One of my favorite things to do with writers is inspire a spirit of play. There are many ways to do that. One I especially love is to explore how stories begin. Depending on the grade level we teach, this can be done with a stack of our favorite picture books or by reading the first 50 words in beloved chapter books.
What we discover is that stories begin in a variety of ways. Here are some examples:
- Description
- Dialogue
- Thinking/Feeling
- Action
- Question
- Sound
I share examples from my own writer's notebook. (I love doing this work in a writer's notebook because it emphasizes the spirit of experimentation and play, removing the pressure to complete or publish something.)
"Six horses live in a field across from my house. I get to help out by taking care of them in the morning. Here is what my playing with beginnings sounds like when I think of them."
Description—After closing the gate behind me, my boots plod through thick mud, and I step carefully to avoid the horse-poop mines that dot the field.
Dialogue—"Good morning, Ollie." The enormous black horse nickers in reply.
Thinking/feeling—I hope I can give everyone breakfast without horse drama this morning. It makes me so nervous when they nip, kick, and chase each other away from the hay I give them. Why can't they just share?
Action—I filled the black garbage bag with so much hay that it was almost too heavy to carry. Then I threw it behind my back and walked to the field like a very strange-looking Santa.
Question—Why do they always have to poop right where I want to walk?
Sound—The metal chain clanged loudly on the iron gate, announcing that I had arrived and breakfast was about to be served. All six horses nickered or whinnied a greeting in reply.
Although this work can be done anytime during the year, I find it is especially energizing right before a break or at the year's end. Students may take a beginning they especially like and complete a piece, but that is just an extra bonus. The real goal is to develop a spirit of play with words, one that will continue every time they write.
Want more on this subject? Check out "Revision Fun—Varying Narrative Leads."
