Start writing – a tip on how to actually do it

Starting a document is hard, AND writing an intro is hard. So don't try and do both at once.

It's you and the Word document, staring each other down.

That first sentence just won't come. And you're beginning to sweat because you know the stakes.

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Your introduction needs to

- immediately hook people

- set the tone for your whole piece

- summarise all the key points

- set people up for your call to action

No pressure.

So what do you do? First, let's start with what NOT to do.

- don't keep struggling

- don't imagine you're the only one having this issue

- don't give up

- don't fall down a YouTube hole

Instead, skip the whole thing.

Write everything else.

Let the process of writing the rest of the draft give you clarity on how to condense the key points, and what metaphor, story and hard data are going to grab your readers by the eye sockets.

Helen Steemson

The lead copywriter and creative director at Words for Breakfast. She spends much of her time working with the copy writing team across a variety of projects.