Transitions are a simple but often overlooked writing tool. Transitions connect paragraphs in a smooth and logical manner. They are either placed at the end of a paragraph to allude to the next section or placed at the beginning of the new graph in a way that acknowledges what came before. Here are two examples.

The weather was dark and stormy. I wasn’t sure if I needed to pull over to wait out the downpour. Luckily, my friend had sage advice.

“Slow down and watch for the lane dividers,” my friend told me.

The example above uses a transition to give a heads up to the quote that follows. Here is another example.

Fishing seemed like a time-consuming sport, and I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of staying on a boat all day. Back home, my favorite Netflix show was calling my name. As my fishing line lazily bobbed this way and that, I was counting down the minutes until our outing was over.

As I stared at my watch, something unexpected happened.

Remember that transitions should be a regular feature of your writing, especially in long form essays where disparate ideas need to be thoughtfully tied together. Follow these tips, and you’ll be well on your way to transitioning into a better writer!