Writing: Tell Me A Story 2023

THINK CINEMATICALLY Use the techniques of a cinematographer. Think about your favorite movie and the way the camera presents a variety of angles to tell the story. These same techniques can be used in good writing. • Present the overview picture… show where the story is taking place. • Move in closer… show people and how they interact. • Go for the close-up… provide small details that others may not have noticed but that add depth to the story. • Create slow motion by showing action or layering detail in short, choppy sentences. • Create the sense of fast forward by presenting action in longer sentences that utilize verb or gerund phrases. See how it was done in this example.

“BABY ON BOARD” Waking up to the sound of a crying baby was all too familiar for students in Child Development by Mollie Elfrink Lair – Shawnee Mission Northwest High School Waa! Waa! At 3:32 a.m. on a Saturday morning, sophomore Emma Bowman peeled her covers off of her face and rolled over. She stared across the room at the crying robotic baby, trying to gather the strength to get up. Exhausted, she finally threw her legs off the side of the bed and picked up the “baby.” WAAA! “I woke up and I was completely out of it, and it wanted to be fed,” Bowman said. “It took half an hour, so I wasn’t even tired after and I couldn’t go back to bed.” Child Development students each took home a Real Care Baby for two to three days. The Real Care Baby, an infant simulator used to create a realistic parenting experience, allowed teachers to grade their students on their child care skills. Sensors in the baby and its belongings reported how often it was fed, whether it was shaken, how often it was picked up and other critical information. “I think it’s definitely realistic; it’s more work than anyone could imagine,” Bowman said. “I’m glad I know more of what it’s like being a mom. I was sleep deprived.” renovations and disconnected power.

The lead sets the scene, bringing the reader into not only the physical place where the story will begin to unfold, but into the mental attitude of the subject.

This quote really gets us in the subject’s head in that moment.

Nut graf expounds upon the opening and gives necessary background info.

Yearbook Suite | Writing: Tell Me a Story 25