How to start an essay? Blank page has been staring at me for 2 hours

[Outfielder]

literally been sitting here trying to figure out how to start an essay for my lit class... nothing's working. tried coffee, tried snacks, tried threatening my laptop. page is still blank. anyone got actual working strategies?

 

[rebel_research]

omg thank you! but what about citations? i'm drowning in APA rules
starting with a perfect introduction is impossible - learned this after 3 years of english major. my strategy for how to start an essay: write the body paragraphs first, then go back to intro. your brain needs content before it can introduce it.

 

[midnight.biologist]

@rebel_research

omg thank you! but what about citations? i'm drowning in APA rules

but what about the thesis? my professor keeps saying thesis needs to be in introduction but i can't figure out my argument before writing?

 

[molecularninja]

grading essays for 2 years now. best advice on how to start an essay - forget everything you learned in high school about starting with a broad statement. jump straight into your topic. nobody needs to know that "since the beginning of time, humans have been writing about love"

 

[pitchperfect]

struggling with how to start an essay on research topics? begin with current debate in your field. shows you know what's relevant right now. way better than generic openings.

 

[Outfielder]

tried starting with my thesis but everything sounds stupid when i read it back

 

[SableCat]

your first draft SHOULD sound stupid. starting an essay is like jumping into cold water - just do it and fix it later. write anything. seriously. even "this essay is about..." works for draft 1

 

[datadragon]

found a trick for starting essays - pretend you're explaining your topic to someone who knows nothing about it. helps get past that initial block when you're too deep in the material.

 

[rushhour]

the beginning you write first usually isn't the beginning you keep. start anywhere in the essay and piece it together later. works especially well for analysis papers.

 

[Outfielder]

starting to get somewhere... wrote three terrible paragraphs but at least there's words on the page now

 

[paperpanic]

simple method to start an essay: write down everything you know about your topic. don't worry about order or sense. then highlight main points - there's your structure. works every time.