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Come spend an afternoon learning how to harness your readers—and keep their attention through the end. This class surveys a variety of strategies for starting a story, as well as techniques for carrying the energy forward well beyond your opening lines.
- Begin at a pivotal moment. We were people who had Mediterranean ancestors, dark hair, dark eyes, tan skin, and everyone else in White Pine looked very Scandinavian; we became the town’s diversity—before diversity was a good thing.
- Add an unusual situation. I coped by being careful and good and funny which was like an invisibility cloak in high school but as much as I tried to blend in, my older brother Ray stood out in the most threatening way possible for a good girl and that was as a bad boy.
- Add intriguing characters. My father was and is best described as an intense, idealist with a steel girder of a work ethic and a charm that wears thin under the gun of his laser focused attentions.
- Conflict. Outside the restaurant, just before swinging the door wide and walking inside my Dad would stop us and say, “Now remember everybody, this is for Mom.
Jan 9, 2024 · I give up on defining myself. I am grateful, thrilled, and eternally satisfied to learn that a reader gave up an hour of TV, sleep, or cleaning to turn the pages I’d written. I give thanks if my prose is solid enough to hold up the story. Gripping writing (for me, as a reader) isn’t fancy or cluttered with metaphors.
Aug 11, 2023 · How to describe the relationship between reader and writer and vice-versa? I’ve been a reader for far more hours of my life than I’ve been a writer. As a child, I made twice-thrice-weekly trips to the Kensington branch of the Brooklyn library nearest my home (my haul was limited by the rules for children’s library cards.)
Discover how to support your child’s growth as a young reader and writer — with our Reading 101 for Families guide, bilingual parent tips, ideas for building your child’s knowledge of the world, Q&A with experts, and guidance on connecting with your child’s school. Visit the Literacy at Home Overview
Hook Your Readers. Try these different types of hooks and see which one works best for your essay. To develop your writing skills further, challenge yourself to use different types each time you sit down and write, instead of always reaching for your favorite type. Which type of hook is your favorite? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
