Hook your reader with your first words.

If the paragraphs don't tease, annoy or astonish the readers in some way, they'll stop reading. You also have to provide a bit of character, mood and setting.

Margaret Atwood in her most recent novel, The Year of the Flood (2009), begins:

"In the early morning Toby climbs up to the rooftop to watch the sunrise. She uses a mop handle for balance: the elevator stopped working some time ago and the back stairs are slick with damp, so if she slips and topples there won't be anyone to pick her up.

As the first heat hits, mist rises from among the swath of trees between her and the derelict city. The air smells faintly of burning, a smell of caramel and tar and rancid barbecues, and the ashy but greasy smell of a garbage-dump fire after it’s been raining."


Creative Write: Look at the photograph above. Create a character based on the above information. Provide a few lines to intrigue!

Shine up your Whines!

“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”  George Bernard Shaw

Are you a whiner?

Do you worry too much and have serial complaints that take up brain space?
Stop the chatter and take up a pen or go to the keyboard. Write, don't whine.

l. Use awareness to learn about your complaining moods. Who or what sparks your whine tones? What area three ways to eliminate or minimize your exposure to these sparks that set off your flames? Add a humorous line.

2. Gratitude saves the day. Write three things, people or opportunities that make you feel grateful. Don't stop with three!

3. Take a breath before you gripe! When you feel a whine whirring about in your brain, toss a thought in its path. Write about overcoming blame. Keep thoughts handy for the next toss for gripe deflection!

4. Let creativity spark your troubles. Start with positive statements and write a few humorous lines about how to solve problems.

Creative Write:  Share a whine with us today. Turn it around and make it shine!

Mood Changing

Consider how a scene can set a mood or reflect a variety of emotions.
Respond to the image above with sounds, scents and textures of emotion. Keep your visual comments to a minimum.

Then, write a response that changes the visual cues. What opposite view will your writing reveal?

Use words to alter the anticipation that these visual cues offer.