Mr. McKerrall’s Writers Workshop

1. Mr. McKerrall’s Writers Workshop A novel is a river, a short story is a glass of water A novel is a forest, a short story is the seed

2. Writing a Good Opening • The opening of your story needs to capture the readers attention to keep them interested in the whole idea you wish to tell them • This can be done in many ways by using different “leads”: • Big Potato • Snapshot • Talking • Thinking • Misleading

3. Writing a Good Opening Big Potato Leads Snapshot Leads • Jumping right into the middle of your story, leaving your reader wanting more • Creating a picture in your readers’ mind

4. Writing a Good Opening Big Potato Lead Snapshot Lead • Nervous whispers filled the hallway as Coach Mac tacked a single sheet onto the bulletin board. Eyes darted from player to player, as though they could still alter the final choices of Team Canada’s newest incarnation. Corey and Ryan pushed through the crowd, holding their breath and hoping the hockey gods would reward the late nights on the ice that started just a few weeks ago… • A thin fog hovered over the frozen surface. High above the ice a trio of lights gave a mystic glow, as though the memories of past greatness were dancing right in front of him. He wasn’t sure if it was the cold air of the rink or the sight of the maple leaf at centre ice that sent a shiver up his spine, but as Corey stood alone in Team Canada’s home arena he knew the next few weeks would change his life forever…

5. Writing a Good Opening Talking Leads Thinking Leads • Starting with a line or two of dialogue between characters • Starting with the thoughts of a character (starting in your characters mind)

6. Writing a Good Opening Talking Lead Thinking Lead • “I’ll bet you my signed Gretzky rookie card, after I win th-” Corey had to interrupt the ravings of his old friend. “Um, don’t you mean after “we” win.” “Ya, ya, whatever. After we win the gold medal, no. 11 will be the fastest selling jersey from Vancouver to St. John’s.” “Easy Steve, you gotta make the team first,” Corey reminded as they walked into the arena hosting Team Canada’s Olympic tryout. • “If you can’t outplay them, outwork them.” The words kept repeating in his head as Corey walked into the dressing room. The words of his minor hockey coach were the words that Corey spent his whole life living by. Never the biggest or the strongest, Corey looked around the dressing room and saw many who may have more skill than him, but none that would work as hard as him to wear the maple leaf on his chest and represent Canada at the Olympic Games.

7. Writing a Good Opening Misleading Leads • Set up expectations, then surprise the reader by breaking the “rules” you’ve established • Since the days when their fathers had laced up their skates and drove them to early morning practices, Corey and Steve had been best friends. As they grew older the friendship grew stronger, and their skills as hockey players grew along with them. As boys they joked about wearing the maple leaf and working together to have the gold medal laid upon their necks, but as they walked into Olympic training camp for Team Canada they had no idea that by the end of the two-week camp they would never speak to each other again.

8. Finish the Following Sentences • It was black as… • It was cold as… • It was bright as… • It was hot as… • Descriptive words can change a sentence from telling your reader something, to showing your reader something

9. Telling Sentences vs. Showing Sentences Telling Sentence Showing Sentence • The house was spooky. • The wind whistled through the cracks in the windows. Tree branches scraped against the glass. The door creaked open, and I crept into the dark house. The smell of dust hung in the air, and a slight breeze rustled the tattered curtains. Suddenly the sound of bats flapping their wings broke the silence. I ducked under the rickety stairs and threw my hands over my head.

10. Writing an Exciting Climax • Many writers have the urge to rush through the climax of a story • This is because you may want to keep the excitement at a fast pace OR because you’re tired of writing your story and want to get it over with… • A good climax should do the opposite! • When writing your climax you want to “slow down on the hot spot” to increase the suspense and excitement for your reader

11. Writing an Good Climax • Take out the story “The Haunted Christmas Tree” • Turn to the second last paragraph on page 52 • “Mary decided that’s what she would do…” • Read to the bottom of that page • After you’ve read the climax, make notes on all the details the author used to slow down the climax • Try to re-write the climax of this story in your own way • You can alter the events if you’d like

12. Writing an Good Climax • When your writing your climax think of yourself as a director filming your story as a movie • What details do you see? • What is your character thinking? • Does anyone say anything? • What is the environment/setting like? • What part of your climax will leave your reader thinking “What’s going to happen next?!”

13. Finishing Strong: Conclusions • As your story comes to an end, it is important to finish strong or all your work so far will be for nothing • The conclusion of your story is the last thing your reader will experience and should tie all the elements of your story together • Avoid introducing new elements and leaving unanswered questions (unless you plan on writing a sequel ;) • Can you remember any “bad” endings to a story you loved?

14. Finishing Strong: Conclusions • One way to end your story is to use a circular ending • The story will end by circling back to where it all began • This type of ending helps your reader see the changes your main character has gone through during their journey • Another way to keep your reader thinking or your story long after reading it is to use and emotional ending • The story ends with an observation or realization that causes an emotional reaction in your reader (joy, sadness, anger, etc.)

15. Finishing Strong: Conclusions • A more challenging, but more satisfying, ending is known as a surprise ending • This type of ending leads your reader in a particular direction of how they think the story will end, then radically changes the outcome leaving the reader shocked • The best surprise endings have some form of foreshadowing used earlier in the story to increase the satisfaction of the final surprise

16. Finishing Strong: Conclusions • No matter which type of ending you choose to use, all endings should include the following: • Short and sweet (1 paragraph) • Don’t drag it out • Ties up all loose ends • Answers any questions the reader has • Keeps characters “in character” • No sudden changes • Focus on the lesson or virtue learned by your protaganist

17. Last, But Not Least: A Title • In groups of 4, make a list of the “Top 5” and “Bottom 5” titles of fiction books found in the library • Why did you like/dislike the titles you’ve chosen? • Make 3-5 different titles for you story, then exchange the list with your group members • Write a comment about each title on each list • After reviewing the comments from your group members, select the title you think best fits your story