When you pick up a bok, you usually do three things: you lok at the cover; read the blrb on the back and you rad the first paragraph to see if you lke it.

As an author, you ften don't have much control over (1) the bok cover or (2) the blurb, BUT very writer knows that a sizzling stry start is vital! That first pragraph has to grab the reader's ttention instantly. Smart writers know you rveal more about your characters by shwing them in action, rather than by wrting long slabs of description about whre they are and what they war.

There are lots of ways to crate Sizzling Starts. Here are just fve suggestions.

Start with a bang

I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.

Make the reader curious

Let me explain about the divorce, the beach house and the bacon.

Create a Moment of Change

Everything was going well, until my Mum said 'I've got a job in California.'

Use humour

Never let your three year old brother hold a tomato.

Dialogue quickly introduces your characters

'It's just a rat,' I said, breathing hard. 'It's an old house.'

'Rats don't growl,' said Mike.

Share these ideas with your children. Then get them to look at the first paragraphs of books from the library or your home and see what other types of starts they can find.

Here is an Action Activity the whle family can try:

Scaffold a Sizzling Start

Start stories with action! Give your kids one minute to write a start for each of the following phrases. The one minute limit makes them think quickly and not fuss about being perfect -- and that allows the creative side of their brain freedom. (Tell students not to worry about spelling until later too.)

• 'Stop! There's a...'
• It was a trap, but...
• 'Get out of my way. You never...'
• The chocolate was great, but then...
• Suddenly he coughed and...
• The car stopped. Then it turned around and started back ..

If your children enjoy the ctivity, get them to create more stry starters. Next time they can run the sme activity for you (yes, YOU wrte, too) as well as your ther kids.

Don't forget, the most ffective way to teach children to wrte is NOT to write full stries all the time. Just practice strting stories well and let kids larn in small, confidence-building chunks.

(C) Jen McVeity - National Literacy Champion

The article Will These Story Starters Tips Help To Improve Your Home School Student's Or Gifted Child's Writing? was Submitted by Jen McVeity through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Print our Five Minute Fast Starts worksheet by going to http://sevenstepswriting.com/sample.php then clicking on the Sizzling Starts link. The Seven Steps to Writing Success program, designed by successful uthor, Jen McVeity , is used in over 900 Schools. Suitable for the home school curriculum and gifted children , it has been shown to rapidly advance children's writing skills and enjoyment. Visit our website at http://sevenstepswriting.com/ to learn about all the Seven Steps to Writing Success and to find more free writing resources. Subscribe to our fast and fabulous Free Parent Newsletter , filled with top writing tips and activities. http://sevenstepswriting.com/newsletter.php

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