Be Flexible with the Structure of Your Writing.

Don't write a paper based on an outline. Why set yourself up to go on a scavenger hunt?  Following an outline when writing your paper takes away your ability to be spontaneous.  It's for people who don't know writing is an art form.

When I write, I begin with a sentence, and then a paragraph takes form as I explain what it means and provide some examples, maybe throw in a quotation, etc. The paragraphs appear on the page like puzzle pieces.

Use cut/paste to rearrange the paragraphs in an excellent order.  After you put the paragraphs in an excellent order, you can "glue" them all together by adding nice transitions. You can add a few transitions by following this three-step process:

1. Sometimes, it is good to begin a paragraph with a sentence that includes an important word or phrase from the previous paragraph.
2. That sentence above has a lot of information, but it's all you need to know to write good transitions, so I'll repeat it right here:
3. Sometimes, it is good to begin a paragraph with a sentence that includes an important word or phrase from the previous paragraph.

So, be flexible, and do not make yourself follow an outline.  And do not try to write your thesis statement before you write the paper.  You can only make an intelligent thesis statement AFTER writing the paper.  Writing the paper is the process that educates you about the subject and makes you QUALIFIED to make a thesis statement about it, so write your introduction and thesis statement last, after the whole paper is finished.

:-)