When we open a paragraph, any paragraph, we open it with a "topic sentence". The topic sentence guides the paragraph and shows the reader where you are planning to go. So, if we were writing about Sherlock Holmes or more specifically "A Study in Scarlet" We were discussing character in terms of the books, we might say that the meeting between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson illustrates the character of both men both and in their possible future. We might find interesting a quotation from Dr. Watson about the things that Holmes knows and those he did not. So, when we we find out that Sherlock has no interest in astronomy & knows nothing about common astronomical principles (c. 1880). On the other hand he is an expert in chemistry. We also find out that Watson is going to be, in the detective's parlance, Sherlock's gunsel. He is not just an ordinary doctor, but a doctor who can kill as well as heal.
Okay, when you look over this you see the importance of details. We need to know all these things to know what each man is capable of. However, we also need to know why. For example, Watson has newly returned from Afghanistan, where he was wounded. He probably is suffering from PTSD. He has been hurt and needs to feel useful. Holmes, while deficient in Astronomy, knows a great deal about the human mind and heart. In fact, one might say this was definitely a partnership that could do nothing but thrive since they are so clearly meant to be together.
Show your readers how your data makes your arguments come alive. Think beyond the text. Think like Holmes.
KB
