the craft. writing a great intro.

How do you keep them reading? | 11.16.20

Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash

Whether you are working on an article or writing a novel, the goal of the introduction is to keep people reading. I can’t tell you how many times I have clicked on an article, have no idea what they’re talking about, and politely clicked out of the website. A strong introduction sets your reader up for what’s about to happen and hopefully keeps them scrolling.

For fiction, I’ll write about those first five pages in another post, so today we’ll focus on writing articles. Some of the greatest pieces of advice I’ve found on introductions have been these.

“Start with the truthiest truth.” This one is courtesy of GG Renee and reminds me to say it with my chest. But what this also taps into is saying something that will grab the readers’ attention as soon as possible in a way that makes them want to know more.

It’s like it’s been decided that every single day of 2020, we will be faced with our own mortality. Chadwick Boseman died. An actor, but so much more than that. Yes, family man, son, the most important roles he played for sure. But he was also our king.

This was from a piece that I wrote for my blog and to me, the truthiest truth was that for most of 2020 I’ve thought about dying. It’s a little bit of shock value that in my estimation will make someone curious about what’s next. But it’s also really authentic to what I felt upon hearing the news of Chadwick Boseman’s passing.

The other piece of advice that I stick with on writing introductions is to revisit the intro after I finish the whole piece. Nine times out of ten, the way you actually started the piece is no longer relevant once you flush out the full idea. Have you ever had those moments where you’re not even sure what you’re trying to say until you write it all out? Along those same lines, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve erased the first sentence and realized that the second or third sentence was actually where I should have started.

In 1995, my nine-year-old self watched as Whitney Houston, Lelah Rochon, Loretta Devine, and Angela Bassett took the screen in Waiting to Exhale, the eponymous adaptation of Terry McMillan’s 1992 New York Times bestseller. At the time, I had no idea how revolutionary it was to see four Black women that were smart, beautiful, and successful at the center of a story on romance and womanhood in film.

This was an intro from a piece I wrote for ZORA that I had to rework a couple of times. I wanted to really highlight how I had no idea of the gravity of the moment of watching four Black lead actresses until much later. This had a few iterations and it came together after I’d written the rest of my intro to the feature and also with some feedback from the editor.

One of the most important things that both of these points illustrate is the need to be concise. An introduction is one paragraph. You have this one opportunity to either attract or repel someone from the rest of what you have to say. No pressure, here, but nothing else that you write after the intro matters if the person can’t get through the beginning to read it. You want to set up your work in the best possible light after all the work that you put into writing it.

Lastly, to take it back to high school English, your intro needs your thesis. Why are we here? What am I about to learn? What journey am I about to be taken on? The introduction needs to set this up for me knowing that all the following paragraphs will support it. It only needs to be one to two sentences because that’s what the remainder of the article is all about.

Don’t overthink it, which I know is like talking to a wall when speaking to writers. But remember that an introduction can and often probably should be edited just like the rest of the piece. Get it down on paper and then make it sing.

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Writing/Job Opportunities

MacMillan is looking for spring interns in Shared Services and Trade. This is a paid and remote opportunity. $15/hr, 20-25 hours per week.

Duly Noted is accepting applications for their Script Editing Training Program for 2021. Applications are open to Dec. 9th.

The Times Union in Albany, NY is is seeking candidates for the inaugural Joseph T. Lyons Investigative Fellowship. This is a two-year position.

The Hechinger Report is hiring a Senior Editor to extensively cover the south. Must live or have extensive reporting history in the south.

Insider, Inc. is looking for a Digital Culture Reporter.

Mashable is hiring a Tech Reporter.

Vox Media is hiring a Managing Editor, Operations.

Philly Eater (Part-Time) is looking for an experienced Reporter and Editor to oversee its Philadelphia site.

Popular Mechanics is looking to work with new writers. Looking for pitches on news (studies and trade), service (how-to, explainers), and feature ideas. Science, math, military, space, aviation, etc. andrew.daniels@hearst.com.

Nicole Cardoza is looking for writers for Anti Racism Daily particularly covering indigineous rights, health, politics, and abolition. Starts at $300/article. Send pitches and resume to submissions@antiracismdaily.com.

Noah Michelson is looking for smart and unique personal essays for Huffpost personal. From identity to parenting to loss. Pitch to noah.michelson@huffpost.com.

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