[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.24.0″ width=”100%” max_width=”100%” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.24.0″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Unity may be the most crucial concept in writing. Unity directly relates to this question: What\u2019s your point? We must ask that question at multiple levels of thinking: What\u2019s your point in that sentence? What\u2019s your point in that paragraph? What\u2019s your point in that whole composition? What\u2019s your point in that book? At each level, everything should relate to that point.<\/p>\n
Unity in writing helps writers create focus, logical flow, consistency, and clarity. There are two parts to mastering unity.<\/p>\n
In reality, writers do not always state their main points explicitly. Writers imply them. In fact, writers imply their topic sentences at least half the time in professional writing. That means readers must infer the main idea at least half the time. Read the research!<\/a><\/strong> This fact alone makes UNITY a critical concept for both readers and writers. When paragraphs lack unity, readers won\u2019t be able to infer the main point. Writers must create unity so that readers will infer their points.<\/p>\n We will look at unity from a few different angles. We want to understand unity as a valuable concept that relates to many vital aspects of life. This way, we will understand unity more deeply and see it as more than just a writing concept.<\/p>\n You May Also Be Interested In:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n 1. Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 2. Academic Vocabulary for Critical Thinking, Logical Arguments, and Effective Communication, aka Academic Vocabulary for Absolutely Everyone!<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Unity and Numbers” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”14px|16px|14px|16px|true|true” border_radii=”on|9px|9px|9px|9px” border_width_all=”8px” border_color_all=”#1258b2″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Unity<\/strong> means oneness<\/strong>. The common prefix uni-<\/strong> means one<\/strong>. In most of the words, the oneness comes through quite clearly: unicycle, united, unite, unified, unicorn, uniform, union, unique, and universe.<\/p>\n Let me place unity (oneness) in perspective. Here is the first lesson in unity: 1 + 1 + 1 = 1<\/strong><\/span>. That right there is the essence of unity.<\/p>\n Although we don\u2019t typically think about numbers in writing, we use them a great deal in writing instruction. In particular, number relate to structure, rhythm, and style. When we teach students about numbers in writing, we want to help them understand that the numbers must all add up to form a clear and unified whole\u2014or, put another way, ONE.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a quick look at a few numbers!<\/p>\n The Power of Three:<\/strong><\/span> People love to make a big deal over the Power of Three<\/strong><\/span> in writing and storytelling. What they fail to mention is that the THREE<\/strong> must add up to ONE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Three is the number of The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Three Little Pigs<\/em>, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears<\/em>. Three is the number of beginning, middle, and ending. We have three characters and three events, and the characters all try three times. What\u2019s important about three? Three shows us a true comparison: too hot, too cold, and just right! Three show a series or pattern of action. With three, it\u2019s not just a coincidence\u2014it\u2019s a pattern.<\/p>\n The Power of Two:<\/strong><\/span> The number two is an equally important number. Think about it: pro-con, cause-effect, compare-contrast, problem-solution, and claim-proof. Where would we be without those common thought patterns? In fact, two might be the number of natural thought. One person tells the pros, while the other brings up cons. You have a problem? Well, I\u2019ve got a solution. We see an effect, and we automatically wonder what caused it.<\/p>\n More Numbers:<\/strong><\/span> A complete list of the number-related writing concepts, techniques, and strategies would be long. Here is a short list.<\/p>\n We have the three-act structure, five-paragraph essay, seven plot points in a novel, three main ideas in a speech, three-level outlines, parallel structure, iambic pentameter, symmetry, balance, proportion, and repetition. Additionally, many of the classical schemes and tropes are grounded in numbers. It\u2019s the same with poetry.<\/p>\n Once again, the goal is always to form a clear and unified whole\u2014or, put another way, ONE. We must hammer our thoughts into unity to achieve this.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Unity – Hammer” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”14px|16px|14px|16px|true|true” border_radii=”on|9px|9px|9px|9px” border_width_all=”8px” border_color_all=”#1258b2″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n In one of its advertisements, Microsoft said we make 35,000 decisions every day. That\u2019s decisions! How many thoughts do we have daily? It\u2019s an estimated 70,000 thoughts per day. These numbers illustrate why this next quote is vital to thinking and writing.<\/p>\n One day when I was twenty-three or twenty-four this sentence seemed to form in my head, without my willing it, much as sentences form when we are half-asleep: \u2018Hammer your thoughts into unity.\u2019 For days I could think of nothing else, and for years I tested all I did by that sentence. \u2014 Autobiographies by William Butler Yeats (1865 \u2013 1939) \u2013 Irish poet and writer.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Hammer your thoughts into unity. How many thoughts run through a writer\u2019s mind? I think the issue of writer\u2019s block is rarely about not having any thoughts\u2014but instead, about having so many thoughts that you don\u2019t know what your point is. Writer\u2019s block is the act of trying to hammer one\u2019s thoughts into unity by thinking. In reality, you often have to start writing to discover that MAIN POINT or MAIN IDEA and then throw away about half the words you used to discover it. In short, the writing process is the process of hammering your thoughts into unity.<\/p>\n I ask both these questions constantly. Essentially, they are the same question.<\/p>\n How do we make points? Do we just state our points explicitly and add facts? It\u2019s usually more complicated than that. We may use illustrations, descriptions, reasoning, anecdotes, examples, analogies, metaphors, comparisons, quotations, ask questions, draw conclusions, etc.<\/p>\n Put simply, writers often use many seemingly unrelated and scattered ideas to form a compelling unified whole that people want to read. As we write, we select diverse ideas and shape and refine them until they form a coherent and unified whole. We hammer our ideas into unity.<\/p>\n 70,000 thoughts per day! Clearly, we don\u2019t say every thought that pops into our brain or write down every thought. A thoughtful communicator tries to make points and make points clear by hammering their thoughts into unity. What was the point of that little story you just told? You told the story because it made a point, didn\u2019t you? Or were you just blabbering? Yes, the point of a story is usually implied\u2014but if you don\u2019t have a point, you may be just blabbering. Know what your point is. Hammer all the details into unity to make that point clear even when it is implied\u2014especially when it\u2019s implied.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Unity – Phil Jackson” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”14px|16px|14px|16px|true|true” border_radii=”on|9px|9px|9px|9px” border_width_all=”8px” border_color_all=”#1258b2″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Phil Jackson is a legendary figure in basketball, both as a player and coach. He is best known for coaching the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers to a combined 11 NBA championships, which is the most in NBA history for a head coach. Even if you haven\u2019t heard of Phil Jackson, you have probably heard of a few of the star players he coached: e.g., Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O\u2019Neal.<\/p>\n According to Phil Jackson, the difficult part of coaching great players and big stars is that they have big egos and are a bit full of themselves. It\u2019s hard to build a team<\/em> around players who think they are bigger than the team<\/em>. In fact, the cardinal rule in sports is that no one player is bigger than the team. Have you heard this old adage? \u201cThere is no \u2018I\u2019 in team<\/em>.\u201d Michael Jordan famously replied to that statement with, \u201cThere\u2019s not, but there\u2019s an \u2018I\u2019 in win!\u201d If you are wondering, that is not what a coach wants to hear\u2014even from Michael Jordon.<\/p>\n When Phil Jackson talks about the secret to his success as a coach, it comes down to one word: Unity.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Basketball is a great mystery. You can do everything right. You can have the perfect mix of talent and the best system of offense in the game. You can devise a foolproof defensive strategy and prepare your players for every possible eventuality. But if the players don\u2019t have a sense of oneness as a group<\/strong>, your efforts won\u2019t pay off. And the bond that unites<\/strong> a team can be so fragile, so elusive. When I look back on the 1995\u201396 season, we had absolutely everything in place that we needed to fulfill our destiny\u2014talent, leadership, attitude, and unity of purpose<\/strong>. \u2014 Phil Jackson \u2013 Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success (2013)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Phil Jackson knew that there is no championship ring without unity of purpose. Once again, \u201cIf the players don\u2019t have a sense of oneness as a group, your efforts won\u2019t pay off.\u201d That\u2019s also true in writing.<\/p>\n Phil Jackson used the words \u201cunity of purpose<\/strong>.\u201d So did Alexander Bain in his 1866 text that single-handedly created the paragraph theory that we teach today:<\/p>\n The division of discourse next higher than the sentence is the Paragraph: which is a collection of sentences with unity of purpose<\/strong>. A paragraph handles and exhausts a distinct topic. \u2014 Alexander Bain \u2013 English Composition and Rhetoric (1866)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Put simply, a paragraph is a collection of sentences with unity of purpose<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Writers must create unity in each paragraph, which must fit together to create unity in the whole composition. Let\u2019s call this Two Levels of Unity:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Level 1: Whole Composition Unity:<\/strong><\/span> The whole composition (essay, report, story, etc.) is a unified whole. The individual paragraphs in each whole composition work together to create unity of purpose.<\/p>\n Level 2: Paragraph Unity:<\/strong> <\/span>Every paragraph is a unified whole. The individual words and sentences in each paragraph work together to create unity of purpose.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Unity & Curly’s Law” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”14px|16px|14px|16px|true|true” border_radii=”on|9px|9px|9px|9px” border_width_all=”8px” border_color_all=”#1258b2″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Another way of understanding unity is to understand Curly\u2019s Law<\/em> of JUST ONE THING<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Level 1: Whole Composition Unity:<\/strong><\/span> The whole composition (essay, report, story, etc.) is about just one thing.<\/p>\n Level 2: Paragraph Unity:<\/strong><\/span> Each paragraph is about just one thing.<\/p>\n In the movie City Slickers (1991), even Curly, the tough and crusty old cowboy, understood the need to boil things down to \u201cjust one thing.\u201d In fact, Curly\u2019s philosophy became so well-known and popular that it is now referred to as Curly\u2019s Law. The main character, Mitch, was feeling lost. Mitch had lost his way.<\/p>\n Do writers ever feel that way? Lost in what they are trying to say? Answer: Yes. This is why we must hammer our thoughts into unity.<\/p>\n Lucky for Mitch, old Curly was there to point the way:<\/p>\n Curly:<\/strong> Do you know what the secret of life is?<\/p>\n Mitch:<\/strong> No, what?<\/p>\n Curly:<\/strong> This. (holds up one finger)<\/p>\n Mitch:<\/strong> Your finger?<\/p>\n Curly:<\/strong> One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else will work its way out.<\/p>\n Mitch:<\/strong> That\u2019s great, but… what\u2019s the one thing?<\/p>\n Curly:<\/strong> That\u2019s what you\u2019ve got to figure out.<\/p>\n So, in both life and writing, it all comes down to just one thing<\/strong>. The tricky part is that you are the one who must figure out what that one thing<\/strong> is.<\/p>\n In reality, we teach the concept of just one thing<\/strong> in writing right from the start. Students learn about main ideas and topic sentences. Later, students learn about thesis statements. All of these concepts address the idea of just one thing<\/strong>. These concepts attempt to teach students the art of hammering their thoughts into just one thing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n I use Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay<\/a><\/strong><\/span> to create highly effective multi-paragraph writers FAST. It is the only writing curriculum that instills in students an intuitive understanding of how ideas connect in organized and natural writing. It uses the A, B, C Sentence \u2122 and Secret A, B, C Sentence \u2122 to build a practical mastery of the Hierarchy of Ideas in writing! Unity is guaranteed since every idea is connected through A, B, C thinking, which is thinking in outlines.<\/p>\n Then, we build on that foundation as students write across the curriculum. As students write across the curriculum, these two questions are never far from our thoughts:<\/p>\n Just one thing<\/strong> captures the essence of unity at every level in a Hierarchy of Ideas. Without the concept of just one thing<\/strong>, writing is just an endless stream of thoughts. Without the focus of making a point, the thoughts are essentially without meaning\u2014at least for the reader.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Single Sentence Unity” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”14px|16px|14px|16px|true|true” border_radii=”on|9px|9px|9px|9px” border_width_all=”8px” border_color_all=”#1258b2″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Question: How can my paragraphs be about just one thing? How can my whole composition be about just one thing? That\u2019s hard!<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a long-standing business practice to create single-sentence mission statements. These single-sentence mission statements often capture billions or even trillions of dollars of economic value and activity. Single-sentence (or very short) mission statements are essential for businesses because they create clarity and focus and are a powerful way to communicate the company\u2019s core purpose.<\/p>\n Initially, both Google and Facebook did just one thing<\/strong>. Here\u2019s how Google and Facebook summed up their entire business in just one sentence. These are their words:<\/p>\n 1. \u201cGoogle\u2019s mission is to organize the world\u2019s information and make it universally accessible and useful.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2. \u201cFacebook\u2019s mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n These sentences are mission statements.<\/p>\n A multi-billion-dollar or trillion-dollar corporation is not a paragraph or an essay. It is something larger and more complex than any book ever written. Large corporations have multiple levels and multiple categories with multiple levels. It\u2019s staggering that these multinational businesses can express everything they do in a single sentence. It\u2019s commonly believed that if you need more than a single sentence, you have a problem.<\/p>\n Businesses are extremely slow to change even a single word in their mission statement. The reason is that when you change the mission statement, you change the entire business. The mission statement is the top-level purpose of the company. Google had that exact sentence posted on their website for well over a decade. I\u2019ve heard that sentence has been there since day one without a single word being changed. It\u2019s just one thing<\/strong>!<\/p>\n We also use this single-sentence thinking<\/strong> in writing. In fact, it\u2019s vital in writing! Let\u2019s take a look at single-sentence thinking<\/strong> in writing.<\/p>\n 1. Company Mission Statement:<\/strong><\/span> A mission statement is an entire business stated in a single sentence.<\/p>\n Here is how we apply this kind of thinking to writing:<\/p>\n 2. Topic Sentence:<\/strong><\/span> A topic sentence is an entire paragraph stated in a single sentence. That\u2019s exactly what the Secret A, B, C Sentence \u2122 in Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay<\/a><\/strong><\/span> does.<\/p>\nUnity and Numbers<\/h2>\n
Unity and Adding Up to One: \u201cHammer Your Thoughts into Unity\u201d<\/h2>\n
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Unity of Purpose: There Is No \u201cI\u201d in Team<\/h2>\n
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Unity and Curly\u2019s Law: Write About Just One Thing<\/h2>\n
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Single-Sentence Unity Statements: Trillion Dollar Mission Statements Are Unity Statements<\/h2>\n
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