Keep Improving Your Stories

1. Keep Improving Your Stories Some Writing Tips from the Bottom of My Heart This Powerpoint has Pretty Flowers on it

2. Use Your Senses • When you are approaching a story, don’t only use one sense. Use them all. • Take notes on your subject and ensure you include sensory imagery in your work. It makes your work come alive. • Let’s work on these!

3. Use Your Senses • He stood as tall as __________________. • You could smell it when you walked in. It was the scent of __________________. • Its sound is unmistakable. It is marked by its ___________________. • The wind blew in our faces, feeling like ___________________. • The fried pig feet were not necessarily unappetizing, and they had the flavor of ____________________.

4. What would You Rather Read? • Darius Jones loves to eat cookies. OR • He doesn’t simply eat a cookie like the rest of us. He becomes a machine, built to consume cookies, shoveling them into his mouth like coal into a furnace.

5. What’s in a Story? • Theme—make your story about something • Research—make your data come alive • Angle—how are you approaching the story? • Focus—what information are you going to use? • Order—make sure your story makes sense • Unity—make sure all elements work in concert

6. Questions to Ask Yourself • What is my theme? Write this in a single sentence • Why did I choose my angle? • Who are my primary sources? Why should readers care about them? Secondary sources? • Are all the reader’s questions answered? • Does the tone match the content? • If I hadn’t written this story, would I still want to read it?

7. What Makes a Good Lead? • Anecdote • Description of a scene • Description of a person • An excellent quote • A startling statement • A clever play on words

8. Look Beyond the Facts