What is a good way to start off a paper?

How about starting off by mentioning Harry.

When I’m really stuck for an opening or a closing, I might use a relevant quotation.

Or just start writing and come back to the intro when you’re done with the bulk of it.

Yeah, I’ve often been told by more experienced students – just write the sections that come naturally first and it’ll make writing the less obvious ones easier. It’s particularly easy to write an intro for a completed paper..

Often, formulating questions related to the topic helps me develop my thesis.

I always write papers inside out.
It’s so much easier to introduce a paper after you’ve finished it.

I always start paper writing by outlining the sections and areas I’ll need. So I’ll put a placeholder opening page, insert a table of contents on the next, make page headings, etc. Then I’ll go and flesh out all the sections. Even if you’re doing a one page thing, break it down into a bulleted list of the key points you want to get across. Then you can reorganize them or change them, and usually around this time I start thinking of the words to flesh the outline in, and I start writing.

First, rub your face on a warm terry cloth.

@nikipedia I too like to use a relevant quotation, or even a brief synopsis of subject of the paper, and kind of outline what you’re going to cover going through the paper.

I’ve even sometimes started out with a quotation with maybe a statistic that is somehow relevant.

“I’ve been thinking about Harry lately…”~

“I’ll always remember the time Harry told me….”

“Let me tell you a story about Harry’s monkeys…”~
Forgive me for having some fun – hope you already got your question answered.

I guess I should have been more clear that I am writing an essay, not a sex novel….

Anyway, I took some of the advise given, and wrote out my paper without writing the intro. No use. Now I have a fully written body and conclusion with no introduction. I’m screwed haha.