This slideshow gives some good ideas about how to start your creative writing.

1. How to succeed
with Shared
Writing

2. A shared writing task means you have to follow on from
someone else’s ideas.
This has advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages
• You have the benefit of another person’s great ideas.
• You can develop the other person’s original idea.
• You can experience how other people think
• Each person in the group has to try and keep up
• Other members of the group can help each other.
The disadvantages
• The other person’s ideas may not be very clear
• The writing may start to become uncoordinated
• If one person in the group loses interest others are let down.

3. Here are some beginnings to a story.
Which one do you think is the best? Why?
1. “Last summer I went to the beach. We had a lot of fun.”
2. “I woke up and looked out the window. It was a
beautiful day. When I went downstairs, I said to my kids,
‘Let’s go to the beach today!’”
3. “It was only 6:45 am and already the temperature was
over 80 degrees. I couldn’t take another day of swimming in
my own sweat! There was only one solution. I hollered up
the stairs: ‘Hey guys, who wants to go to the beach
today?!’”

4. Yes, I think you’ll agree that Number 3 is the best beginning. Why?
• There’s a definite time the narrator woke up.
• There is a detail about the how many degrees it is.
• There is some exaggeration from the narrator about “swimming in
my own sweat. “. However, the effect works, because readers will
feel the heat through the description.

5. Stories can begin in 4 different ways. They can start
with: description of a character, description of the
setting, action or dialogue. Below are some
different openings to a story. Read them through
and decide which type of opening it is. Be ready to
tell us in the forum you thoughts.
“Shut up!” shouted Jim. He was fed up of Sarah telling him to have a
bath. He would have one when he wanted!
Rebecca was a lazy girl-even her mother thought so. She was so lazy, she
couldn’t even be bothered to pick her own nose.
The door burst open, leaves swirled around the passage. Distant
screams could be heard, as the misty night grew darker and colder.

6. Ingrid lived in a small, quiet town in Doncaster, surrounded by fields and
meadows. At this time of year, it was especially beautiful, as all the flowers
were out to bloom.
“Oh for goodness sake! Who stole my Groovy Chick pencil this time?”
“Not me. Don’t even try to blame me. I ain’t took it!” protested Lucy.
Ugly. That’s how you’d describe Billy Bobbins. Ugly. What with his large
spotty nose, crooked teeth and lazy eye, he wasn’t exactly a model. But
nevertheless, Lucinda still fancied him rotten!
Graham had the letter in his hand. Time was running out, he had to get to
the post office in double quick time, this was his last chance.
The sun went down over the tall towers that loomed over the smoke filled
city. New York was a pretty impressive place. A place that once you’d been,
you didn’t want to leave.