• Is the purpose of the essay to educate, announce, entertain, or persuade?

The purpose of the essay is to educate its audience. 

• Who might be interested in the topic of the essay?

People who want to learn how to write a proper opening paragraph and improve their writing skills might be interested in the topic of the essay.

• Who would be impacted by the essay or the information within it?

Students and anyone trying to improve their writing skills would be impacted by the essay and the information within it.

• What does the reader know about this topic?

The reader knows that this topic gives information about how to write an engaging opening paragraph properly.

• What does the reader need to know in order to understand the essay’s points?

The reader needs to know certain writing terms in order to understand the essay’s points.

• What kind of hook is necessary to engage the readers and their interests?

There are many factors that can make a hook engaging, such as opening with a striking mental image, raising a question or series of questions, and beginning by quoting an expert on the respective topic or an inspirational individual. It is very important to the hook to be engaging because it will be the thing that captures the readers’ attention and motivates them to continue reading.

• What level of language is required? Words that are too subject-specific may make the writing difficult to grasp for readers unfamiliar with the topic.

The essay doesn’t require a high level of language, but there are many subject-specific words. That’s why the reader should be interested in the topic, or at least need to learn the terms of this subject to understand the essay.

• What is an appropriate tone for the topic? A humorous tone that is suitable for an autobiographical, narrative essay may not work for a more serious, persuasive essay.

A neutral or serious tone is appropriate for the essay. However, using humor at some points might be good to keep the reader’s attention.

2. Write a draft of your opening paragraph based on Chapter 3.2 Opening Paragraphs from the English Composition: Connect, Collaborate, Communicate

“Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader-not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.” once said, E.L. Doctorow. This sentence explains why a good writer should be a good reader in the first place. It may not always be easy for the author to convey the events and feelings that occurred in their dream world to the paper. And if the writer is not a reader, it becomes even harder to look at their own writing through the eyes of the reader, which may cause worse problems than you think.