1. The key to good writing is variety. If every sentence you write is structured the same your writing becomes uninventive and boring.

2. Here’s what I mean… I went to the beach. My brother splashed me with water. The chill of the droplets chilled me to the bone. I trembled. I got a towel eventually. My blood was able to warm again once the towel was wrapped around me.

3. EVERY SENTENCE IN THIS PARAGRAPH STARTS THE SAME WAY: with the subject.

4. I went to the beach. My brother splashed me with water. The chill of the droplets chilled me to the bone. I trembled. I got a towel eventually. My blood was able to warm again once the towel was wrapped around me. EVERY SENTENCE IN THIS PARAGRAPH STARTS THE SAME WAY: with the subject.

5. Or take this paragraph… When I was in class, I saw a bird out the window. While my teacher talked, I found myself wishing I could fly. As my mind wandered, I had trouble concentrating on what my teacher was saying. When he grimaced, I found myself guilty of not having paid attention.

6. EVERY SENTENCE IN THIS PARAGRAPH STARTS THE SAME WAY: with an adverb clause.

7. When I was in class, I saw a bird out the window. While my teacher talked, I found myself wishing I could fly. As my mind wandered, I had trouble concentrating on what my teacher was saying. When he grimaced, I found myself guilty of not having paid attention. EVERY SENTENCE IN THIS PARAGRAPH STARTS THE SAME WAY: with an adverb clause.

8. Remember VARIETY is what makes writing dynamic.

9. Some options for starting sentences include: The Subject where the sentence begins with a noun or adjectives describing a noun – I enjoy eating pancakes. The Participle where the sentence begins with an -ing word that begins an introductory phrase – Eating pancakes, I have enjoyed many a Sunday brunch.

10. The Infinitive where the sentence begins with an infinitive (to +verb) that is not used as the subject – To enjoy a morning is simple, all you need is pancakes. The Preposition where the sentence begins with a preposition – Beneath the table sat my dog, he knew I was eating pancakes.

11. The Adverb Clause where the sentence starts with a subordinating conjunction – Although I’ve had pancakes every Sunday for a month, I haven’t gotten sick of them yet. The Single Adverb where the sentence starts with a word like “suddenly,” “quietly,” etc.. – Eventually the slow moving waiter brought the pancakes to the table.

12. The Placeholder where the sentence starts with a phrase like “this is,” “there are,” “it is,” etc... – These are pancakes. The Nominative Absolute where the sentence starts with a phrase that modifies the main subject and verb (and could stand alone) – My mind blown, I ate the most delicious pancakes of my life.

13. Every sentence can be written in a different way.

14. Let’s go back to those first paragraphs. While I was at the beach, my brother splashed me with water. Droplets running down my skin, I found myself quickly chilled to the bone. I trembled. Eventually I got a towel wrapped around me and my blood was able to warm again. NOTE THE VARIETY!

15. While I was at the beach, my brother splashed me with water. Droplets running down my skin, I found myself quickly chilled to the bone. I trembled. Eventually I got a towel wrapped around me and my blood was able to warm again. NOTE THE VARIETY! ADVERB CLAUSE

16. While I was at the beach, my brother splashed me with water. Droplets running down my skin, I found myself quickly chilled to the bone. I trembled. Eventually I got a towel wrapped around me and my blood was able to warm again. NOTE THE VARIETY! Nominative Absolute

17. While I was at the beach, my brother splashed me with water. Droplets running down my skin, I found myself quickly chilled to the bone. I trembled. Eventually I got a towel wrapped around me and my blood was able to warm again. NOTE THE VARIETY! Subject

18. While I was at the beach, my brother splashed me with water. Droplets running down my skin, I found myself quickly chilled to the bone. I trembled. Eventually I got a towel wrapped around me, and my blood was able to warm again. NOTE THE VARIETY! Single Adverb

19. Or this one… When I was in class, I saw a bird out the window. While my teacher talked, I found myself wishing I could fly. As my mind wandered, I had trouble concentrating on what my teacher was saying. When he grimaced, I found myself guilty of not having paid attention.

20. When I was in class, I saw a bird out the window. Suddenly I found myself wishing I could fly. My mind wandering, I had trouble concentrating on what my teacher was saying. I found myself guilty of not having paid attention when I looked up to find my teacher grimacing.

21. When I was in class, I saw a bird out the window. Suddenly I found myself wishing I could fly. My mind wandering, I had trouble concentrating on what my teacher was saying. I found myself guilty of not having paid attention when I looked up to find my teacher grimacing. Note the variety: Adverb Clause

22. When I was in class, I saw a bird out the window. Suddenly I found myself wishing I could fly. My mind wandering, I had trouble concentrating on what my teacher was saying. I found myself guilty of not having paid attention when I looked up to find my teacher grimacing. Note the variety: Single Adverb

23. When I was in class, I saw a bird out the window. Suddenly I found myself wishing I could fly. My mind wandering, I had trouble concentrating on what my teacher was saying. I found myself guilty of not having paid attention when I looked up to find my teacher grimacing. Note the variety: Nominative Absolute

24. When I was in class, I saw a bird out the window. Suddenly I found myself wishing I could fly. My mind wandering, I had trouble concentrating on what my teacher was saying. I found myself guilty of not having paid attention when I looked up to find my teacher grimacing. Note the variety: Subject

25. Variety is the spice of life and writing!