Leads/Hooks
1. Interesting description: Ashes filled the air when I was around the camp fire. Crackle, crackle it went.
2. Sound: Boom! The trunk slammed. Bang! The car doors slammed as we got out of the van.
3. Past in the present: It is April 10, 1912. The Titanic is going to travel all the way from England to America.
4. Exclamation: “Yeah! We’re going to Disneyland tomorrow! Yeah!” I yelled as loud as I could.
5. Thought: I’m in big trouble now, I thought to myself.
6. Surprise: Wow! I was doing my back hand-spring and I landed it!
7. Complaint: It seems like we never go swimming at Fife pool!
8. Question: Have you ever been an Editor-in Chief? Well I’ll tell you, it’s a big job!
9. Sound, repetition, simile: Screech, screech, screech! The first time we tried to play the recorders it sounded like a lion running his claws down a chalkboard.
10. Exclamation, repetition, strong feelings: Chores! Chores! Chores! Chores are boring! Scrubbing toilets, cleaning sinks, and washing bathtubs takes up a lot of my time and are not fun at all.
11. Extremely strong feelings: The very first time I saw asparagus I hated it. I had never even tried it before and I still hated it!
12. Series of questions: Touch of the flu? Egg in her hair? Poor Ramona!
13. Scary, exciting, or intense moment: I tried to run, but I couldn’t. The monster seemed like it was growing by the minute!
14. Main idea: I will always love my grandparents beach house. The ways the waves roll over the gooey sand and the way the sand weaves in between you toes. The way we dig for clams and end up knee deep in the never ending sand.
15. Something interesting to come: It all started on an average day. I didn’t thing anything unusual was going to happen, but boy was I wrong!
16. Dialogue: “We’re moving.” That’s what she told me. I couldn’t believe it! I had just made friends. “What!” I exclaimed.
17. Reveal something unusual: “Company halt!” yelled the drill master. My mom stopped and went into position. Her dog tags clinked as she moved.
18. Unsettling description: A flash of lightning illuminates the harsh emptiness of the night. In an orphanage children cry mournfully. They are starving.
19. Unusual image of character: Simon Wilken was snacking down on a plum with great gusto.
20. Anecdote: On a dark December night in 1776, as he led a barefoot brigade of ragged revolutionaries across the icy Delaware River, George Washington said, “Shift your behind, Harry. But slowly or you’ll swamp the darn boat.”
21. Setting: The deafening crowd was packed into the Kingdom on the sold-out Buzz-Cut Night. Hundreds of people were outfitted in brand new buzz cuts and were enjoying the Mariner game.
22. Address the audience: You walk into the dentist’s office. You sit down. You try to read a magazine. But it’s no use. You’re scared and there’s nothing you can do about it.
23. “Show” feelings: I sat at my desk, sweat dripping down my face. I shut my eyes tight, then opened them. I looked at my watch, 11:27. Three minutes! Three minutes until I heard a sound, a sound that would set me free for three months of total nothingness.
24. Challenge the reader: Colin Greer, the President of the New World Foundation, a civil rights organization in New York, has something to say about your character.
25. Focus on something important: In my old, battered, black wallet I carry many things. A letter from a friend. My lunch ticket. My social security card. Many other tidbits and items as well. There is one thing, however, which I prize above all my possessions. It is a photograph.
26. A scenario: Right now I want you to pretend you are in a store. As you walk around, you see that some products are much more inexpensive. Now, look at the labels on these cheaper items. You will probably notice that many of these labels say, “Made in China”, or “Made in Honduras”. Have you ever stopped to wonder why products made in these countries are so much more affordable than the things manufactured right here on American soil?
27. A list: The sweat on your brow. A layer of dust on your face. Out in the woods. Somewhere. And on a horse. Of all the places in the world, I feel best on a horse.
28. Startling statement: A great crime was committed against a people in 1942. This was the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which called for the eviction and internment of all Japanese Americans.
29. Thesis: Education is a key element in developing the skills necessary for a successful life. Too often, students are more involved earning a paycheck than spending time on their academic studies. Students need to realize that their high school classes will prepare them for a brighter future.
30. A saying: It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said that, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of simple minds.” He said is almost 200 years ago, but perhaps it bears repeating today to our senators and congressmen who act as though our country can continue to spend money it does not have.
2. Sound: Boom! The trunk slammed. Bang! The car doors slammed as we got out of the van.
3. Past in the present: It is April 10, 1912. The Titanic is going to travel all the way from England to America.
4. Exclamation: “Yeah! We’re going to Disneyland tomorrow! Yeah!” I yelled as loud as I could.
5. Thought: I’m in big trouble now, I thought to myself.
6. Surprise: Wow! I was doing my back hand-spring and I landed it!
7. Complaint: It seems like we never go swimming at Fife pool!
8. Question: Have you ever been an Editor-in Chief? Well I’ll tell you, it’s a big job!
9. Sound, repetition, simile: Screech, screech, screech! The first time we tried to play the recorders it sounded like a lion running his claws down a chalkboard.
10. Exclamation, repetition, strong feelings: Chores! Chores! Chores! Chores are boring! Scrubbing toilets, cleaning sinks, and washing bathtubs takes up a lot of my time and are not fun at all.
11. Extremely strong feelings: The very first time I saw asparagus I hated it. I had never even tried it before and I still hated it!
12. Series of questions: Touch of the flu? Egg in her hair? Poor Ramona!
13. Scary, exciting, or intense moment: I tried to run, but I couldn’t. The monster seemed like it was growing by the minute!
14. Main idea: I will always love my grandparents beach house. The ways the waves roll over the gooey sand and the way the sand weaves in between you toes. The way we dig for clams and end up knee deep in the never ending sand.
15. Something interesting to come: It all started on an average day. I didn’t thing anything unusual was going to happen, but boy was I wrong!
16. Dialogue: “We’re moving.” That’s what she told me. I couldn’t believe it! I had just made friends. “What!” I exclaimed.
17. Reveal something unusual: “Company halt!” yelled the drill master. My mom stopped and went into position. Her dog tags clinked as she moved.
18. Unsettling description: A flash of lightning illuminates the harsh emptiness of the night. In an orphanage children cry mournfully. They are starving.
19. Unusual image of character: Simon Wilken was snacking down on a plum with great gusto.
20. Anecdote: On a dark December night in 1776, as he led a barefoot brigade of ragged revolutionaries across the icy Delaware River, George Washington said, “Shift your behind, Harry. But slowly or you’ll swamp the darn boat.”
21. Setting: The deafening crowd was packed into the Kingdom on the sold-out Buzz-Cut Night. Hundreds of people were outfitted in brand new buzz cuts and were enjoying the Mariner game.
22. Address the audience: You walk into the dentist’s office. You sit down. You try to read a magazine. But it’s no use. You’re scared and there’s nothing you can do about it.
23. “Show” feelings: I sat at my desk, sweat dripping down my face. I shut my eyes tight, then opened them. I looked at my watch, 11:27. Three minutes! Three minutes until I heard a sound, a sound that would set me free for three months of total nothingness.
24. Challenge the reader: Colin Greer, the President of the New World Foundation, a civil rights organization in New York, has something to say about your character.
25. Focus on something important: In my old, battered, black wallet I carry many things. A letter from a friend. My lunch ticket. My social security card. Many other tidbits and items as well. There is one thing, however, which I prize above all my possessions. It is a photograph.
26. A scenario: Right now I want you to pretend you are in a store. As you walk around, you see that some products are much more inexpensive. Now, look at the labels on these cheaper items. You will probably notice that many of these labels say, “Made in China”, or “Made in Honduras”. Have you ever stopped to wonder why products made in these countries are so much more affordable than the things manufactured right here on American soil?
27. A list: The sweat on your brow. A layer of dust on your face. Out in the woods. Somewhere. And on a horse. Of all the places in the world, I feel best on a horse.
28. Startling statement: A great crime was committed against a people in 1942. This was the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which called for the eviction and internment of all Japanese Americans.
29. Thesis: Education is a key element in developing the skills necessary for a successful life. Too often, students are more involved earning a paycheck than spending time on their academic studies. Students need to realize that their high school classes will prepare them for a brighter future.
30. A saying: It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said that, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of simple minds.” He said is almost 200 years ago, but perhaps it bears repeating today to our senators and congressmen who act as though our country can continue to spend money it does not have.