Cyborg Style

There are two main ways to organize ones thoughts.  One is the organic style and the other is the mechanical style.  Both have their benefits and drawbacks.

The organic style works the way speech usually does.  One thought leads into another, which leads into yet another.  Organic styles feel the most natural to read.  However, they can easily be distracted.  If you start writing an essay about frozen waffles and then you talked about finding a cockroach in a waffle box, which then led you to talking about if cockroaches could really survive nuclear fallout or not, then people may enjoy the ride, but they will have no idea what's going on.

The mechanical style is the one we used in school.  The five-paragraph essay is usually in a mechanical style.  You use an organizer to collect your thoughts and you present them in a logical manner.  People will always understand what you are trying to say, but the writing often ends up being stiff or stilted.

I prefer a mix of the two, which I call the cyborg style (what else should I call the fusion of organics and mechanics).  Both the organic flow and the mechanical logic and structure are key.  Personally, I want to say that the mechanical aspects are more crucial, but I know that they are equally important.

The cyborg style is not perfect, though.  Like the other two, it does have drawbacks.  Cyborg style is not a pure style; it is  hybrid.  Therefore, its organic flow can feel stifled by sticking only to the subject at hand.  Similarly, its mechanical structure will feel less solid because of the seamless transitions from point to point.

Try them all out.  Start with a basic premise.  "If you could combine the attributes of existing animals to make a superanimal, what would you choose?"  Write this essay three times.  Each time, use a different organizational style.  At least one of them will be a challenge to do well. Don't back down from it.