Leads

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Leads

• Leads are the L in your outline
• Think about how you are going to wow your reader
  right from the start
• Leads should be the most unique part of your
  writing
• Leads are found in the introduction and can be
  one sentence or a few
• Use leads before you tell the reader your topic
• You want to HOOK THEM!

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When to use leads (write this in the empty space)

• No matter what you write, no matter how many
  paragraphs, the first sentence of the entire
  piece is your lead.
• 5 paragraph essay Beginning with a lead.
• 1 paragraph (on its own) Beginning with a lead.

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• leads can make or break a paper.
• Sound too dull, you lose the reader.
• Sound too silly or childish, you lose the reader.
• So, what do great leads sound like? Lets look
  at LEAD EXAMPLES

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• When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from
  the darkness of the movie house, I had only two
  things on my mind Paul Newman and a ride home.
  
  The Outsiders
  S.E. Hinton
• I was six years old when my mother taught me the
  art of invisible strength. Amy Tan
• If you really want to hear about it, the first
  thing youll probably want to know is where I was
  born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and
  how my parents were occupied and all before they
  had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of
  crap, but I dont feel like going into it, if you
  want to know the truth. Catcher in the Rye
  J.D. Salinger

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LEAD Types

• A formal definition
• Feelings disgusted, sickened, and horrified
  all emotions
• Anecdote story about me
• Emotion Imagine
• Scenarios
• Amazing fact
• Famous Quote

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A formal definition of a term define a word
easiest if stuck - grab a dictionary and you
are ready to go!

• The definition of gross is something that is
  mentally or physically disturbing. Like when you
  are devouring dinner and you are watching a show
  when suddenly something gross happens.
  Immediately your appetite flies out the window
  like Babe Ruth hitting his 610th homerun. I do
  have to admit though that I love gross things,
  especially gross pranks. A few I have personally
  pulled are the milkshake from hell, sour soy
  sauce surprise (ssssurprise) and the almighty
  fart spray.

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How you felt feeling wordsanother easier type -
use a few descriptive words and you are set! Use
3 adjectives.

• Disgusted, sickened, horrified. These are the
  emotions that someone will express after being
  grossed out. There are many ways to make people
  squirm. But a few of the best, and my personal
  favorites, are messing with their food, showing
  them something disgusting, or making up some
  nasty story. If done correctly, any one of these
  can make someone sick to their stomach.

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Personal Anecdote storynot so hard since we all
have stories, can fake write too make it
unique. A story about me.

• Vomit spewed across the room, a chunky
  projectile, a creamy bullet, a smelly- SPLAT! The
  bile collided with the wall, splashing
  everywhere. Chaos ensued, and questions arose as
  to where the puke came from. The source was a
  nightmarish mixture of a plethora of disturbing
  things. Toe jam, belly button lint, spittle, nose
  hairs, boogers and some scabs for good measure.
  All of these combined caused a blurry brown
  liquid to majestically soar across the room as if
  it were a graceful eagle. Only it was not a
  graceful eagle, in fact, vomit is quite the
  opposite. You may be wondering, What demented
  individual would enjoy such horrifically
  grotesque antics? The answer? Me. I am a sick,
  twisted psychopath for saying so, but these very
  grotesque antics are what entertain me most
  (next to video games of course). Pulling pranks
  is actually quite compelling. Disgusting pranks.
  Pranks like showing off sickening pictures or
  animals. Pranks like poisoning refreshments with
  unpleasant items (as you saw above). Pranks like
  exposing innocents to injuries or bodily
  functions. Disturbing people is my favorite
  past-time, and even if you start to gag, Im
  going to tell you why.

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Emotion - Imagine others feelings a bit harder
to write, think about how world or others might
feel

• Adolescence is a battle that no one can win.
  Imagine never knowing a friend from a foe, or
  being the single opponent against a sea of others
  pushing you to make the same choice as them.
  Everyone plunges into this battle, and those who
  survive have changed entirely. Peer pressure,
  stress and insecurities are common enemies in
  this war. Teenagers often fight this battle
  unarmed. Sometimes, conquest is virtually
  impossible.

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Scenarios (make believe anecdote) imagine if
statementharder to make interesting - create
something unique when imagining the situation

• Imagine if ulcers began to take over the teenage
  population. A deep increasing pain in the pit of
  your stomach as the days goes go by. No one
  notices until it is too late, another friend
  stuck in the deep of depression and problems. Now
  another victim in the world with a problem as a
  teenager has entered. The pressure of school,
  life and even your own peers, is like have a
  thousand pounds on your chest every day of your
  life. That very same pressure is the one that
  makes you feel like giving up, no longer
  continuing and to top it off, it is very hard to
  get rid of. All this goes on in 89 of the
  teenage population.

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State an Amazing or Startling FactReal
statisticschallenging to do this well make
sure it relates and is important

• Fifty-nine percent of brothers admit to annoying
  their sisters on purpose- my brother is a part of
  that percentage. This shows just how annoying
  brothers are, and that they do it on purpose. I
  do like my brother- at times. I dont like him so
  much when he is as hostile as a terrorist and
  obsessed with his girlfriend. He has redeeming
  qualities though, he is sweet and caring. I love
  him he is my brother, its just that sometimes I
  dont like him. Oh, brothers!

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A quote from a well known person or expert on the
topicuse quotation markshardest unless know an
amazing quote can use sayings from families,
famous people etc.

• A wise person once said, To have siblings is
  never-ending annoyance, but to have none is
  never-ending loneliness. Which to you is more
  desirable? To me I would choose annoyance, which
  is lucky because that is exactly what I have.
  Sometimes. But other times Im glad my sister is
  there and there are a few rare times I realize
  just how much I appreciate being the youngest in
  the family and having her there beside me.

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Now, its your turn.

• Pretend you have to write an explanatory essay
  about your favorite color. Practice using
  different leads for that topic. Turn into your
  teacher when done.