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Beginnings

Effective openings are vital for engaging readers and setting the tone for your piece. A strong opening should hook the reader's interest, raise intriguing questions, and promise insights to come. Whether through anecdotes, vivid descriptions, or surprising facts, your introduction should be specific and avoid clichés. Consider starting in the middle of the action or hinting at conflict to draw readers in. This guide will explore various techniques for crafting powerful opening paragraphs that establish the voice and direction of your writing.

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Beginnings

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  1. Beginnings

  2. The job of the opening paragraph. • Hooks or engages reader • Makes promises • voice—author’s pov toward subject • point of view—first, second or third • form—blog, story, argument • Gives the piece direction • Establishes subject and limits it. • Raises narrative question • What problem is to be solved? • Establishes tone

  3. Effective Openings Engage or hook reader Raise interesting questions Surprise the reader Make interesting statements Hint at conflict or central tension Specific rather than general Begins in the middle of things

  4. Effective Openings • Anecdote • Brief narrative—tells a story or gives example • Description or specific detail relevant to story • Describes person, place or thing • Interesting fact or statistic • Should be startling or fresh; be careful not to be trite • Irony or humor • Quote or brief dialogue

  5. Examples “Shame,” Dick Gregory • I never learned hate at home, or shame. I had to go to school for that. “Salvation,” Langston Hughes I was saved from sin when I was going on thirteen. “Of My Friend Hector and My Achilles Heel,” Michael T. Kaufman • This story is about prejudice and stupidity. My own. “Unforgettable Miss Bessie,” Carl T. Rowan • She was only about five feet tall and probably never weighed more than 100 pounds, but Miss Bessie was a towering presence in the classroom. She was the only woman tough enough to make me read Beowulf and think for a few foolish days that I liked it. . . “The Wounds That Can’t Be Stitched,” Ruth Russell It was a mild December night. Christmas was only two weeks away. The evening sky was overcast, but the roads were dry. All was quiet in our small town as I drove to my grandmother’s house.

  6. Exercises • Group workshop • Write a fresh opening for each person’s essay. Work as a group. • Writer # 1—describe your essay • As a group, write an opening that grabs the reader • Repeat for writers # 2 and 3 • Solo • Rewrite your opening paragraph. • Writer # 1—read your opening aloud • Group—discuss new opening • Repeat for writers # 2 and 3

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