You are a writer!

You have an experience to share,

a point to make,

a story to tell.

Read the prompt carefully and with an open mind and find your connection.

Take your time

Brainstorm

Consider various formats for your composition:

•Diary / journal

•Letter / email

•Personal narrative

•Fictional narrative [be sure it is believable]

•Science fiction narrative

Rough draft your ideas in a simple form:

• outline

• graphic organizer

• bubble map

• doodles

or

Write a full rough draft.

Remember to grab the reader’s attention in the first few sentences by using

Dialogue

Action

Flashback

Setting

Character description

“I can’t believe she told you

that!”

This is CRITICAL – it gives you a better chance at a 3 or 4 composition.BA=Where your feet went

SoundsDA= What you sawBING= What you thought or said/feelings or attitude

Good writing also needs

Use a variety of sentence types:

Simple - Tom jumped through the hoop.

Compound - I was excited by the idea, but I could not convince my parents.

Complex - Joanna’s situation was impossible since she had no family support.

Compound-complex - Whether we remain friends or not is irrelevant, since I have no intention of staying in this small town, and I hope to leave very soon.

[review info on brushstrokes and sentences in LMS]

Your writing “flows” when it moves smoothly from one idea to the next.

Use appropriate, accurate, diverse transitions

[ not first, second, third – sounds formulaic ].

comes through

ELABORATION.

Describe using sensory images, similes, metaphors. [ Watch out for clichés.]

Be specific and give the details.

Voice is you shining through

Your voice is what connects a reader to you.

Be genuine and believable.

Word choices should fit the situation but be school appropriate.

Avoid slang and text message shortcuts [ U, 2, luv ].

Sometimes SAT vocabulary is NOT your best choice.

Voice includes the words you choose.

means

The reader wants to read

to the very end of your composition.BA-DUH-BOOMBA=Looking back/thoughts and emotionsDUH=lesson learnedBOOM=Next time, plans, hopes, wishes……..

Let your reader feel something.

Take one last look

to be sure you have said what you meant to say.

1 = Huh? I don’t get it.

2 = Blah, blah, blah. Okay.

3 = Nice. Don’t mind reading this one.

4 = Wow! I can’t believe it.

This paper is incredible.