What I struggle most with when writing my papers is finding a way to grab the reader's attention. When writing, I focus on all the facts and theories I have to prove to support my thesis yet I never know what to say for a "hook". My first paragraphs usually reflect my body paragraphs because they are just straight to the point and never that interesting. My high school English teacher taught me to include an outside quote in the first paragraph that relates to my paper yet I still don't find that so appealing. Because the first paragraph is what stresses me most, I usually save it for last. I don't think this really helps with anything, it's just me procrastinating. Come to think of it, the same struggle goes for my final paragraph. It's basically supposed to be a restatement of my first paragraph, right? If I struggle with writing an intro, it's not wonder why I can't write my final paragraph as well. The body paragraphs usually come easy to me because I have all this information I want to give and I just write it all until I have nothing left to say. I don't worry about structure or grammar or page length, I just keep writing. But with the first and last paragraphs, I just don't know how to summarize everything in just a few sentences.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it's not always a foolproof idea, you could try using a question in your introduction paragraph. Something in the range of a small riddle or tricky statement will usually get your reader engaged. It's pretty difficult to read a question you cannot answer and just continue reading. That is usually the part when readers become engaged in order to find the answer to that question.
I have exactly the same advice as Rene gave you. Put questions in your introduction that you answer in your text, and I think it's even better if you put open questions rather than some that you can just answer with a yes or a no, this way the reader will want to know what your opinion about the subject is and why. And about the last paragraph I wouldn't say it is a restatement of the first one. The way I do it is that I don't give my opinion about the subject in the introduction, I only introduce it, and in the conclusion I summarize all of the paper and give my general opinion.
ReplyDeleteI also struggle with the same thing! I never know how to start off my paper. I have been told that the first 2-3 sentences of my paper are reserved for a hook. To draw the reader in I normally try to relate my paper's topic back to my life or something that I am very familiar with. If you cannot relate your paper back to yourself I would start off with a quote. Make sure it interests you though too, if it wouldn't pull you in as a reader, think if others would be pulled in too.
ReplyDeleteFor my intros, I usually try to find inspirational quotes or some type of descriptive action to capture the reader from the start. I usually struggle with my body paragraphs because I tend to put too much information in my introduction. I understand quotes can seem not interesting if you are not using the right quote for the right time. I also struggle with fluidity and have my thoughts flow from one idea to the next. That is another reason why I struggle in my body. I tend to spend way too much time trying to get that "perfect" into and not enough time on my body. If you're looking for that "hook" to capture the reader, I would suggest switching up the verb tense, or start with a foreshadow, or a quote, or even a descriptive snapshot to capture that reader's attention right from the start.
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