Last week I contributed a guest post about writing conclusions to Quips and Tips for Successful Writers. Today Laurie shares her tips on writing introductions.
By Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen
Your reader is not a penniless and weary traveler who will be happy to take any bed you can offer,” writes Brandi Reissenweber in the “The Art of the Start” chapter in The New Writer’s Handbook. “They are discerning, with plenty of money for a night’s sleep and if you show them something uninspired, they’re off to the next inn. You have to work to get them to stay with you.”
This is an effective introduction for several reasons: it addresses the audience directly with the word “you”, it focuses on what they’re interested in (most writers want to their readers to keep reading), and it contains an interesting metaphor (readers as travelers).
The most compelling introductions catch a reader’s eye and engage the imagination! Those introductions make sure the readers sticks with the story or article for the long haul…which is exactly what writers want.
Here are four more ways to write introductions that grab readers by the throat.
Share a shocking or intriguing fact. Here’s a shocking fact: “Eating your own brain may not seem very smart, but that’s how some organisms stay healthy. Scientists found that not only do certain single-cell organisms “eat” their damaged or aged parts, they also consume their own nucleus or brain if it’s diseased.” This could be the introduction of an article about foods that keep your brain healthy. Read on to see how it might be fleshed out…
Transition from shocking fact to the theme of the article. Here’s the last sentence of the above introduction: “Luckily, you don’t have to eat brains to keep your memory healthy and strong – you need only enjoy certain delicious foods!” When you start with a shocking fact or interesting quotation, make sure it flows smoothly into the article. The importance of transition cannot be underestimated.
Connect two things that don’t belong together. A paradox or puzzling phenomenon can keep your readers hooked. This tip – an introduction that contains two wildly opposing elements – requires a little creativity. Here’s an example of an interesting “marriage of opposites” from Sol Stein, in Stein on Writing. “Writers are troublemakers. A psychotherapist tries to relieve stress, strain, and pressure. Writers are not psychotherapists. Their job is to give readers stress, strain, and pressure.” Connecting writers with psychotherapists (or troublemakers) gives readers something new to gnaw on…and keeps them reading.
Highlight the most interesting part of your article or story. I usually hold off on writing my introduction until I’ve finished my research and interviews. I then cull that information for the best quotations from my sources, and I often begin my article or chapter with something they said. Sometimes, I’ll end the article with a quotation that refers to the introduction, which ties the whole thing up into a neat little package! For a quick list of tips for writing introductions, read 52 Ways to Write Great Leads.
They’re a fabulous way to prime the pump if you’re coming up dry. What are your thoughts on writing introductions – do you have specific ways you like to hook readers?
Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen is a full-time writer and blogger who created and maintains a series of Quips and Tips blogs: Quips and Tips for Successful Writers, Quips and Tips for Achieving Your Goals, and Quips and Tips for Couples Coping With Infertility. She’s also the Feature Writer for Psychology Suite101.
Laurie: Great post! I sometimes start with a rhetorical question, but those can easily become cheesy if they aren't worded properly. Sometimes a really interesting quote or a scene-setting beginning can work, too. All in all, though, introductions are tough. Once I get a begginning I like, the rest of the piece usually comes together much more smoothly than those first few crucial sentences.
Thanks, Susan — this article was fun to write!
I love Reissenweber's words about readers not being "penniless and weary travelers." And, it's so true that writing well is HARD work. It takes so much time and energy, and it can be hard to invest that time and energy if you don't know if you'll ever get published.
Ah, the life of a writer…
These are great suggestions. I like the eating your brain thing. I'm thinking about how to translate this also into fiction writing. I know how to do it in features and news (though I don't always get it right) and it seems to me that fiction needs to be compelling in this way (or in a similar way) as well…
"Connect two things that don’t belong together."
This is always the greatest gift for the reader and something I find is more organic in the process than many think. This post is very comprehensive with good advice. Thanks for letting me know about it!
Great advice! I'm definitely a fan of sharing an interesting or shocking fact in the beginning.
Drawing the reader into the scene is what I'm thinking about, which takes all sorts of forms. I often write long profiles where's there's space for this, but I'd say I've learned as much from writing many short (100 words of so) music reviews for readers who may not know anything about the genre or the artist. People often don't think of intros as part of such short pieces, but they are, of course, both in setting the tone and involving the reader.
These suggestions are great for readers, but also make sense for grabbing an editor's eye at query stage!
As an innkeeper, I agree with this first paragraph! As a writer, I found the suggestions helpful. Jennifer is right that application to fiction is harder.
Great tips on improving introductions in an article (or a query). I like setting the scene or asking a question to begin an article. Thanks for the reminder of other ways to begin a piece. Thanks for adding more tools to my writing arsenal today.
I really appreciate this post, which reminds me never to assume someone will want to read what I've written — and to try to hook readers from the beginning.
Thanks for this post–I have gone on to the 50 whatever tips, but I need to. I often forget to stop and re-read my intros to see if they are getting attention.
I usually end up cutting the first two lines of whatever I've written. Then I have a good intro. Usually (with me anyway) the first bit is warm up that only I need to see and experience.
Title and first paragraph are really vital…A budding or experienced blogger/writer may try http://glocalwriters.com; it's a get paid to write site with upfront payment of up to $5.00 per article; try this…worth for writers
Thanks for your comments….I like the idea of cutting the first couple of lines. Sometimes we need to "warm up" before we get to the meat of it — and readers don't necessarily want to read our warm ups