So, you wanna write a multi-paragraph introduction?

Don'ts:

• Don't write a one-paragraph intro and make it into two paragraphs by hitting return before your claim/thesis.
• Don't write a one-paragraph intro and hit return somewhere in the middle. It might look like two paragraphs, but if you're still supporting the same main idea, it's one paragraph. Many of you are trying to turn transition sentences into topic sentences.
• Don't begin with common knowledge: "People have two feet" does not make for a compelling opening. The purpose of an introduction is to invite the reader in, and if you begin by telling me something I already know, I'm not likely to want to come in.
• Don't write about "every one's" or "your" experience. 

Do's:

• Try to build your introduction around image, an analogy, or an anecdote. If your essay is about school, show us school or compare school to something (please, not prison) or tell us a story about an experience in school.
• Write from personal experience. Second person is rarely inviting.
• Write the intro only you can write. If you're writing about something that many people have experienced, share your specific, unique experience.