As a college student, I had a tough time with the introduction and the transitioning between paragraphs in my first essay that was due last week.  I was so frustrated and my instructor simply referred me to the chapter in the textbook that we were studying.  My roommate suggested that I look online for examples of similar essays.  It worked well because after reading through about three of them, I was able to come up with my own ideas and ended up writing the essay quickly.  I guess that I just needed the help getting the creative juices flowing again.