NARRATIVE:

INTRODUCTORY
PARAGRAPH
The term “narrative” refers to a type of
essay, a short story, or a novel. In
narrative writing, the introductory
paragraph has an important impact on the
readers. The opening sentence of a
narrative should grab the readers'
attention. A strong introduction sparks
your reader's curiosity, gives background
information on your topic, and presents a
clear statement of what you intend to write.
• After your opening sentence, you begin setting up
the narrative essay. You can build off the first
sentence and start giving your readers some
background information before you dive into
telling the story. For example:
“The moment my sister got married, I was on the
other side of the world. We hadn’t spoken in three
years, and no one bothered to tell me Susan was
planning on walking down the aisle for the seventh
time in as many years.”
Also, your first paragraph should introduce
the main character and what lies at the
heart of the story as in:
“The moment my sister got married, I was
on the other side of the world.”
• My eyes were red and burning as blood slowly ran
down my forehead. My cramped and trembling fingers
hovered over the keyboard like it was an Ouija board. I
closed my eyes and, when I opened them again, the
blog post was finished. It was like nothing I had written
before…
• The moment my sister got married, I was on the other
side of the world. We hadn’t spoken in three years,
and no one bothered to tell me Susan was planning on
walking down the aisle for the seventh time in as many
years…
•I have never looked through the
windows of my bedroom without
feeling like a captive.

•I nearly lost my life. Father and I had

gone in a lorry to convey his planks
home, he being a planks-seller…
Guideline to Introductory Paragraphs
• You must ensure your opening sentence grab the
readers’ attention. This depends on your personal
style of writing and the story you tell in your work.
• For example, you may have a first line that appears
as:
“The moment my sister got married, I was on the
other side of the world.”
Writing Introduction Strategies.

• Begin with a quotation.

• Begin with a paradox.
• Begin with a short anecdote or narrative.
• Begin with an interesting fact or statistic.
• Begin with a question or several questions that will
be answered in the write-up.