How To Write An Essay Introduction That Will Dumbfound The Reader

The introduction is your chance to impress and draw in the person reading your essay. When you’re writing, usually you’re just thinking about getting the information out in a logical manner. But you have to think of the way the words tell the story, too. Essay writing can be likened to short story writing because you have to grab the reader with a great beginning, intrigue them with the middle, and satisfy them with the ending. Great beginnings or introductions are where it all starts, and if you don’t get the reader’s attention here, they aren’t going to read on to find out how awesome the rest of your essay might be. In that sense, the introduction is the single most important part of your entire essay.

Planning Your Essay Introduction

When you first start writing, you shouldn’t start with the introduction. I know it seems counterintuitive to write out of order, but your introduction really needs the support of the rest of your essay. I’d advise you to make an outline, write the body and conclusion, and then go on to making your introduction. Once you have those things set into place, it’ll be so much easier to write the most important part of your essay.

The introduction really does depend on the body and conclusion because you don’t want to repeat any one thing too much. After you know the exact words you want in the rest of the essay, then you can reword it differently for the introduction. This is where you have your first impression, so every single word needs to count and pull its weight. You don’t want anything too long and convoluted, but being too brief can leave the reader in confusion, too. Strike for somewhere in the middle, a paragraph or two, and talk about your topic as if to someone who’s never heard of it before.

Other Introduction Writing Tips

Your teacher might want a specific format for your introduction, and if that’s the case make sure you do it. Your teacher’s the one who will be grading this essay after all. Your job is to dumbfound readers, yes, but mostly to astound your teacher. He or she is the most important opinion regarding your homework. Once you do have your introduction written, you should get a few other people to read it. Having their opinion can help you edit.