Academic Research Questions

So far my academic research paper is not started however, I have all my notes, sources, and thoughts ready to be written down an put together. Last night after gathering the last little bit of my sources and taking notes on them, i tried to start my paper and i had no idea where to begin. some questions i have for the professor and my group members is how exactly should i start my academic research paper. of course i know to start off with an introduction. But what would make a great opening sentence that would be sure to draw the reader in? my topic is not a playful, amusing or even happy topic; its sad and ridiculous. so how do you pull an audience into that? another question i have is, is the thesis of my paper well organized and to the point? i looked up how to write an academic research paper online, but it wasnt that helpful; how should i go about organizing my work and is all the info i have purposeful?