Cut the first paragraph
The opening of a draft is often throat-clearing. A common editing trick is to delete it and see what happens.
Here is a simple trick that improves a surprising number of drafts: delete the first paragraph.
You might find that nothing is lost. Often the real beginning was the second paragraph all along.
Why the first paragraph is weak#
When we start writing, we warm up. We explain the background, say what we plan to say, or make a general statement about the subject. "Throughout history, people have..." This helps the writer, because it gets the words flowing. It does not help the reader, who wants to get to the point.
The warm-up is useful in the draft and unnecessary in the finished piece.
How to test it#
- Read your draft from the second paragraph.
- Ask: does it still make sense? Does it start with something interesting?
- If yes, cut the first paragraph, or keep one sentence from it.
If the piece falls apart, the opening was doing real work. Keep it, but look at whether you can make it shorter.
What a good opening does#
A strong first paragraph does at least one of these:
- Starts in the middle of a scene or an example.
- States a surprising or specific claim.
- Asks a question the reader cares about.
- Tells the reader why this matters to them.
If yours does none of these, it is probably warm-up.
A related habit#
Check the ending too. Many drafts have a final paragraph that repeats the point already made. If the second-to-last paragraph already finishes the thought, cut the last one.
Short openings and short endings give a piece momentum. The reader is in at the start and out when they are done, with nothing in between to wait through.