Drafting

An effective introduction can grab the reader’s attention, introduce your topic, and provide helpful context for the discussion that is to follow. If written well, it will add interest in your topic, highlight its importance, provide direction for your ideas, and make your point of view clear. While there is no one right way to begin an essay, there are tried and true methods that have stood the test of time for a reason—namely, they encourage the reader to keep reading. Consider the approaches discussed below for help embarking on a piece of writing, especially when you are feeling stuck or having a hard time getting started.

1. Write a hook. Also called the “attention-getter,” a hook is meant to draw readers in and provoke their interest. The hook might hint at the primary purpose of your essay without stating it directly. There are a few methods worth considering when developing your hook:  
   • Use a related anecdote. This brief story should either be true or, at least, entirely believable. Be sure the story serves its purpose, which is to grab the reader’s attention and introduce your topic. To achieve that purpose, the anecdote should be interesting, moving, amusing, inspiring, or thought-provoking, but also relevant to the topic. Remember: an anecdote is a brief story that should not take up the whole introduction.

• Example: If your topic is veganism, you might write an anecdote about the visit to a farm where lambs were slaughtered that led you to a vegan diet. If your topic is on the antiquated practice of women changing their names after marriage, you might begin with the funny and touching story of your 4-year-old asking why daddy didn’t have to change his name, and ultimately misunderstanding the explanation, asking “So, you wish Dad had to change his name to Suzy?”
  • Provide a vivid description. Similar to using an anecdote, you might employ your storytelling skills to paint a picture for the reader, setting the stage for what is to follow.
• Example: If your topic is the pollution of the ocean and the need for better controls on shipping, you could describe the horrors of wildlife impacted by an oil spill, whether you witnessed these effects while volunteering at the rescue site or while watching a documentary on the subject.
  • Use a short quotation. You may find a particularly provocative or well-phrased quote to use that will surely grab the reader’s attention. After you’ve inserted it, make sure to explain the quotation and relate it to your topic so that the reader isn’t left confused. And most importantly, the quotation you choose should add to the credibility and value of your argument, rather than seeming like a random or one-off statement.
• Example: If you are writing an essay on the need for Americans to return to good citizenship, you might begin by writing the following: William James once said, “Act as though what you do makes a difference. It does.”  Or, if you are writing on the need for Americans to vote, you could begin with this sentence: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing,” Edmund Burke stated.
  • Ask a thought-provoking question. Make sure the question is open-ended. Focus on giving the reader something to explore further instead of asking a simple yes or no question or a rhetorical question. These types of questions are not true inquiries; rather they are only there to suggest something (i.e., “Who wouldn’t argue that private school is better than public school?” The question implies that no intelligent person would argue against your point, and it is already clear where you stand.) People are naturally inquisitive, so leave them wanting to know more and the opportunity to form their own opinions.

• • Example: Do jobs that require degrees really have better earning potential than skilled trades? – OR – Why are women two times more likely to experience clinical depression than men?

• • Start with a surprising fact or intriguing statement. Using this method for your hook can draw in the reader, as they need to keep reading to understand the context of this startling fact. This does not mean you should try to shock your reader, just that the statement should be unexpected. This is a great place to use that surprising fact you discovered during your research that relates to your topic but doesn’t really fit anywhere else. It might not be a fact that will work as support for your argument in the body of your paper, but it is interesting, nonetheless. And it just might grab your reader’s attention the way it grabbed yours! NOTE: Be sure to cite the source where you found the information if necessary (as shown below).

• • Example: The Pentagon has twice as many bathrooms as are necessary. – OR –  “U.S. households get 85 billion pieces of junk mail each year” (Thomas 3).

2. Provide background details. Now that you’ve got the reader’s attention, you will need to segue to your topic. Giving the reader some background information will put the hook into context. You may explain the hook in more detail and show its broader significance.
   • For example, let’s say you’ve used the hook mentioned above about junk mail. You will need to follow this fact with a bit more information, like who sends the junk mail and why. You might want to tell the reader how much is spent on this practice or where this excessive amount of paper ends up, depending on your thesis. Whatever you include, provide the reader with just enough to understand your hook, but not so much that they don’t need to read further.
3. Briefly discuss the main topic. Identify the main subject to be discussed in the paper and show how it relates to the attention-getter. This discussion will introduce readers to your key ideas and the direction for the essay.
   • For example, once you have provided a hook and background information on junk mail, you might state that the amount of waste is of primary concern. You could discuss that very little of this paper product actually makes it to the recycling center and how much landfill space could be saved if the practice of direct mail marketing changed.
4. State your thesis. The thesis is a one-to-two sentence statement that indicates the central idea of your paper and provides a roadmap for readers to follow as they proceed to the body paragraphs. A strong thesis is focused and makes the writer’s position clear.
   • For example, you might boldly state, “American companies should stop the antiquated practice of using direct mail as a marketing tool as it is ineffective and harmful to the environment.” Now the reader knows the direction you will take for the remainder of the paper: you will discuss the ineffectiveness of direct mailing and the harm it causes, and, most likely, you will suggest safer, more effective alternatives.

The following paragraph uses the concepts introduced throughout this guide as the basis for creating a formal introduction:

The Pentagon has twice as many bathrooms as are necessary. The famous government building was constructed in the 1940s when segregation laws required that separate bathrooms be installed for people of African descent (Miller 229). This building isn’t the only American icon that harkens back to this embarrassing and hurtful time in the country’s history. Across the United States, there are many examples of leftover laws and customs that reflect the racism that once permeated American society. One of the most surprising examples of these antiquated, oppressive customs is the American practice of tipping someone for their (hopefully) prompt and friendly service. With its roots in slavery, tipping was designed to keep oppressed people working harder while earning less than minimum wage. A disproportionate number of African Americans, Hispanics, and women still work in these tip-based industries, and they are still expected to earn next to nothing while providing service with a smile (“Tipping the Scales” 14). Perhaps their employers operate under the pretext that “this is simply how it’s always been done.” However, in the same way that laws have changed regarding the need for segregated bathrooms, the custom of tipping needs to be examined for what it is: thinly veiled oppression left over from the most unfortunate part of America’s past. Paying service industry workers less than a living wage is an unacceptable practice, one that needs legislation at both the state and national levels to eliminate sub-minimum wage payments for tipped workers.

The best introductions are not overly specific; they are just detailed enough to leave the reader with a desire to continue reading. The reader of the above example is left wondering how tipping is “rooted in slavery,” which industries still pay workers less than minimum wage, whether or not all states allow this practice to continue, and what exactly can be done about it. It encourages the reader to keep going in hopes that you will answer these questions, while giving them enough detail to understand why the topic is important.

NOTE: What needs to be included in your introduction may vary a bit depending on the type of writing assigned, so read the assignment prompt carefully and ask your instructor if you are still unsure.

Sources consulted: Grammerly website, Lumen Learning website

Guide created by: E. Raley 6/1/2021

Revised by: C. Jones 6/10/2024

The RVC Writing Center offers many resources to help you with these topics and all of your writing concerns. Titles of available resources can be found in the navigation bars along the left side of this page and/or by using the search bar. The Writing Center’s Resource Library can be accessed by using the following link:

The RVC Writing Center

If you still need assistance, please call (815) 921-2370 to make an appointment with an RVC writing coach.

We are here to help!