Suzy's Writing Corner - Lesson 9- Great Beginnings

Reach for the Stars! Writing Workshop for Kids

WORKSHOP LESSONS

WRITING CERTIFICATE

WHAT'S NEW?

OUR STORIES!

AMY (BOOKLOVER)

MARGO MARGOLIA

ANGELHORSE

STORY MAIDEN

WRITING "STARS"

Suzy's Writing Corner

Welcome to my writing workshop for budding young authors. Learn how to create your characters and "show don't tell" their feelings. Write beginnings that "hook" your readers. Learn to use a "writing camera" to freeze a scene, and more! Download free worksheets. Click LESSON 1 on the left sidebar to begin.
****************************************************

Sep. 3, 2007

Lesson 9- Great Beginnings

Anybody here know how to fish? So...what do you need if you're going to catch a fish?
Yep, you need:

1) the fishing pole...

2) the hook...

3) and some decent bait!

What happens if you use dried-up worms or old PowerBait? Or the wrong kind of bait for the fish? Would you go after a 30# salmon with an earthworm for bait? I don't think so!

Writing stories is a lot like fishing. The author needs to use the right kind of "bait" to catch his or her readers. And when should an author "catch" his readers? On the very first page of his story! This is sometimes called the Story Hook. If you can interest your reader right away, there is more of a chance he or she will stick around to read the rest of your story.

Just like there are different kinds of bait for different kinds of fish, there are different kinds of bait an author can use to capture a reader's interest. Here are some of them and an example of how it is used to catch the reader:
1) Dialogue:
    "Will they come back?" Tina whispered. She looked at her brother for an answer.
    "I don't know," Peter said. "I hope not." He dropped down from the attic window and fell onto a mattress lying in the corner.
    "But what if they do?" Tina persisted. "What if they search the attic next time? Where will we hide?"
2) Action:
    Too late Jason saw it---the huge, gaping blackness, blocking his path. He dug his heels into the soft ground and fell backwards, trying to stop his headlong flight.
    No good. The darkness engulfed him with one giant bite, and Jason found himself falling....falling....falling into a hole that seemed to have no end.
3) A Sound Effect:
    Beep, beep, beep...
    Samantha jerked awake. Her hand crashed down on the alarm clock.
    Beep, beep, beep...
    Another whack. Then silence.
    Samantha looked at the time: 3:04 a.m. Perfect! she thought. She snatched her cell phone from the nightstand and began dialing the number.
4) A Question:
    Now what do I do? Ty glanced at the tangle of wires, microchips, circuit board, and pieces of metal lying in a heap on his worktable. Then he glanced at the clock. Two hours. Not enough time. What am I going to tell Mr. Sandberg when he arrives?
5) An Interesting Character:
    "You'd better not let Miss W catch you blubbering."
    Julie jerked her head from the pillow and glanced up. Staring down at her was the face of a girl just about her own age, with green eyes and bright red, curly hair. It was done up in two pigtails that stuck out from her head in wild tangles. A multitude of freckles covered her nose and round cheeks.
    The girl blew a hug bubble of gum, which popped. Pink splattered her face. "I'm Ashley." She grinned. "You new here?"
6) A Thought or Feeling:
    It all started with Zach---like it usually does. I mean, he's my best friend and all (and friends are hard to come by in the middle of outer space, so I'm not too particular), but sometimes he can be a real pain. He thinks that because my father's the station commander, I can get access to all kinds of "off-limits" areas, but that is totally not true.
7) An Unusual Setting:
    The cave was dark and dripping from last night's high tide. Seaweed clung to the low ceiling, giving off its own unusual, salty scent. A crab scuttled across the sand-covered cave floor, its claws and legs rustling.
    At the back of the cave, behind a rock outcropping covered with orange and lavender starfish, a half-rotten lifeboat waited. It wasn't just any lifeboat. This lifeboat had a story to tell---to anyone unlucky enough to discover its hiding place.

I don't know about you, but some of those beginnings "hook" me. How about you? Would you keep reading if you saw one of those as the opening sentences in a book? It's important to start out with a bang. The alternative? Boring.
So...BANG or BORING? What's it going to be?

In today's worksheet pages (the download), there are a list of boring beginnings. Look them over to remind yourself how NOT to begin your story. Then, take the "test" on the next page. Can you match the boring sentences with the sentences that improved it? Click below:

LESSON 9---BEGINNINGS

Your assignment:
1) Take the Boring Beginnings Test. List your answers (numbers) in a list from top to bottom, starting with #2 (which is the example). I'll let you know if you get them all right1
2) Take the opening sentence on the worksheet (about the lifeboat), choose one of the techniques (bait) to hook your reader, and post a great beginning!
3) Do it again, but this time choose a DIFFERENT technique to hook your reader.
4) Go back to the story you are writing (you ARE writing a story, aren't you?) and see if you beginning hooks readers or is boring. If it is boring, pick a "bait" and rewrite it. If you like, post the beginning of your story (no more than a page) and I'll let you know if I'm hooked or not.

Don't forget to sign Mr. Linky and then leave a comment. I never know who is signing at any time, so the comment helps me to come on over here and look at Mr. Linky. And...we're starting to get a whole bunch of new students, so the only way I can keep track of where I've been is if you leave a comment! If you don't tell me to drop by, you may not get the feedback you want!

Oh, by the way, we are half-way through the lessons....

. Post A Comment! . Send to a Friend!

Comments

Nov. 28, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by BookLover

Now I have a reason to get the last lesson done!! This one looks fun!!!!
I think that right after I am done blogging, I will go do some writing!!:-)