When you begin to write, beware of two extremes: doing too little, or doing too much.
On the one hand, if you write too little in the
beginning paragraphs, you may give the impression that you are too eager to
jump into the subject without giving your readers time to reflect on what you
have prepared for them.
On the other hand, if you write too much in the
beginning paragraphs, you may give the impression that you are summarizing the
subject. Your readers may think that they already know what you are going
to say to them, and hence they may not wish to go on reading.
An effective beginning needs to accomplish the following:
Capture the
readers’ attention by stressing the importance of the subject, arousing the
readers’ curiosity, or entertaining the readers.
Introduce the
subject appropriately to the readers through the use of relevant lead-ins:
A famous quotation
alluding to your topic
A factual statement
with statistics and examples supporting your topic
A short description
or story with emotional appeal
A personal
experience related to your topic
A controversial
question or a paradoxical statement about your topic
An analogy or
comparison relevant to your topic
A statement of
problems leading to your topic
Provide adequate details to create anticipation in the
readers’ minds.
Beginning to Write
To begin writing, initiate the writing process in three
basic steps:
Think about the
topic, or what you are going to write about.
Write it. Put down
any idea that comes to your mind.
Write it again,
revise, and re-write it.
Both drafting and revising are creative processes in writing. Drafting
is more spontaneous, while revising is more thoughtful and critical. When you
write, you see words from your point of view; when you revise, you see words
from the readers’ point of view.
Points to remember during revision:
Read slowly:
this forces you to focus your attention on each word.
Read aloud:
this not only slows down your reading but also contributes to objectivity to
your writing.
Look for choice of
words, sentence construction, and paragraph structure.
Be alert for errors
in grammar and usage, as well as in spelling and typing.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
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