Keep writing, keep writing, and always be reading

One of the often obscured possibilities in academic writing is to tell a good story, a strong narrative. There will always be data; the trick is telling a narrative using the data that engages the reader, does justice to the data, and doesn't get do itself in trying to tell everything all at once. A story, a text, by definition, includes some things and leaves others out. Here are some helpful thoughts on getting that opening paragraph to sing.