Last week I talked about assigning universal topics that allow the teacher to assign one topic which allows students to make individual, personal choices within that paradigm. Examples of such topics would be: “My scariest memory”, When I was disappointed”, “A time I embarrassed myself”.
Tips and Tricks of the trade on Writing
Today I’d like to share some tricks of the trade around writing the opening to a composition.
What is the “job” of the lead? It’s to make a window shopper want to buy. It’s a calling card. It tells the reader what the story is going to be about and the style the writer is going to use.
Because of this, the writer has an obligation to follow through. If you are going to write a sad story, it won’t do to start with some up beat imagery and language. If you really want to write about how your mother’s worrying about your possibly getting some peanuts, which you are deadly allergic to, during home EC class, it isn’t fair to start your story with ,”the cake smelled wonderful, chocolate filling the small classroom” UNLESS, of course, there were peanuts in that cake.
There are wonderful examples of good lead sentences in literature. The children’s book, “The Velveteen Rabbit” starts with… There was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid.”. Well, we all know that things will change.
Camus starts with “Mother died today. Or maybe it was yesterday, I don’t know.” and we are really wondering what the relationship between the main character and his mother – and other humans he meets might have been like.
When we read “The last camel collapsed at noon” we know the people in Ken Follett’s The Key to Rebecca were in a lot of trouble.
Instead of giving the rule, “start your essay or your story with a purpose line” how about giving some information about the “job” a lead will do, about how it will affect the reader?
Young writers enjoy making a game of it. What is the mystery in your opening paragraph? If a person had to guess what your story was about, what do you think they would guess?” Will the reader know who your main character is? If you were going to put music to your story, what song might you choose to match the mood or theme of your story?
The Asian students I taught found this last question to be very helpful. They struggled with the concept of theme or mood in a story; but the idea of music that suited their composition made sense to them and they especially enjoyed having the opportunity to read their stories to the class while the music they selected played softly in the background. Especially shy students and those not yet comfortable with reading aloud in a different language, English not being their first language, were hesitant to read aloud in front of the class. They had the option of recording their own voices or inviting a class member to read for them.
It is important to share stories. Why? It brings the class together. It is evidence of how we all share universal feelings of joy, neglect, disappointment, surprise. Sharing celebrates the writing.
In a course I developed for students having difficulty in writing in undergraduate classes at Simon Fraser University, I hired a professional story teller to read (tell) the stories to not only the class which the author attended, but to all modules of that class, which were 160 students who gathered together every three months for story sharing. Students loved this part of the program. They became the stars of the show.
Key Takeaways
- The lead sets the tone and purpose of the composition
- Teach the function of a lead, not just the rule
- Engage students through creative strategies
If you want to read more about this writing program, an article is available on imesustainability.com.
