Beautiful Beginnings

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Beautiful Beginnings!

• A writing lesson by
• Ms. Deckard

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The Tale of Two Papers!

• My report is on the conspiracies relating to the
  Titanic disaster. I am going to tell you about
  the twenty second theory. In addition, I am
  going to tell you about the theory of the mummy.
  Finally, I am going to tell you about the switch
  theory. This is my report.

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YAWN

• Now, lets look at another opening paragraph

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• Amateurs built the arc professionals built
  the Titanic. That phrase has been around since
  the 1912 Titanic disaster. However, just how
  smart were the designers, crew, and even the
  passengers of the Titanic? Were they smart
  enough to pull off some of the biggest
  conspiracies in maritime history? Lets look at
  three of the biggest conspiracies surrounding the
  Titanic the twenty second theory, the mummy
  theory, and, probably the most interesting of
  all, the switch theory. After hearing these
  theories, judge for yourself was the Titanic
  just a disaster or was it something
  moresinister?

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Much better

• Okay, so maybe the Titanic doesnt interest you
  at all. But wouldnt you rather read the second
  essay than the first?
• The writer of the second
• article used something
• called a Beautiful Beginning
• to HOOK the reader in.

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BB or a Hook

• A hook is the first thing that catches your
  attention. Just like in fishing, you are trying
  to catch a reader.
• Why write something
• if you dont want someone
• else to eventually read
• it?

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BB or The Hook

• The Hook can take even the most boring topic and
  draw people in.
• A good Hook makes your writing pop out of the
  ordinary and makes the reader want to read more.
• Just like Pringlesonce you pop (an
  introduction the reader cant stop!

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So, how do you do it?

• You can create a beautiful beginning or hook
  using several different methods.
• Again, the key is to make your reader interested
  in what you have to say. So, you want to make
  your first sentence pop out at them.
• The following slides list some examples of how
  you can do just that!

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A Fact

• Did you know that you can begin an essay with
  some sort of interesting fact?
• For example, lets take our Titanic paper.
• The Titanic, once called the
• ship of dreams, now rests on
• the bottom of the ocean,
• two miles from the surface.
• Facts should be simple, interesting,
  straightforward, and hint what the paper is
  about.

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A Question

• You may choose to hook the reader in with a
  question. The question should reference
  something that the reader is going to find out
  later on in the paper.
• So, a paper about the sixties may start out with
  this
• Did you know that the 1960s is largely
  considered to be the United States most
  turbulent decade?

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A Quotation

• A quotation can also be added to hook a reader
  in.
• A paper about Abraham Lincoln could start off
  with
• Four score and seven years ago

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A Joke

• Adding a joke at the beginning of a paper is also
  a neat way to hook a reader.
• What is the difference between a hockey mom and a
  bulldog? Lipstick, or at least that is according
  to Sarah Palin, the Republican Vice-Presidential
  nominee.
• Be careful not to insult your
• reader with this one. Some
• jokes just arent funny.

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Anecdote

• An anecdote is a lot like a joke, but here you
  tell a story. It is a great way to connect with
  the reader and to hook them in.
• I dont know a lot of words. If I had been
  better in vocabulary and had known the difference
  between antidote and anecdote, maybe my best
  buddy would still be alive.

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A Vivid Description

• Creating a vivid image for the reader can also
  hook them in.
• If a person can visualize something, they will be
  more likely to identify with it.
• If they identify with it, they will be more
  likely to read it.
• Take a look at the next slide for some vivid
  imaging.
• This one takes time and effort but the payoff is
  usually pretty great!

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• Through the dark blue and gray of the ocean
  floor, a light suddenly hits upon an impressive
  site. There, a massive structure of steel looms
  overhead. Her paint has faded, but her name
  remains on the side, barely whispering her
  identity to the world-Titanic. The sea around
  her is dead calm and totally silent. The only
  sound is your own thoughts,
• quietly uttering the names
• of the passengers who
• sailed on her.

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Exclamation (Interjections)

• Strong feelings are a good way to hook your
  reader because it instantly makes them conscious
  of the writers world.
• This is a way to instantly create emotion in your
  story and entice the reader to continue on.
• Example
• UGH! Oh, no! Not again! Those are just some of
  the statements people can hear when they enter
  our school cafeteria on tuna surprise day.

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Combos

• In addition to using any of these methods, you
  can also use combinations of these beautiful
  beginnings to really make your writing pop.
• There are several other methods, as well.
  Onomatopoeia, vivid verbs, adjective lists,
  etccan all be used to make your introduction
  more interesting.

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So, in conclusion

• Beautiful Beginnings is a term that you can use
  to make your writing more appealing to your
  reader.
• Hooking a reader means to grab and hold the
  readers interest.
• Beginning sentences that POP are effective at
  holding a readers interest.
• There are several types of Beautiful Beginnings
  to choose from.
• You can use them alone or in combination.

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Make your writing POP

• Using Beautiful Beginnings makes people
  interested in what you have to say.
• Making your writing interesting is a key of being
  a good writer.
• Otherwise, instead of popping and making your
  reader excitedyou will bore your reader and make
  him or her

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