By Malissa The Writer

Lure them into the pages with seduction

If you don’t grab your readers’ attention within the first 20 seconds of them reading they will put it down and  more than likely never try to read it again. Introductions are like the beginning of something exciting and new so it needs to be captivating and unveiling at the same time. 

So, how do you capture your audience? There’s several options: ask a question, state an interesting or unpopular fact, use an analogy, a powerful quote, tell a story related to your central idea, or describe a scene related to the subject. The key to using one of the tools is selecting one that works best with the subject to have a powerful impact on the reader. For example, using an unpopular fact about drug abuse is a great option when writing about teens and drug abuse. Another option would be to use a story when writing a paper about nursing home abuse.

Once you decide which introduction tool you want to use there’s few things to consider while writing the introduction. First, establish the importance of your paper by explaining your topic so readers know what to expect. Be sure that the topic in your introduction is the topic you explain in the body section. Readers hate to be misled and waste their time. The best way to avoid this is to not mention things that are unrelated to the topic because it’s funny, current, and etc. When writing the introduction you also want to think about the length. You don’t want a super short introduction with an extremely long body. There should be a balance. Finally, and this one may surprise you, many writers write the introduction last because it’s too hard to create. They go back after writing most of the body and write the introduction once they feel confident in the subject. Personally, I write the introduction first but remember I use an outline so I’m clear on what my main idea and supporting points will be.

Writing an introduction is the beginning of a beautiful song, love story, and etc. It should be like a flower blooming right in front of a reader’s eyes, or a string being pulled until the reader unravels the mystery. It’s up to the writer to create this fantasy for the reader; even if only for a two minute read. At the end of the day it’s up to you on how and when to write the introduction. Try different systems until you find one that works best with your writing process.

As always, if you have any questions about this blog post or comments feel free to email me at [email protected].