There are so many rules of good writing (don't end a sentence with a preposition, avoid fancy "ten-cent" words, don't repeat yourself, don't rely on lists, don't repeat yourself, etc.) it can be hard to keep track of them all. Among those rules, there is a whole subset of guidelines specific to the introduction, or lede in journalism parlance: 1. Do not cite the dictionary ("Merri-am-Webster defines 'terrible' as the beginning of this paragraph...") 2. Do not construct an elaborate description, only to reveal it to be a dream ("Bursting with creativity, he wrote his monthly column in just 15 minutes, clicking 'Save' and heading outside to enjoy the unseasonably warm November day. And then he woke up.") 3. Do not use a quote (Possible exceptions to this rule: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," said Neil Armstrong; "I'm back!" said Jesus.)
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