By Sean Brenner

“Everything starts somewhere, although many physicists disagree.” — Terry Prachet, The Hogfather

Writing intros can be a painful process. 

A blank page can be intimidating to the point that just making the effort to start is difficult. Where do you begin? This question can become overwhelming, and eventually, just thinking about it puts you off.

A good intro has a lot to cover. It needs to introduce your topic and the major points you make in your manuscript. It also has to get reade...