Byron Gangnes

Essay Writing—Strong Beginnings

Start your essay off with a strong beginning. Identify your thesis and sell it to us.

"What's the big idea?" Express the idea you are writing about in one sentence.

Take a position on the issue. This will make your essay more compelling and will help you to focus your exposition. It does not (necessarily) mean you have to be aggressive or controversial.

Think of a short title that expresses your thesis.

Give us some reason to read beyond the first line. Begin your first paragraph with a statement that the reader will care about. This may be a striking piece of information or a surprising claim. One effective strategy is to pose an opposite point of view to which your thesis responds.

Build up your introduction step by step, ending with a strong statement of your thesis.

"It is helpful to think of your thesis, your main idea, as a debating question--'Resolved: Welfare payments must go'—taking out the 'Resolved' when you actually write your thesis down. But your resolution will be even stronger, your essay clearer and tighter, if you can sharpen your thesis further—'Resolved: Welfare payments must go because _______.' ...The main idea is to put your whole argument into one sentence." (page 19)

(See Sheridan Baker, The Practical Stylist, Chapter 2.)