What Is Your Point?

Before you put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard, ask yourself: What is your point? This blog looks at what to do if you don’t know, and why it is so important to be clear about the point you are trying to make.

It is important for every writer to be clear about the point they are trying to make because the writer is in charge of the reader’s experience. If the writer doesn’t know the point then the reader won’t. That means at best, a writer without a point will soon be a writer without a reader. At worst, a writer without a point can end up with a confused and perhaps even angry reader.

Making the point of your article clear and relevant is the way to capture and keep the interest of your reader. However knowing your point and making it clear and apparent are sometimes easier said than done. So what can you do?

Finding the key point of your message is simple:

First, identify your topic. Simply make a note of the subject you plan to address. Narrow it down to one word or simple phrase. For example, you plan to write an article about dog training. That makes dog training your phrase.

Second, ask yourself a pertinent question about that topic. For example, how can you make dog training easy? Now turn that question into a statement, such as “You can make dog training easy… ” This is your point. But there’s more!

Third, you will need to expand and support your point so you must come up with around three supporting points. Remember, not only do you have to make your point, but you also need to make it clear and apparent. That is why support is important. So think of three points you can make to support your point. For example, keeping the pressure low, making it fun, and giving it time. Finally, you join your statement with the three points and use a preposition to join the two together. In this case probably “by” would work best and often “because” is a good choice. Some other prepositions include about, during, through, under, and with.

Now you have a good introductory paragraph:

You can make dog training easy by keeping the pressure low, making it fun, and giving it time.

Not only do you have a point that you will be able to make clear and apparent to the reader, but you also have a road map for your article or essay. Simply expand on your introduction and expand on each supporting point in turn and you will have a clear point, good organization, and solid support.

Taking a few minutes to plan out your point in this manner can be well worth spending the time as it will make your writing easier. It will also make the reading easier as well. And that is the point of this article.