Here is the most practical writing advice nobody else will tell you.
Most essays lose the reader before the third paragraph. Not because the ideas are weak, but because the introduction doesn’t earn the scroll. If the reader doesn't say an emphatic yes in the first thirty seconds, nothing after it matters.
Paul Graham’s essays have some of the best introductions ever read - written in an intentional manner to hook the reader.
So what exactly is PG doing in those first few sentences that most writers aren't?
Three Yeses
There's a line from old-school copywriting: you want three yeses from the reader in thirty seconds to hook them in. Yes to the title. Yes to the first sentence. Yes to staying for the paragraph.
Here’s an example from one of PG’s essays: A Project of One's Own to explain how to engineer three yeses.
Yes one — the title. A Project of One's Own. You have a secret project. Or you want one. Or you had one and lost it. Either way, you're curious. The title sets the frame for everything that follows.
Yes two — the opening line. A few days ago, on the way home from school, my nine year old son told me he couldn't wait to get home to write more of the story he was working on. Two sentences create a relatable moment. Warmth. Nostalgia. Personal.
Yes three — the payoff. Working on a project of your own is as different from ordinary work as skating is from walking. It's much more fun, but also much more productive. Now you know what the essay is about. And you want to keep going because the metaphor just made you feel something you couldn't quite name.
What’s your essay’s TAM?
There's a concept in startup pitching called TAM (Total Addressable Market). How many people could this product reach at max?
The same logic applies to your essays. Simple words are high TAM. Complex sentences are niche. The words you use in the introduction determine your TAM. And if you flip it, if you want to serve a niche TAM, then your choice of words better reflect it.
PG writes to maximize TAM without dumbing anything down. So: no SAT words, no sentences you need to re-read, no jargon.
Plant the Motifs Early (and Repeat them)
After that two-sentence story, Graham writes: Working on a project of your own is as different from ordinary work as skating is from walking.
Then, a sentence later, he uses skating again.
That one word carries an enormous amount of meaning. Gliding. Flow. Low friction. Exploration. Fun that's also productive. Graham packs all of that into a single metaphor and then repeats it so your brain locks onto it.
You have been told repetition is bad. But when you repeat an anchor word or image early in a piece, you're planting motifs. You're telling the reader's subconscious: this matters. I'm coming back to this. The reader may not notice, but they’ll feel the coherence later.
The Rhetorical Close
Graham ends the introduction with a question: What proportion of great work has been done by people who were skating in this sense?
It’s rhetorical - PG doesn’t expect you to answer it. Rather, he wants you to be thinking about it as you read the rest of the essay. A rhetorical question at the end of an introduction converts passive reading into active curiosity. Now you're not just reading — you're wondering. And wondering is what makes you scroll down instead of switching tabs.
Do The Invisible Work
The reader sees a father telling a story about his son. They don't see the writer who tried four other openings, chose simple words without dumbing down the content, and tinkered with 20-odd titles before arriving at the one you see. The invisible work is what makes the introduction, which makes the essay.
Rohit
This is the first in a series I'm calling How to Package Your Writing — essays on the craft decisions that sit between having something to say and getting someone important to read it.
Observations from a breakdown of Paul Graham's writing by David Perell.
Links:
Paul Graham's essay — A Project of One's Own: https://paulgraham.com/own.html
David Perell breaking down Paul Graham's writing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_61hPpNndI
The last 10%: https://byline.rohitkaul.com/notes/the-last-10