1. So how does a writer get started?
Writing
Often a student is asked to write a paragraph or essay on a particular subject, and he/she cannot think of how to begin. This happens to professional writers too.
So how does a writer get started?

2. Brainstorming and Using Graphic Organizers
Using a brainstorming technique will help you come up with many aspects or sides to a given topic.
The Five W Questions
Who? -----
What? ----
Where? ----
When? ----
Why?

3. Graphic Organizers
Graphic organizers such as a list, diagram, or chart will help you organize your ideas.

4. Main Idea, Introductory and Thesis Paragraph
Five-paragraph Essay
Main Idea, Introductory and Thesis Paragraph
Main Idea
Supporting Details
Main idea
Supporting Details
Main Idea
Supporting
Details
Summary/Conclusion

5. Recipe for Writing
Step: l: Read the prompt. Re-read as many times as necessary to make sure that you fully understand what it is asking you to write about.

6. Recipe for Writing
Step 2: Brainstorming--- writing down ALL of your ideas. Write down EVERYTHING you can think of that has to do with answering the prompt. Now place all your ideas on a graphic organizer.
Make sure you stay on topic and you are writing on the prompt. At this point you don’t need to worry about spelling, punctuation or capitalization.

7. Writing an Introduction
Begin writing with an effective introduction. An effective introduction makes the topic of the report clear. It sets up the organization of the essay and gets the reader interested.
In the Introduction: Restate the prompt or topic make it interesting to catch the reader’s attention.

8. Ideas for Writing an Introduction
Get your reader interested in your piece. Show your own interest in it. You may begin one of these ways:
Use a quotation
Use a catchy title
Give a lively, colorful description
Give an interesting fact or unusual detail
Lead the reader from something familiar into something strange

9. Bold Beginnings Bring Writing to Life
State a belief And then explain why you believe it Example The school cafeteria should offer pepperoni pizza every day.
use a single word And then provide more information
Pickles! Pickles! Pickles! They are ubiquitous (seen everywhere)!

10. Share an interesting fact. And then tell more about it
Share an interesting fact And then tell more about it The bumblebee bat is the smallest mammal on earth.
Describe a sound and then tell where it came from Snap! Crackle! Crunch! Something heavy is lurking in the woods.
Ask an intriguing question And then provide an answer Have you ever wondered how many dogs you can walk at one time?

11. Now that started your essay!
Write
Always keeping in mind the type of writing you are doing:
Descriptive
Narrative
Expository

12. Descriptive writing
This type of writing helps the reader see a picture in his/her mind because the writer has included a great deal of detail.

13. Narrative writing Words. . . .
This type of writing tells a story or tale that is real or imagined.
The key is to keep writing on the prompt/topic and make sure the piece flows in a logical and sequential way, without getting sidetracked.
Some Sequential
Words
Before Soon
Meanwhile Afterwards
First
The beginning, Second
After a short time Third
Therefore Last
Eventually

14. Expository Writing: informs, explains, clarifies, defines or instructs.
Expository writing appears in letters, newsletters, definitions, instructions, reports, research papers, magazine articles

15. Some useful words for starting sentences
Anyone Quickly
He Finally
They First
Tomorrow Our
Quickly Soon
Suddenly First
My Not
Soon Suddenly
Up Happily
Yesterday Not
She In
Never Their
Always His
To Into
From By
Beyond Below
Over Nobody

16. Avoid empty Adjectives. . .
Empty adjectives: nice, cute, funny, great, awful special.
Interesting Adjectives
Exquisite bizarre joyful
Disturbing majestic steady
Sinister courageous sleek
Inevitable distinguished
Remote talented incomprehensible
Adjectives provide important details, making nouns more vivid and precise.

17. The building blocks of your writing voice are the words you choose.
Express ideas in original and creative ways.
Use a variety of words to add interest. (the same words again and again will only bore the reader)
Use specific words or phrases whenever possible. (they communicate your message more accurately and powerfully than general words do)
Example: Spider is general, but black widow or
tarantula is more specific.

18. Writing an Effective Conclusion
1. Present interesting information that did not fit or belong in the introduction and body. Be certain that it relates directly to the topic.
2. A sophisticated technique is to to refer back to an interesting detail from the beginning and lead from it to your final statement (bring the reader FULL CIRCLE).
3. Summarize the main point of the report or writing. Restate the topic clearly, or it can be implied.
4. Give a personal response to the topic. This could be a personal experience that relates to the topic. It could be a prediction, or an informed guess.
An effective concluding paragraph usually restates (IN DIFFERENT WORDS) the ideas from the introduction. It gives the sense that enough has been said.