Writing an introduction

Start with an attention grabber Quotes Rhetorical Questions Anecdote Statistics Combination *Be creative!

Attention grabber: Judy Garland, Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, Brittany Murphy, Corey Monteith, Heath Ledger, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman is a seemingly diverse list of names, but it is not. These famous names are all award winning actors and musicians who have entertained generations. Sadly, they also have one more thing in common. They all died from a drug overdose. Thankfully, the average person will only experience this tragedy vicariously through the media as we learn about famous people who meet infamous ends; however, for some like Ellen Hopkins, they will have to live this tragedy first hand. Hopkins had to watch her only daughter battle the addiction to drugs. Although she never envisioned herself as a writer, writing became her outlet for the emotions and heartache she experienced. Hopkins was able to take the tragedy of her life and develop it into a unique series of novels that have grabbed the attention of young readers.

TRANSITION: Connect your attention grabber to your topic and/or thesis TRANSITION: Connect your attention grabber to your topic and/or thesis. Explain how they are connected! Judy Garland, Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, Brittany Murphy, Corey Monteith, Heath Ledger, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman is a seemingly diverse list of names, but it is not. These famous names are all award winning actors and musicians who have entertained generations. Sadly, they also have one more thing in common. They all died from a drug overdose. Thankfully, the average person will only experience this tragedy vicariously through the media as we learn about famous people who meet infamous ends; however, for some like Ellen Hopkins, they will have to live this tragedy first hand. Hopkins had to watch her only daughter battle the addiction to drugs. Although she never envisioned herself as a writer, writing became her outlet for the emotions and heartache she experienced. Hopkins was able to take the tragedy of her life and develop it into a unique series of novels that have grabbed the attention of young readers.

THESIS : Make sure you have a clear statement telling your reader the focus of your paper. Judy Garland, Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, Brittany Murphy, Corey Monteith, Heath Ledger, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman is a seemingly diverse list of names, but it is not. These famous names are all award winning actors and musicians who have entertained generations. Sadly, they also have one more thing in common. They all died from a drug overdose. Thankfully, the average person will only experience this tragedy vicariously through the media as we learn about famous people who meet infamous ends; however, for some like Ellen Hopkins, they will have to live this tragedy first hand. Hopkins had to watch her only daughter battle the addiction to drugs. Although she never envisioned herself as a writer, writing became her outlet for the emotions and heartache she experienced. Hopkins was able to take the tragedy of her life and develop it into a unique series of novels that have grabbed the attention of young readers.

Expanding your research As you are reading about your author begin to create subheading around common themes that reoccur: Basic information Likes and dislikes Inspirations for writing Aspirations for the future Films, media, new articles and appearances

Limited Information Draw conclusions about your author Read their blogs, email them, etc. Research what they like or mention in their blogs, etc.

Example Books Become Film Even though it is Veronica Roth’s first and only book series to date, the popularity of this New York Times Best seller and its action packed plot made it an easy story to transition to film. Divergent which is set to hit theaters in March will be directed by Neil Burger. Although it is often said that the film version is never as good as the book itself, Roth seems super excited over the project claiming “I’ve seen the clip and well….you’ll see. It is so good.” She also is thrilled to have Burger as the director of the film. Burger is known for other films such as Limitless which came out in 2011 and starred the very well known, Bradley Cooper, and The Illusionist (2008). According to her blog, the production has already started on the series second book called Insurgent. Because production will overlap with the two films, they have had to hire a different director for the second film, but Burger will continue on as producer to keep continuity between the two projects (“Veronica Roth”).