Bad Leads Avoid leads that

begin with…a rhetorical question

What do you do with a million dollars?

b. phrases like…When I was six…I’ll never forget the time…One day…I am going to tell you about…

Dynamic Leads

A good lead must hook the reader’s attention and spark their curiosity by being entertaining and/or interesting so the reader will continue reading.

Action

Thinking to myself how advance the other riders were, I knew that I was just a beginner as the other girls jumped gracefully over the rails. Zoe was one of those advanced riders, and little did I know that she would become my inspiration and best friend.

Question

What is it like to transition from elementary to middle school? That is a question many kids ask each year. Having experienced both, I can tell you that there are plenty of similarities as well as some very big differences between the two types of schools.

Detail

I stopped my beat up Chevy on the side of the dirt road to watch the bright, disc-shaped light zig-zag across the night sky.

Setting

My eyes dart nervously around the still, silent courtroom. The witness stand is empty, no jurors fill the box, and the judge’s gavel lies inert on his desk.

Quotation From the mouth of Elbert

Hubbard, “A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.” We all have our idiosyncrasies which help us become more tolerant of others.

What do you notice about all these examples?

1. Short! Two sentences

2. Using active voice (action verbs) rather than BLAH verbs

3. Controlled idea is clearly expressed

Dynamic Leads 1. Choose two different techniques 2. Rewrite your lead twice - once for each technique

3. State the technique used

4. Share all three leads with group

5. Discuss which one is most effective

Dynamic Leads

• Action• Dialogue• Emotion• Setting• Quotation