What are Smiley-Face Tricks? Smiley-face tricks are a fun way to get you to think and write more creatively. “She was angry at her sister.” becomes …… “She was so angry at her sister for not helping her with her math homework that she grabbed her sister’s geometry homework, crumpled it into a ball, and slam - dunked it in the trash!"

Why should you use smiley-face tricks? By using smiley-face tricks, you’ll find yourself having fun while elaborating on your writing. Your teachers have always told you that you need to SHOW NOT TELL….. WELL….. Here is a FUN and CREATIVE way to do this and REAL authors use this and even better……. IT WORKS!

Magic Three Three examples in a series can create a poetic rhythm and add support to a writer’s point, especially when the three items have their own modifiers. Look at the example from The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch. What three verbs & modifiers does the author use to add support?

Magic Three “Elizabeth was a beautiful princess. She lived in a castle and had expensive clothes. She was going to marry a prince named Ronald. Unfortunately, a dragon smashed her castle, burned all her clothes with his fiery breath, and carried off Prince Ronald. (The Paper Bag Princess)

TRY IT….. Think of a problem you’ve had and write a simple sentence. NOW…. Add a Magic Three to your sentence and watch the “magic” happen! Possible starter: I was so angry that….

Figurative Language  Figurative language adds “zing” to our writing and can help paint a more vibrant picture for the reader. Some examples are similes, metaphors, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, personification, alliteration, assonance, etc.

Figurative Language “When the sky is full and singing with stars you know that twilight has given way ....” Twilight Comes Twice by: Ralph Fletcher

TRY IT….. Use one or more types of figurative language to rewrite the following sentence: The wind was strong. Challenge: Can you use a “Magic Three” AND figurative language to elaborate this sentence?

Humor Whenever possible and appropriate, try to infuse a little humor to keep your reader alert. I want you to wake up your readers’ emotions, and what better way to attract attention than by using humor!

All of the Above by Shelley Pearsall Hyphenated - Modifier By connecting two or more adjectives together with a hyphen, it imparts an air of creativity and cleverness to our writing. Sometimes a new way of saying something can make all the difference; hyphenated adjectives often cause the reader to “sit- up and take notice.” “I give him Marcel’s special Turn-on-the- Charm-and Give-Them-the-Big-Pearly-Whites smile.” All of the Above by Shelley Pearsall

TRY IT….. There once was an old woman. OR He flashed her a wicked grin. Try elaborating either one of these sentences using either humor or a hyphenated-modifier. CHALLENGE: Can you use both smiley-face tricks in one sentence?

Quick Write Put Your Heads Together  Now, try writing a paragraph using as many of the smiley-face tricks we talked about so far. Have fun trying to use all the smiley-face tricks you just learned about!