In the example in the last post, I use the simplest transition words you can have: first, second, and third.
People reading that paragraph can have no doubt about why I’m including these three sentences. I started by telling them that the report would note “three major achievements.” Then I began my description of each one with a transition word: first, second, third.
Some writers object to using these transition words: “It sounds too mechanical.”
My experience as a reader and an editor tells me it’s better to sound a bit mechanical than to lose the reader.