: Re: Is there an alternative to using signposts or questions in essays? Strangely, in the past two days I've read two opposing viewpoints on how to introduce topics in academic essays. I first read

On the one hand, years ago I heard a lecture on public speaking in which the speaker said, "tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them". His point was that it's easy for a speaker -- and I think this applies almost as much to writers -- to think that you only need to say something once and the audience should get it. But in real life, people skim over things, don't understand it the first time, etc. So having some sort of "signpost" as you call it at the beginning and a summary at the end can really help comprehension.

On the other hand, excessive lead-in can sound juvenile and annoying. I've read many things that have introductory sentences or paragraphs that I consider totally unnecessary. Like, "Proper tuning of the engine is very important. We should be careful about how we tune the engine. An improperly tuned engine will not run properly." Blah blah blah. And I find myself thinking, Yeah, I get it, it's important. So HOW do I tune the stupid engine??

I generally dislike questions as a way to introduce a subject in an essay, because they usually sound fabricated to me, like the soft-ball questions that a friendly reporter may throw to a politician at a press conference. "Will the XYZ bill reduce unemployment? If we consider ..." blah blah. It sounds lame. You're not really asking a question. You already know the answer, or think you know it. Just tell us your answer. Not that it's NEVER effective, but I think it has very narrow application.

So, my point -- and I do have a point -- is: There are basically 4 techniques I can think of:

A title or heading
A lead-in sentence
A leading question
Plunge right in

I think #1 is simple, direct, and avoids sounding awkward.
#2 works but can be overdone.

I'd avoid #3 , but there are times when it's appropriate.

And #4 is fine as long as it doesn't create confusion or ambiguity what you're talking about.

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: Re: Is there an alternative to using signposts or questions in essays? Strangely, in the past two days I've read two opposing viewpoints on how to introduce topics in academic essays. I first read

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: Create looping patterns within the dialog, such as the order that people speak, and little mannerisms within their speech. Then repeat the pattern a few times. You don't need to be too rigid

: Dialog problems with a character with only one name? I have a character who starts as a low servant caste and rises up through society. While plotting, I never bothered to give her more than

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: Archetype or Stereotype? After feedback on character design for my visual novel, my grizzled Noir Detective is drifting into an Old Jazz Musician. There's a reason I post the artwork: what

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