Good writing is well-organized. A love letter will ramble, perhaps, and in that way convey spontaneity, warmth, and intimacy. But in academic and professional writing it is always advisable to distinguish separate points and arrange them in a logical and effective order. Sentences are organized into paragraphs, and paragraphs are organized into essays. As an example of paragraph organization, examine the section on focus above. The importance of focus is asserted in the first sentence, and two pieces of advice, each developed separately with examples, follow. The final sentence is a restatement of the first sentence. You could make a short essay of this paragraph by expanding the first sentence into an introductory paragraph, developing the two pointers as separate paragraphs, and incorporating the last sentence into a summary paragraph reviewing the advantages of staying on track. Some kinds of academic writing follow specific models of organization. Research reports in the natural sciences are often structured as follows: introduction, methods and materials, results, discussion, and conclusions. Problem-solution papers usually contain the following components: statement of problem, background information, suggested solutions, evaluation of solutions, and solution proposal. Whether you follow a prescribed format or design the structure of your essay as you write it, organization is based on the expectations of your reader and the logic of what you want to say. The best method of organization is the one that helps you to communicate most effectively. (from Holt)

Wordy sentences are often awkward, but not all awkward sentences are wordy. But like wordy sentences, awkward sentences rarely withstand the oral test. If you stumble when reading your prose aloud, chances are the sentence needs to be revised.

Awkward sentences often result from unusual syntax, the omission or addition of a word, and/or unclear or complex thoughts. Here are some examples:

Awkward: Ed ate caviar on his birthday, which cost fifty dollars.

Revised: Ed ate fifty-dollar caviar on his birthday.

Grammatical errors often contribute to awkward sentences:

Awkward: Dentists and doctors receive similar training, the public views them with less respect.

Revised: While dentists and doctors receive similar training, the public views dentists with less respect.

Awkward:

His mother dipping him has made him near invulnerable in the river Styx.

The idea of heroes has been around since mankind has earliest writings.

Often the arrangement of phrases and words can cause confusion. Also, make sure that when an adverb is used, an "-ly" is added when necessary.

His mother dipping him in the river Styx has made him nearly invulnerable.

This second example presents a more difficult problem. A good writer must always have a clear idea of just what s/he wants the sentence to communicate. The most important part should be the subject, here "heroes." Secondly, choose a strong verb. Since the topic here is heroes, the writer choose a passive construction. Next, conclude the sentence in the most succinct, lucid way possible. The awkward and grammatically flawed phrase "has been around since mankind has earliest writings" with the clearer example below. A bit of thought and proofreading will help the writer avoid awkward sentences.

Heroes have been the subjects of mankind's earliest writings.

Good writing develops key points by providing supporting detail. Include enough detail to get the job done, and use detail that's relevant to the point you're developing. The quantity of detail depends on your audience and purpose. A newcomer to town will need more detailed directions on how to get to your apartment than a long-time resident. A clinical report should include every observation relevant to diagnosis. Generally, it is better to provide too much detail rather than too little. The kind of detail depends on the nature of the point you are developing. Descriptions, generalizations, directions, position statements, and arguments--each of these might be developed in a different way. You might describe a friend with personal anecdotes, illustrate generalizations with examples, clarify directions by specifying a sequence of steps, explain a position by contrasting with alternative positions, and develop arguments by anticipating objections and responding to counter-arguments. Detail makes your writing vivid, plausible, and effective. There is no better way to show your instructors that you have mastered course content--whether the content is critical thinking, aesthetic judgment, theories of management, public relations, or organic chemistry--than by demonstrating a command of detail. (from Holt)

What is detail? Compare these two sentences:

In the olden days, monks had to copy manuscripts by hand.

Before Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1450, monks had to copy manuscripts by hand.

Before Gutenberg invented the printing press, monks in monestaries had to laboriously copy long, boring manuscripts again and again with only a feather pen with very very little food or sleep.

Use detail sparingly like you would salt on your fries. A well-placed adjective or adverb, a fact or particular, or a simile or metaphor, can energize a dull sentence and turn the mundane into the interesting. Compare:

Most cats dislike baths.

Most cats avoid tepid water with open claws.

What is support? When a writer makes a supposition, such as providing an interpretation of a poetical passage, s/he must use specific evidence from the poem (primary source) or a published critic's interpretation of the poem (secondary source). This support or evidence helps make the writer's interpretation tenable. Always favor the primary source over the secondary if possible. Compare these two examples:

Through Herrick's use of colorful imagery and personification, the reader detects a sense of urgency and duty for the virgins to go forth and marry while time is still at hand and love is bountiful, thus creating the overall idea of carpe diem.

The first stanza of the poem opens to the personification of the flowers as the virgins:

Gather ye Rose-buds while ye may,
Old Time is still a flying:
And this same flower that smiles today,
To morrow will be dying. (ll. 1-4)

The rosebuds correspond to the virgins in that they are beautiful and delicate, yet they have not reached their full potential and maturity by becoming full bloomed roses. Time is also personified as, "Old Time," which suggests a genial greybeard more than a grim reaper (Rollin 83). Time is still "a flying" suggests a comical image more than ominous but still one of urgency (Rollin 83). The image of the smiling flower indicates innocence and freshness but it only "smiles today, To morrow [it] will be dying." A grim and abrupt end comes to the smiling flower as so will to the virgins if they do not marry in their youth.

What is passive voice? Simply, in a passive sentence, the subject does not perform an action, like in an active sentence. In an active sentence, the subject performs an action on an object:

The professor wrote a novel.

The novel was written by the professor.

The passive voice is often necessary. Like in the last sentence, when the subject is implied or unknown, then the passive voice is acceptable. Never use too many passive constructions in a row.

Passive:

The ball was thrown by Tara.

Almost always, the ability to read and write is needed.

Tara threw the ball.

Almost always, people need the ability to read and write.