Once upon a time…

1. Once upon a time… (Rosa & Eschholz. Models for Writers. 2010. pp.137-145)

2. “Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop,” -King of Hearts, Alice in Wonderland

3. Beginnings • Engage your reader • Grab attention, and hold attention • Introduce your main idea • Set up the structure • If you are writing a paper, when should you concentrate on your introduction? • Once you have formulated the majority of your paper. (When you know what you want to say). What makes the best beginning? Shocking? Serious?

4. Beginnings: What Works • Anecdote • A brief narrative • Analogy or comparison • To get readers to contemplate an unfamiliar topic • Dialogue/Quotation • Warning: make sure you don’t rely too much on others’ ideas at this point • Facts and statistics • Brief data that is attention grabbing

5. Beginnings: What Works • Irony or humor • “Matt Cassel is the only Chiefs player important enough to be hated.” (irony) • Short generalization • “Chicago is a wonderful city” • Startling claim • “Neat people are lazier and meaner than sloppy people.” • Strong proposition • “Everyone agrees we need to put a stop to academic dishonesty.” • Rhetorical Questions

6. Beginnings: What doesn’t Work • Apologize • I’m not an expert, but . . . • Complain • I’d rather write about _______, but . . . • Use Webster’s Dictionary • Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary says . . . • Use a platitude • “America is the land of opportunity . . .” • Reference your title • As you can see from my title . . .

7. Endings • An effective conclusion may: • Summarize key arguments (do not simply rewrite the intro) • Inspire further thought or action • Surprise the reader with final startling arguments • Come full-circle (repeat key words or phrases from the title or intro). Ask yourself, “Does my ending fit my paper?”

8. A good conclusion… Should not leave the reader wondering what they just read. Should provide an interesting way of wrapping up Should not always begin with “In summary,” “In conclusion,” “Finally,” etc. Remember! It’s the last thing the reader sees of your paper. Make it count!

9. And the lived happily ever after The End. (please don’t ever use this as an ending!)