L ET ’ S START AT THE VERY BEGINNING It’s a very good place to start.

F ISHING FOR READERS Writers live or die by their leads. A good lead lures readers with promises of things to come. A loser lead risks losing the reader forever.

T HE IMPORTANCE OF THE LEAD You have only a few minutes to capture your reader (who has better things to do.) Make these opening lines worth your reader’s time. He will repay your efforts by listening to what you have to say.

L ET ’ S GO FISHING A FEW Lead strategies: Question Compelling fact or figure Quote Anecdote Dialogue Setting the scene

T HE QUESTION LEAD Ask a question to pique your reader’s curiosity? “Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if everyone took responsibility for their actions?”

T HE QUESTION LEAD Can be effective is used carefully. This strategy does tend to be overused, so use only if the question is particularly interesting or pertinent to your topic.

C OMPELLING FACT OF FIGURE Lure your reader with an interesting fact or figure (related to your topic). “ Every year over 5000 teens die in car accidents….” NOTE– Don’t use facts just to shock that have no real relevance to your topic!

M EANINGFUL Q UOTE Using a quote that is relevant to your topic can be an effective way to begin an essay. Conduct a search for “famous” quotes. Many sites allow users to search quotes by topic. For example, you can search the term “responsibility” and find quotes related to that word.

B E C AREFUL WITH QUOTES Make sure you understand what the quote means. You do not want to say something you do not intend to say. Find out a little bit about the person whose quote you are using. You want to make sure you are quoting someone truly quote-worthy. Make sure you make connection between quote and theme clear.

Q UOTES According to Johanne Wolfgang Goethe, “Nothing shows a man’s character more than what he laughs at.” Maybe I am writing about resisting the peer pressure to make fun of people. Maybe I am writing about how learning to laugh at life’s trifles can make someone a better person. Make sure there is a clear connection!

A NECDOTE ( AND ALLUSIONS ) A brief narrative of an amusing or interesting personal or historical event. Some are made-up tales. Anecdotes serve to make a point related to the writer’s theme. Keep anecdote brief. It should only represent a small portion of your paper.

DIALOGUE Beginning an essay with a bit of dialogue can be effective in reeling in your reader. “But why can’t I have it?” my son wailed as we wheeled down the aisles of the grocery store. “Because I love you enough to say ‘No’!” He didn’t like my answer, but I was confident that he needed a dose of tough love.

S ETTING THE S CENE The rain pelted relentlessly on my car, bouncing in random directions, obscuring my view of the once dusty road... This lead lured reader into your essay with a vivid description of a situation, scene, person, etc…

R EEL ‘ EM IN ! First moments of paper are critical. Writers win or lose readers at this point! Choose a strategy that works to your purpose and that is CLEARLY related to your theme. Don’t be afraid to experiment with a few strategies before finding one that works for YOUR paper!