Jon Samsel

Now that you have a sense of what a single paragraph encompasses, let’s look at how these entities build, one upon the other, to form a completed article.

• The first paragraph sets the stage and seeks to interest the reader.
• The second paragraph often expands the first, clarifies the direction, attracts the interest of the reader, or makes clear the intent or purpose of the article. A good second paragraph should get the reader to want to read on in the article, tell why the reader will benefit from the article, offer a preview of what is to come, or establish a mood for the material.
• Each additional paragraph builds on the previous one until the pattern of the beginning of the article has been established. Some articles’ beginning sections use only one or two paragraphs. Others take several paragraphs to set the beginning.
• The closing paragraphs of an article often repeat the key points made.

Even if you have never written an article before, here are two important points to keep in mind: First, once you learn how to write a clear and simple sentence (and this comes with experience), you can most certainly write a paragraph; second, if you can write a paragraph, you can definitely complete articles of all kinds and sell them for money.

Building paragraphs into a solid article can indeed often be fun once you understand the process and gain some confidence. Keep the following pointers in mind when you construct your paragraphs:

• See how many different ways you can build a paragraph. It’s entirely possible to plan or outline a paragraph. Decide what you want each sentence in a paragraph to accomplish.
• When one or more paragraphs do not measure up, start over again.
• View the completion of each paragraph as a challenge to your writing ability.