Once upon a time.

There once was.

These are two of the most basic ways for kids to begin their stories. They're great starting points, but as their primary school work advances, here are some tips to shake up their intros.

Think about punctuation. Yes, punctuation. There's nothing like intrigue, emotion to get someone to read the first paragraph. After all, if you don't 'hook' someone in the opening paragraph, the opening page, the opening chapter, what are the chances they want to read on?

--An exclamation can be a great lead. In my Halloween book, I simply begin by saying 'Boo!' It draws the reader immediately into the upcoming action/emotion of the story.

--Questions can also draw readers in---Have you ever? Did you know? What would you do? are all good basic intros. They almost always hook me, as I'm drawn to learning new tidbits of info---no matter how trivial.

--A quote from a source or something related to a topic will stop and make people think. Who said this? What does this have to do with the story? When I have a topic, I often do a search for quotes about that topic, emotion, person. You not only learn where some famous quotes have come from, but it can spur ideas to include in the remainder of their story.

For more writing tips, drop me a line at [email protected], or visit my adult non-fiction site at: www.chrysasmith.com. On it are some good examples of intros for slightly older students. There are current features from my one column and other articles written for a variety of publications.

Happy Tales!

Chrysa

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