Creative writing

Unit 3 introductory paragraph 1

Did you know that alcohol causes 1.8 million deaths per year, which represents about 3.2% of all deaths worldwide? If you drink heavily, there is a chance that you will experience insomnia, paranoia and hallucinations, at some point. Have you ever used alcohol to self-medicate your problems? This doesn’t work. It only makes it worse. Remember that your GP is always there if you need a chat. Do you live in an area where alcohol is heavily advertised? This can lead you to increase how much you drink. Be aware. Seek help if you need it. Help change your future.

Introductory paragraph 2

Being drunk is fun; I’m not going to lie. I remember there was a time I went to this party; there was great music, great people, and a really hot guy. My stomach turned at the thought of talking to him, so down went shot one. Shot two. Shot three. One bottle gone. And another. I blacked out and awoke in the hospital; stomach pumped and having just escaped alcohol poisoning. I don’t drink anymore.

Introductory paragraph 3

The following article is going to cover the subject of the long and short term effects of alcohol; how it can be so easily misused and the dangers of this. Many people use alcohol as an excuse to change who they are, but unfortunately; through psychological effects too much alcohol can change this permanently and not in a good way. Alcohol is used to self-medicate one’s problems; it can become seriously addictive and cause all kinds of long term problems such as depression, anxiety and compulsive behaviour. Drinking at a young age can become progressively more difficult to seek help. Experiences of paranoia, hallucinations and insomnia will recurrently appear, and leave one in a deeply psychological state of emotional unhappiness.

I wouldn’t normally use this type of introduction for a magazine article, as it’s far too formal and is more commonly used in newspapers rather than magazines. My target audience is 17-21 year olds, and this type of introduction is in no way appropriate for that demographic, as this age group is more laid-back and relaxed. The summary introduction is used give detail about the subject of the magazine in brief to make the reader want to continue, however it’s far too informal to be used in a magazine; which are more blasé and comfortable about the content. This type of introduction tells the reader what the article they’re about to read actually involves; this style is not needed for a magazine as it should be a lot more obvious in the layout and some individual pictures.