WR3 | Workshops

On Introductions

Writing a good introduction is like asking someone out on a date.¹ You’ve got to make a good first impression, it’s helpful if you look good, and if the other person just can’t see where this is going, you’re probably going to get turned down cold. In short, introduction is seduction.

Most of the introductions I read, while competent and informative, are not very sexy. They seem to be following an established recipe rather than pioneering something new. They have a thesis and provide context, but they don’t draw the reader in or make them want to read more. Think about your audience: will they want to continue reading your essay after completing your introduction? Consider how you might make your introduction more intriguing.

You might experiment with is creating an evocative or arresting image. Or use humor. You might tell a brief story or present a striking fact or statistic that will cause the reader concern or anxiety. You might ask the reader to imagine something—a possible future that waits for us if we fail to do X, Y, or Z, for example. If you write an introduction correctly, your readers will have no choice but to continue reading.

Allow me to illustrate with two ways of beginning the same essay:

vs

OR

vs

As a reader, how do you respond to these rhetorical choices? Is one more effective than the other?

Introduction Workshop

First, brainstorm together on what this introduction needs to accomplish. What sort of context does the audience need? What other texts or ideas or theories need to be introduced? What sort of historical contextualization might be needed? What problem or idea will the piece explore? In short: if the job of the introduction is to orient the reader, what must be done for the introduction to be a successful one?

Secondly, think creatively about how you can do this important work of contextualization and orientation in a way that will hook the reader. If you have an introduction started, how might the introduction be creatively rewritten to ensure that the reader wants to continue into the body of the essay? If you don’t have an introduction yet, just think together about what the introduction needs to do and how a hook might be set. After a brief discussion, rewrite your introduction.

This is just an experiment. Try some things out. Play with your intro. Be bold. You may discover an exciting new way to begin your essay. Of course, you are not required to keep the new introduction if you don’t believe that it makes your paper more successful. This is your essay. But who knows, you may hit on something.