I can remember all the way back to second grade in
elementary school when we began piecing together short stories to start the
life long venture into creative writing. During writing time in class I would
sit and stare at a blank white page until the bell rang to be let out of
school, because I could never figure out how to go about starting my paper.
Teachers in high school always advised me to begin the
writing process with brainstorming. Brainstorming can be a very affective tool
when starting a paper, but even after making many lists and diagrams I still
found myself trying extremely hard to find the right words to introduce the
topic I am discussing.
My favorite English teacher in high school Mrs. Schulz gave
me the best advice on how to get past my struggle in writing the introduction.
She simply said, “Skip it.” At first I looked at her like she was crazy, but
that ended up being the best writing advice any teacher had ever given me. Now
when I write a paper, I typically leave the introduction for last. By doing
this I have saved a lot of time that I would have wasted sitting and staring at
the blank paper or computer screen.
I never would of thought something so simple could drastically
change the outcome of my writing. The technique Mrs. Schulze suggested not only
saved me time, but it also improved the final results of my paper. When writing
an appropriate and effective introductory paragraph I tend to reflect on the
context included in the body paragraphs to give the readers a broad view of the
topic I’m writing about.
Although writing does not come first nature to me I really
enjoy the limitless diverse qualities it obtains.
I definitely have to agree with you here. My parents used to tell me the exact same thing! Piecing together an introduction was all the more easier when everything else was already written down. Because of this technique, I am able to write a far better introduction than I would have if I had just sat there until something came to me.
ReplyDeleteI agree as well. Writing (or, at the very least, revising) an introduction after the paper is written often leads to a stronger and more appealing introduction. You're able to "hook" the reader when you include specific details rather than vague context.
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