Flow: The part of writing I was given for the assignment was Flow. Without flow, there is a lack of voice, direction, and discernable meeting for what the author is writing. You need flow for the readers to discern the purpose of the essay or the story. Flow also gives direction, narration, key points, thesis, and perhaps most importantly structure. Without flow, you risk loosing the attention of your readers.
In academic writing, there is a set structure that the writer can use in order to give their article, essay or journal a direction and a general flow. It is like a foundation to which the writer can work on. Traditionally, in most academic writing the structure can be thought as starting with broad points or example, and slowly witling down towards the main point or purpose of the paragraph. In the introductory or first paragraph, the writer should state their thesis. Optionally the writer can also place their thesis in the second paragraph, but this is a more specialized case, and I recommend that, if you can, the author place use his introductory paragraph to write their thesis. From there, each paragraph continues this theme of using ideas that all eventually lead up to the main point, which should relate back to your thesis. Finally the conclusion should include some final points, additional reading, and most of all counterpoints to your argument. Adding this makes it so you do not seem too authoritarian in your argument. How does this relate to flow? It shows that in academic writing there is a more set, or traditional, way for the writer to create a sort of flow. There are words, phrases, and transitional sentences that one can use in order to move from paragraph to paragraph. Perdue Owl is a great source of examples for this if you need concrete ideas. However, I would recommend that you as a writer just try it for yourself. How something flows is representative of your written voice. The written voice is how you sound on paper. And very likely it does not sound all that different than how you speak. Perhaps it is a little more formal, a little more thought out. But in the end it has to be your voice. This is how you avoid plagiarism, it is how you make your writing yours. As formal as academic writing should be, there definitely needs to be proof that it is indeed your writing, and not something that you just stole off of Wikipedia. And the writing voice, and flow, is a concept that for the most part is learned, but not something that can just be taught. It comes with experience nd practice. And this applies to both academics and fictional writing. Flow is not limited to just one genre of the written word, and it can be seen everywhere. Even in the most staunch of academic journals. But perhaps the greatest place to see the written word in action is in fiction.
Flow in Fiction: Being an aspiring author myself, this was something that took me several years of writing to understand. When a reader is new to books they may not see just how the voice of the author affects the flow of the writing. In fiction, the flow really is more free form; there are less rules to it. But also, that means there are les ways it can be taught. As I said before, this is something that you just need to learn how to do. How something flows is not restricted to just one medium or genre, there are multiple plans or ways. The most obvious is the events in chronological order. Others like to start at the middle and work their way to the beginning BEFORE they come to the conclusion. And in some of the more creative versions that I at least have seen, others like to see that events from the end to the beginning. But regardless of which direction the written word flows, it ahs to flow somehow. Paragraphs have to be structured so that the sentences all place and blend together. You can not just start with one subject and interject something totally random that does not add to the overall string of sentences. In this way, I suppose, it could be an unspoken rule that writing can be broken down paragraph by paragraph. And for those paragraphs to make sense and flow, the sentences within must all work together.
Unlike academic writing fictional writing flows in one direction, as opposed to flowing towards set points and ideas that have to relate back to the thesis. Usually it flows towards the zenith, the point where all information and the course of events come to a head. In the hero’s arc, which a traditional writing style perfected by the Greeks, the hero must go on a great journey. And at the zenith they will come head to head with their antagonist. This could be another character, the enviroment, an idea… the possibilities are left up totally to author. But the flow of writing is essentially for explaining how the author got from point A to point B. Flow is as essential to writing as is purpose and audience.
Modern Renaissance Man 