Here’s a question for you:
Have you ever stared wide-eyed at your computer screen without a clue how to get your next article started?
You know what it’s like …
You sit there with all that pent up writing energy waiting to spill out on the page.
But when your fingers hit the keyboard your brain freezes over.
What do you do?
Here’s something I do …
I reach for the following list of the six easiest ways I know to start any article you’ll ever write.
Just choose the one that best fits the article you’re working on and … Presto! … like magic your opening practically writes itself.
See if you can spot the one I used in today’s article …
1. The descriptive statement opening:
This is where you take the main idea of your article (usually expressed in the title) and work it in to your opening paragraph. It is a very direct approach where you more or less, ‘call a spade a spade’.
Example: If you’re writing an article about software that can be used to turn a blog into a paid subscription or membership site, you might open with this as your first paragraph:
“It used to be hard to turn your blog, with all its free content, into an income stream. But now there is a simple piece of software that changes all that. The three case studies below show how almost any kind of blog can become a paying proposition for its owner – often without having to create any more content than you already have.”
2. The personal comment or anecdote opening:
A personal comment or anecdote can be an opinion or statement made by someone you or your reader knows. It can be a brief story about someone you know.
Using this opening format is a great way to add a touch of humanity to your writing – making the transaction between you and the reader more personal.
Example: If writing about new opportunities for writers on the web you might begin this way:
“I still remember the first time I laid eyes on the Internet. It was back in 1997. I came home from my early morning jog through the neighborhood and found my wife typing on the computer screen. Strangely, the computer seemed to be typing back. I soon learned she was on an “Internet Chat Room” … and … I’ve been glued to the screen ever since.
“Since that time I’ve witnessed all kinds of changes. The latest being the wide-spread use of blogs as a platform for all other marketing efforts. And, as the popularity of blogs has grown, so too has the opportunity for writers to build their writing careers — as this article explains.”
3. The question opening: (I used the “question” opening to start this article.)
A great way to arouse your reader’s interest is to ask questions that will interest her.
Especially a provocative question, or one that questions a belief she holds dear.
Example: If writing a brochure to promote a local all-boys private school you might begin:
“Other than providing a safe, caring learning environment for your son, what advantages do private schools have over the public school system?”
Such a question is bound to draw the reader into your text. Again, the trick is to know what your reader wants to read about. Once you know that, the right question for your article flows relatively easily.
4. The opposite view point opening:
Arouse interest with the opposite view to a commonly held or popular opinion. Then follow immediately — usually in the same paragraph — with your true point of view, while pointing out how absurd the original view point is.
Example: If writing an article about law enforcers getting away with the crimes they sometimes commit you might begin:
“One of the things that pains me most about the criminal justice system is the fact that a judge or anyone practicing law — especially the police — should have to pay a fine or face prison time for the crimes they commit. Surely, anyone involved in administering the law should be above it!
“Obviously, the statement above is absurd. But it does raise a great question: Why do judges pay smaller fines or no fines at all for traffic offenses? And why do …”
5. The quotation opening:
An appropriate quote may offer an effective beginning, especially a poignant quote that summarizes, in only a few words, the very fact or point you wish to express. Using a quote has another important effect in your writing: It can “credential” your writing piece.
Example: If writing a piece on top travel destinations for writers and poets you might begin:
“The poet Robert Frost once stated, “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on!” And while that is true, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a damn good time while enduring it. Here are 7 of the world’s top travel destinations for creative people that you simply must see before your time is up:”
6. The shocking statement opening:
Magazines featuring celebrities thrive on this type of opening. So, too, do newspapers. You can’t pass a news stand today without seeing some kind of shocking, irreverent, or outlandish statement about what some celebrity is doing — complete with pictures. And it works. This approach sells millions of dollars worth of magazines everyday.
So, if there’s an appropriate (or in some cases, a not-so-appropriate but “relevant”) thing to say about your topic, one that may shock the reader into staying attentive to your message, lead with it in your article.
Example: If writing an article about violence among women (as a journalist for the UK news website www.dailymail.co.uk did recently), you might begin:
“Violent crime committed by women has soared since Labor came to power, it is revealed today. The number of women found guilty of murder, vicious assault and other attacks has risen by 81 per cent since 1998.”
Conclusion:
Anyway, that’s enough to get you started.
So go write something.
{ 1 trackback }