It is the deeply held truth we are embedding into our story. It is the change the AUTHOR is trying to evoke in the reader. What it means is that simply, the writer sets down his controlling idea/theme and then he diligently provides the back up data and/or experiments that support his Big Idea. Then he wraps it up with a reiteration of the Big Idea at the end.

The beginning hook is the payoff, the middle build is the supporting evidence for the payoff, and the payoff is the reiteration of the payoff. A controlling idea/theme must be boiled down to the fewest possible words and cannot be longer than a one-sentence statement. Now we’re at the place on our Foolscap Global Story Grid where we’ll want to jot down the controlling idea/theme of The Tipping Point.

Story Theme: Definition and Examples for a Controlling Idea

This will also make it feel fresh, people are more likely to want to learn more. It’s because facts are meaningless without a contextual story.

It is also possible that a sentence could do more than one of these. Still unsure about writing your own controlling idea? Here are some great examples of outstanding controlling ideas.

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If a paragraph wanders off-topic or discusses multiple points, it will be confusing for the reader and will make it difficult to follow the argument of the essay. Therefore, it is important to keep the controlling idea in mind when writing each paragraph and to make sure that all of the sentences in the paragraph relate back to the controlling idea. For a body paragraph in an essay, a controlling idea is a word or a phrase in the topic sentence of the paragraph that indicates what the paragraph is about. For an essay, the controlling idea would be the overall argument or point that you’re trying to make. At an essay level, a thesis statement would usually contain this main idea.

I was inspired to finally nail down my Controlling Idea AND the Counter Idea, to boot. L’ma need to shout you out in the acknowledgements when I finally finish this thing.

thoughts on Writing the Perfect Controlling Idea for Film and TV: The ULTIMATE Guide

In fact, he usually shows up five minutes early everywhere he goes. Because he’s so considerate, he hates to keep people waiting. He also believes that being early creates a better expereince. One time, when we were going to a movie together, John arrived thirty minutes earlier just so he could get the best seats in the theatre. Having fun with friends and family is more important and more satisfying than buying a new car or nice clothes. People provide warmth, affection, understanding, and most of all, love.

Everything in the paragraph should be connected to the topic sentence. With this new how long is a 500 word essay double spaced topic sentence, the second sentence would have to be eliminated or changed a bit.

Examples of Topic Sentences That Make the Purpose Clear

Every paragraph should include a topic sentence that identifies the main idea of the paragraph. A topic sentence also states the point the writer wishes to make about that subject. Generally, the topic sentence appears at the beginning of the paragraph. It is often the paragraph’s very first sentence. A paragraph’s topic sentence must be general enough to express the paragraph’s overall subject.

• It also gives readers the tools they need to clearly understand what you have to say.
• While this process will not produce a final version of a controlling idea for our specific story, it will allow us to start writing our first draft with a solid guide in mind.
• You can see this structure in paragraphs whether they are narrating, describing, comparing, contrasting, or analyzing information.
• If you are a high school or college student, and you write essays for your classes, you may not know what a controlling idea is.

Miss Heather, thank you for clarifying a concept I had been tiptoeing around. Your thoughts on using the controlling idea to strengthen the story are life-changing.

Note Topics and Controlling Ideas

Paragraphs can contain many different kinds of information. A paragraph could contain a series of brief examples or a single long illustration of a general point.

Once we’ve completed our Foolscap Global Story Grid and our Story Grid Spreadsheet (I’m working this and will share shortly), we’ll be able to create a Story Grid infographic for The Tipping Point. Just like I did with The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. An important point to remember is that the topic sentence should contain all relevant information that’s going to be in the paragraph. There should be no information about romance or comedy. It should only talk about what made the movie exciting. The topic is “teen pregnancy may be prevented” and the controlling idea is “improved education.” As you can see, the controlling idea expresses a specific opinion, viewpoint, or focus.

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All sentences after it have to give more information about that sentence, prove it by offering facts about it, or describe it in more detail. For example, if the topic sentence concerns the types of endangered species that live in the ocean, then every sentence after that needs to expands on that subject. The supporting details in the paragraph will develop or explain the topic sentence. Read all the supporting details in the paragraph and think about the ideas they discuss. In addition, all the sentences in a paragraph must say something specific about the topic. That is called the controlling idea of the paragraph.

And if you know how the Controlling Idea does that, you can write a stronger story. There are several reasons why people like to read blogs in their free time. Regardless of how old we are, we never stop learning. Classroom is the educational resource for people of all ages. Whether you’re studying times tables or applying to college, Classroom has the answers.

Examples of Controlling Ideas

The topic is “having a first child” and the controlling idea is “significant adjustments in your life.” The topic is “To be an effective CEO” and the controlling idea is “certain charactristics.” The topic is “pollution in ABC Town is the worst in the world” and the controlling idea is “many reasons.” If you thought the purpose of this essay was to give information, you didn’t understand the task. The purpose was to persuade the principal to let your club hold the dance in the school. Your job wasn’t to inform the principal; your job was to get him or her to do to change the rules.

• Almost every piece of writing you do that is longer than a few sentences should be organized into paragraphs.
• The cause of the change in the value charge is viral in nature.
• The controlling idea of an essay is the one main idea which the writer wishes the reader to remember.

The controlling idea is what you have to say about the topic. It “controls” what ideas you can include in the paragraph, and which sentences do not belong in it. Most paragraphs in an essay have a three-part structure—introduction, body, and conclusion. You can see this structure in paragraphs whether controlling ideas they are narrating, describing, comparing, contrasting, or analyzing information. Each part of the paragraph plays an important role in communicating your meaning to your reader. It can be useful to think of the ‘topic’ as the ‘what’, and the ‘controlling idea’ as the ‘why’ – ‘why bother?

How a Controlling Idea can Dramatically Improve your Content

Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do. Death trumps love, so death is the cause of change. In Story (and I believe it’s true too in Life) Love is an action that requires the live beings to be “present.” I don’t mean just being present for the sex act.