Hello   

Let it Go...Move On Now... Get over it

Have you ever gotten that advice from someone when your own fears (real or perceived) were keeping you from starting the next chapter of your life or career?

I have. And, instead of moving me to action, these types of pithy advice edicts bring out my sarcastic side with thoughts of reacting this way:    

Sarcasm aside, what I really want to say is:    

In my experience, most fears about turning the page to a new chapter tend to become roadblocks when the current chapter has not been fully "written", it is not yet completed. 

We all learned from grammar school days that you cannot start Chapter 2 until you finish Chapter 1, right?  Well, perhaps that lesson has deeper life applicability than we realized back in the 6th grade.

In researching the mechanics of writing, I have come to understand the very powerful purpose served by 'The Concluding Paragraph' in any written work:

The concluding paragraph of the chapter of a book gives the reader signals that the current discussion has come to an end and the story is now evolving to the next discussion (chapter).  

There are three key elements of all concluding paragraphs that writer's know are critical to evolving any story:

Element #1  Restate the thesis - What is the major event of the chapter? What is the theme of the chapter?  What happened of significance? 

Element #2  Summarize the experience - What was known at the beginning of the chapter? What new insights were gained? What has changed? How has the main character grown and is different now? 

Element #3  Anticipate what's next  - What can we look forward to in the next chapter? What possibilities exist that didn't at the beginning of this chapter? What new doors have opened up?

And, then...

turn the page. 

Greetings!  

email: mmalinchok@verizon.net