effective use of transitions
- Consistency in point of view (POV), tenses, style and tone.
Let’s delve deeper into these elements.
1. Crafting fluid content
Content layout and effective transitions often go hand in hand. In other words, arranging your ideas in a logical order not only aids comprehension, but also makes it easier to find appropriate transitional words to connect sentences and paragraphs.
For example, consider this disjointed paragraph:
Berlin is home to a restaurant named Sehnsucht that caters to anorexics. The restaurant employs a bulimic waitress and an anorexic chef. The menu features dishes with non-food names like ‘Seele’ (a cappuccino crème dessert) or ‘Hallo’ (a lobster bisque). Berlin also houses several unique restaurants, including two ‘blind’ establishments where guests eat in complete darkness, served by blind waiters, and another where you pay what you deem fit for the meal.
Notice the staccato flow of ideas? The arrangement of content feels arbitrary, and transitions are totally absent.
2. Using transitions effectively
Transitional words and phrases are crucial for coherent and fluid reading, which is what keeps readers engaged. There are hundreds to choose from: they can be common expressions such as ‘Right?’, ‘No, really?’ or ‘Well, so you thought …’. Or you can come up with original ones that convey your own opinion.
Here are just a few more examples:
for instance, put another way, seems clear from this, stated differently, to illustrate the point, conversely, in spite of this, on the contrary, still, another key point, frequently, in fact, on the negative side, surprisingly enough, to emphasise, and so on.
Have a look at this revised version of the restaurant example, now with transitional phrases, more detail and a touch of humour, suitable for a magazine article:
When you think of Germany, images of bratwurst, sauerkraut and hearty farmers with beer mugs come to mind. Mention Berlin, and it conjures up Check Point Charlie and the historic East-West wall. Yet the new culinary trend in Berlin is the restaurant Sehnsucht, a niche eatery catering to the anorexic market. Unfortunately, yes, there is such a market.
At Sehnsucht, bulimic waitresses and anorexic chefs prepare minimalist dishes like ‘Hallo’, a lobster bisque, and ‘Goodbye’, a rice cake with vanilla ice cream, the most calorific item on the menu. Food items are cleverly disguised with non-food names to avoid deterring anorexic clientele.
3. Maintaining continuity in POV, tenses, style and tone
Consistency is essential to logical flow. A sudden shift in perspective, for example, from third person to first person, can confuse your reader.
For example:
Janet lies awake, wrestling with her thoughts. She’s drained at work, her mind continually racing. She acknowledges the irrationality of her worries about work issues but can’t seem to escape them …
… I can definitely relate to Janet’s mental turmoil. Yesterday’s argument with a friend is haunting me, and I’m constantly wondering if I should be the first one to make amends …
The last paragraph feels out of place due to the sudden shift to first-person narration. You should always maintain consistency in the POV, tenses and other language usage from beginning to end.
The power of logical flow
Perfecting logical flow in your writing requires practice and patience, but its rewards are worth the effort. Remember, as a writer, your primary goal is to deliver an enjoyable, stress-free reading journey. By mastering logical flow, you’ll be well on your way to achieving that.
