REVISING NARRATIVE WRITING How do I improve my writing?

Attention Grabber “Don’t start at the beginning, start in the middle.” – Barry Lane. Use dialogue to kick things off. Example: “Mom!” I yelped as I jumped up onto my bed. Begin mid-action. Example: Tammy raced through the trees, breathing hard, pretending that her life depended on this.

Sensory Details “Don’t say the old lady screamed… Bring her on and let her scream.” – Mark Twain.

USE SENSORY WORDS Sensory words help build imagery, which helps make your story memorable (just like certain smells in real life may remind you of something. For example, the smell of popcorn might make you think of the movies.) Example words: angular, filthy, shimmering, grotesque, hazy, hollow, cuddly, cool, downy, fluffy, elastic, bumpy, chilly

USE DIALOGUE TO MOVE ALONG THE STORY Dialogue can help you explain things that would be boring to simply “tell” the reader. For example, instead of saying: Billy was allergic to butterflies (boring!), you could do this: “Hey Billy!” Seth yelled from the front of the bus, “Aren’t you allergic to butterflies?” The dialogue here communicated the information you wanted the reader to know, but it wasn’t boring.

Alliteration Use it sparingly in prose writing, but when you do it can pack a punch and get the reader to pay attention. For example, “The butterflies danced and drifted in a dreamy way in the slight breeze.”

Hyperbole Only exaggerate in your writing if you are trying to make an obvious point. Example: When I saw the lion, I was glued to the ground. (We can OBVIOUSLY see the person is scared of lions – they were not ACTUALLY glued to the ground.)

Be Specific Don’t just say “summer”, describe what type of summer day. Don’t say “the boy”, call him “Phil” Don’t say, “I went on vacation.” Say, “My trip to Orlando…”

Exploded Moments Choose one moment from your story to “zoom in” on. Spend more time and describe that moment in more detail. You may choose a moment of suspense or sadness.