- Start with a 'BANG'. Start with dialogue or action. Do not start with " This is a story about...", " It was a...", "Once, there was a...." or "Once upon a time..." . These are boring. The idea is to GRAB the reader's attention and keep them hooked to your story.
- Remember, each new speaker has their own paragraph.
- Start with a conflict
- Like your descriptive essay, appeal to all your senses and include literary devices such as similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration....
- Show don't tell. Instead of saying you're scared show me - sweat began to bud all along your face, hands began to tremble, knees knocked, you began to move hesitatantly, eyes wide open, quickly turned back etc. (not once did I say scared or afraid or nervous, but you got all those feelings)
- It's not a report, so allow your characters to develop, go in great detail; be subjective. your opinion makes the story interesting.
- allow your characters to have a personality. Is she mean, is he a liar, is he a kindhearted soul or is she a dedicated friend? But don't tell me, show me. "As swift as a fox, he snatched the shirt off the hanger and stuffed it in his bag.... as cool as can be he walked through the revolving doors of JCPenny." or "How yuh so beggy beggy? Yuh fi buy yuh own sharpner. Every minute unu want supm else. Move man."
- your conflicts should be resolved. Agood idea is to resolve the conflict and have something else ironically happen to end your story in suspense. For example, you are travelling late and get held up. You are rescued by passersby. You thank them and go on a bus. Two men enter the bus, tell everybody not to move, they are robbing the bus.
WILL POST MORE LATER.
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