MASTERING THE SEGUE

MASTERING THE SEGUE

WHILE RIDING A SEGWAY

A segway is a personal transportation device on two wheels – no, not a bicycle.  It’s much more quirky and dorky than your bicycle.  Yes, even dorkier than the bike with the white basket and a dapper, chirpy  bell.

A segue, on the other hand, is its corresponding heterograph (sounds the same, spelled differently).  A segue seamlessly moves the reader from one place to the next.  Segues transition your story from one idea to the next.  A segue isn’t really a cliff-hanger, but it could certainly be described as a page-turner.  Segues round out your thoughts, and show multiple perspectives of a multi-faceted idea. 

Typically, segues are expressed through key words, including:

·        While – since – in addition to – along with

·        Obviously – clearly – similarly

·        Consequently – as a result – subsequently

Remember adverbs?  These are words that tell us how, when, where, or to what extent.  Notice that adverbs play a prominent role in segues:  “consequently,” “similarly,” and “subsequently.”  These are known as conjunctive adverbs and they connect one phrase to another.  These connections do not have to be similar ideas.  The connections can be contrasts (examples:  “on the other hand” or “conversely”).  The words chosen might be other types of adverbs as well, but this type of grammar hair-splitting isn’t critical.  The take-away from this article is to make writers more aware of the prominence of segues.

Let me know what other segues you create!  While a riding a segway might be a lot of fun, you know that as a writer, segues can be fun, too.  Just wear a helmet.  

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