S

Writing the LeadStarting your “This I Believe” composition

The Lead

The first paragraph or couple of paragraphs in an article (composition). The lead should attract the audience’s attention and should give the reader a clue as to what you’ll be writing about. Remember: “Paragraph” usually consists of a coupld

of sentences—three at most.

Visit the following site: http://thisibelieve.org/essays/featured/ and read the lead for at least three “This I Believe” essays

Lead Examples

“My father told me I was fat. And lazy. And stupid.” - http://thisibelieve.org/essay/12446/

“The first thing breast cancer took from Isabelle was her smile. She woke up one morning and the left side of her mouth drooped and sagged. Her left eye was half-closed.” - http://thisibelieve.org/essay/1601/

“I believe I learned everything I needed to know about how to live the good life from my childhood dog, Buster.” - http://thisibelieve.org/essay/16088/

My favorite American, Abraham Lincoln, once said, “It is better to trust and be disappointed once in a while than it is to distrust and be miserable all the time.” A few years ago, I concluded an article on the coach-official relationship with the following statement: “In the final analysis, perhaps the main thing we need in all walks of life is more mutual trust and understanding of the problems of others.” - http://thisibelieve.org/essay/1000002599/

Purpose of a Lead

You need a powerful lead to catch the reader’s attention.

The lead is the doorway through which a writer welcomes and orients readers to your idea.

There are several strategies to writing a lead.

Five Strategies

Question – Ask a rhetorical question. Warning: RHETORICAL QUESTIONS ARE DIFFICULT.

Quotation (from someone famous or from someone significant in your life) Example: “Be careful” were the last words my father said

to me each time I left the house.”

Strong statement (that your essay will either support or dispute) If you eat enough cabbage, you’ll never get cancer.

Five Strategies (Continued)

Metaphor Example: The starlings in my back garden are the small boys

in the playground, impressing each other with their new-found swear words. The crows all belong to the same biker gang. You need to know their secret sign to join their club.

Description (of a person or setting) Example: Michael once mowed the lawns around Municipal

Hall wearing a frilly apron, high heels, and nylons, with a pillow stuffed under his sweater so he looked pregnant. And it wasn’t even Halloween.”