I’m going to tell you an embarrassing story. It was the second semester of my sophomore year, and I had just started working as a Writing Studio consultant. We were doing a series of short presentations in our staff meetings and I, the lucky new girl, had the first slot. I dutifully put together my presentation about writing introduction paragraphs, complete with a fancy Prezi. I stood up in front of my new coworkers and was struck with the most sudden and overwhelming stage fright I have ever experienced. I suddenly knew nothing about introductions or how to form a sentence, my mind stuck in panic mode. I did my best to collect myself and fumbled through the content I’d worked so hard to prepare. Midway through the disastrous presentation, a horrible realization hit me—I forgot to give my introduction… to my presentation about introductions.

Yes, that is an absolutely true story, and here I am, two years later, asking for a redo. I present to you the do’s and don’ts of writing a great introduction to an academic essay:

1.     Do have a strong opening sentence. Depending on the topic of your essay, this could be a thought-provoking question, a relevant quote, or an intriguing fact. This might look like: “Hitchhiking is a uniquely American tradition, born from the explosion of the automotive industry and the vast size of the nation” or “In Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates writes, ‘I was made for the library, not the classroom.’” No matter what you chose, make sure that the first line is directly relevant to your paper topic.

2.     Don’t start from the beginning of time. It is okay to jump right into your topic. Do not begin with something like “Since the dawn of humanity…” or “As long as people have existed….” There is no need to go back that far in time, nor do you have the space to address a couple thousand years of human history before presenting your thesis. Here’s an example of a good starting point: “Ira Aldridge and his revolutionary acting career are a forgotten wonder of the Shakespearian world.” The author does not make broad, sweeping statements about Shakespeare’s work or theatre in general, and instead immediately tells the reader who the essay is going to focus on and why they are important.

3.     Do think of the introduction as a bridge. The introduction is a place of transition for the reader between their world and the world of your essay. Make sure to give them the tools they need to understand your argument. These tools will vary depending upon the subject of your essay, but could be definitions, context, brief plot summary. Consider this introduction for an English paper:

“Marie de France’s ‘Lanval’ tells the unconventional love story of an esteemed knight of King Arthur’s round table and the mysterious Fairy Queen. The poem features the subversion of expectations at every line, presenting beloved Arthurian characters like King Arthur and Queen Guinevere as less-than-admirable. However, the most notable subversion of expectations comes in De France’s unraveling of gender roles.”

The author does not waste time and establishes the main focus of the essay, the general plot, and what part of the poem is going to be discussed as concisely as possible.

4.     Don’t feel pressure to write the introduction first. Just because the introduction is read first does not mean it has to be written first. In my own writing, I often find it hard to write the introduction first because I do not always know exactly what my body paragraphs are going to look like. Writing the introduction after the body paragraphs can be easier because you have a clear idea of what you are introducing. As long as you have your thesis statement solidified, write the rest of your essay first if the introduction is giving you trouble.

Looking back, that botched presentation is one of the most hilariously ironic moments of my life. Who forgets to give the introduction to a presentation about introductions? Me, apparently. Introductions often intimidate students and prevent them from writing the rest of their essay. Don’t let that fear overwhelm you. Keep these tips in mind, and I am sure you will nail it! Just don’t be like me and forget the introduction entirely. Trust me, it’s pretty embarrassing.

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Makenna Myers is from San Diego, California. She has a passion for words— reading, writing, and editing them. You can find her at her happiest with a pen in her hand and a blank page before her. Appropriately, she is a senior majoring in Humanities with an Emphasis in Creative Writing and a minor in English. Outside of her love for creative writing, she has experience writing CMS and MLA formats and has written for professors such as Danger, Armstrong, and Elliott (among many others).