How Much Do you Really Need to Say?

Write a paragraph about something you did today. Make it at least 4 sentences.

Now take out the first sentence and the last sentence. How necessary is the middle? Do those sentences say enough to stand on their own?

Think about the construction of the paragraph. Why you chose to put one sentence first, then the next and the next. If you're writing something short and news-like you may need to edit out the middle sentences. If you're writing something more descriptive you may want to keep them in if they add more atmosphere and detail needed to the story.