Have you put up any holiday decorations? There are people
like Martha Stewart who knows how to trim a Christmas tree. Of course she does. When
writers are writing, we work to trim our stories to make them shine. After our
first “sloppy copy” we must revise. We revise and revise...and revise. Revising
a story into shape can be as prickly as decorating a cactus.
Warning: Don’t try this unless you’re a cartoon character!
Story Trimming
1) Write
one page about a gift you hope to receive this year.
2) Include
six to ten reasons you want this item and add details why this gift is so
special.
Example: I want a new bicycle because I’ve grown taller and my old bike
is too small for me.
I
want a bright yellow bicycle so it shines when I ride on a sunny day.
3) Trim your page down to half a page (about two
paragraphs). Choose which reasons and details you most want to share about this
special gift.
4) Finally, trim your shiny story to only one
sentence. This sentence is the “star” of your story and should show the main
idea or theme of what you most want to share about this gift. It may be the
very first detail you thought of, or it may be something newly discovered as
you’ve trimmed and revised your page about this special gift.
Whatever gifts you receive this
year, Pencil Tips Writing Workshop wishes you all the happiest of holidays!
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