Successful Writing

What questions you ask yourself before

you begin - you might, for example, ask:
Who is my audience?
What genre am I writing?
What am I trying to convince my audience
of?
What do I want to say, and what evidence
can I use to back it up?
Read this extract and ask yourself:
Who is the intended audience?
What is the genre?
˜ Ethiopia ˜
As the family lay sleeping, soldiers kicked down
the door of the house and entered, waving their
rifles around erratically and shouting at the top
of their voices. Alem ran into the room where his
parents were, to find that they had been dragged
out of bed dressed only in their nightclothes, and
forced to stand facing the wall.

The soldier who was in command went and

stood so that his mouth was six inches away
from Alem’s father’s ear and shouted, ‘What kind
of man are you?’

Alem’s father shuddered with fear; his voice

trembled as he replied, ‘I am an African.’
 Plan your story

Making your story up as you go along, with no idea of

how the story will end will frustrate your reader.

Create an outline before you begin writing.

Hook your reader from the first sentence

How?
Question Hook: “Could someone be hiding in
there?”
Strong Statement/Declaration Hook: The
summer has always been my favourite time of
year.
Metaphor/ Simile Hook: My uncle was like a
magnet, pulling people towards him.
Story Hook: I got off the train and pulled my
luggage behind me.

Description Hook: The dog howled in pain

and limped along the side of the road. 
 
Quotation Hook. "Before anything else,
preparation is the key to success.’’ said
Alexander Graham Bell  
 Read the following hooks

She got curious and started following them: she was pretty sure that they were
kidnapping the boy and taking him somewhere.

As she turned, she felt something pulling her toward this stranger. He was a foreigner,
a complete stranger, and yet she felt a strong connection.

Had that bag been on the table when I left this morning? Has someone been in here?

The curtains billowed in the wind like the sails of a ship. There was definitely a storm
brewing.

What type of hooks are they? Which one grabs

your interest the most? Why?
 Be Creative

Be excited about your story.

Be passionate about your characters, your
setting, your ideas.

Be creative with your word choice: a vivid

picture can be painted for your reader by using
specific, vibrant words

Be brave: Don’t automatically choose and

rely on familiar words you feel comfortable
with
Enhance your writing by using interesting,
less common words
 Show not Tell
Too much description can slow up
your narrative and cause your reader
to lose interest.

It is better to show you readers what

a person, the atmosphere in the
room, the relationship between your
characters is like – by what they say,
how they interact, what they do.
“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on
broken glass.”

Write with more sensory detail, allowing your reader to hear,

see, taste, touch, and smell the things or people you are
describing.
 Have a strong protagonist

Your protagonist (main character) defines the plot and

moves it forward.

Your reader needs to care about him. By creating a

complex and interesting character, your reader will be
on his side, wanting to know what happens to him.

Give him flaws – no one is perfect - help your reader to

relate to him and connect with him.
 Add a Problem or Conflict
The purpose of conflict is to create tension in the story,
making your reader more interested.

Conflict is the challenge your main character need to solve in order to

achieve his goals.

Conflict may be internal - that is, it may occur within a character's

mind – or external - between a character and exterior forces.

Conflict is most visible between two or more characters,  but can occur
in many different forms.

Conflict can be with a natural force, such as an animal or a weather

event, like a hurricane.
 How to end your story
Your story ending is just as important as its beginning.
You want to write an ending that leaves your reader satisfied. 

Be Creative: you can be imaginative with your ending. Here are some examples:
1. Resolved ending
All the plotlines and character conflicts are resolved.

2. Unresolved ending
You create a sense of excitement and anticipation by using an unresolved ending:
the plot is left unfinished and the character’s fate is unknown.

3. Implied ending
The conclusion, or 'what happens in the end', isn't explicitly stated . The reader
makes up his/her own mind.

4. Twist
The whole story is turned upside down, with a previously believed fact turning out
to be false. The reader is caught by surprise with a completely unexpected turn of
events.
 Now its your turn
Great stories have exciting twists, relatable characters, vivid descriptions, and
lasting effects.
Choose ONE of these story openers and continue the story. REMEMBER to follow
the tips in this powerpoint.

The phone rang. "Hello," I said, "Hello." No one was there.  I hung up. All the lights
went out...

It was a bright, frosty morning. The pavement glistened like a carpet of crushed
diamonds in the early morning sunshine.

As she walked along the street the tiny dragon in her pocket stirred restlessly.

'I pushed open the old creaky door and looked inside. What a sight met my eyes!'

A shrill cry echoed in the mist.

As I was walking along the beach under a full moon, I suddenly spotted something
moving in the water.