And a Happy Friday to all of you. Here we are, dragging our feet and trying to make it to the finish line so we can enjoy another beautiful summer weekend. Do you have any plans? I hope you take a break from writing and replenish your inner engine.
Today let’s talk about……the relationship between introductions and conclusions.
But first a quote!
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito.”
Anita Roddick
Come on, that’s funny! And oh so true! I know, I used too many exclamation points right then, but I can do that because this is my blog and the rules of good writing are suspended here. J
TIP OF THE DAY
Actually I have several tips regarding introduction and conclusion.
I have said this first statement until I am blue in the face…..the introduction needs to grab the reader and not let go. It needs to be a slam dunk….and you have about ten seconds to accomplish that feat.
Why is this so hard to teach some writers? I don’t care if you are writing a recipe or the world’s next great novel, if you don’t take your readers prisoner in that first few paragraphs then you can forget about holding onto them.
When I am looking for a book to read at the library, I read the jacket synopsis and then I read the first paragraph of the book. That’s all the time I have to waste on a decision of that importance, or lack of importance if you will.
And the conclusion….I have been teaching this for years….the conclusion must refer back to the introduction. It must be the bow that you tie on to the complete package. I am amazed by the number of writers who skip the conclusion all together, but then there are those who have a conclusion but it has nothing to do with the opening statements….and that is just sloppy writing.
SITE OF THE DAY
This is something I have not done on this site, but I’m going to refer you to one of my articles entitled “The Ten Second Rule of Writing.” You can find it here and it should explain to you the importance of your introduction.
CONTEST OF THE DAY
This one is for Audrey who gets very excited when I post contests for poets….and well she should because she is sooooo good at poetry and has a very real chance to win one of these contests. Anyway, this contest is called the Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards and the deadline is October 1st. You can find all submission information here.
FOUNDATION SITE OF THE DAY
The Sustainable Arts Foundation has grants up to $6000 for writers who have families to raise…their way of helping to lessen the financial burden for those who have a ton of bills and need some assistance to continue writing. Check them out here.
PROMPT OF THE DAY
Do you feel it? Well I do and it feels darn good. J
AND THAT’S IT FOR THIS WEEK
Have a great weekend and I’ll return with more writing thoughts on Tuesday next week. On Monday I’ll be popping up with A Moment With Bill, my other blog that features reflections about life.
Thank you for being here….you are all appreciated.
Bill
“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”
Billybuc
Artistry With Words 