1. Smiley-Face Tricks What are Smiley-Face Tricks? Smiley-face tricks are writing “tricks” or “moves” that a writer has (and uses) in order to add pizzazz or spice to his or her writing.

2. MAGIC 3 Three examples in a series can create a poetic rhythm, or at least add support for a point. Make sure all verbs are the same tense!

3. For example… “Free at last, free at last, thank God-Almighty, I was free at last.” Martin Luther King Jr. “Dried fruit, stale Chex Mix, and cheese flavored rice cakes stared back at me.” “Dried fruit, stale Chex Mix, and cheese flavored rice cakes stared back at me.” “In those woods, I would spend hours listening to the wind rustle the leaves, climbing trees, and spying on nesting birds.”

4. Figurative Language Non-literal comparisons--such as similes, metaphors, and personification—add “spice” to writing and can help paint a more vivid picture for the reader.

5. For example… “A rush of pure adrenaline came over me like I had just bungee-jumped off of a cliff.” (Simile) “Then I gently warmed the thermometer on a heating pad, and like Goldie Locks finding the third bed in the three bears’ cabin, it was “just right.” (Simile) “My world froze, and my words were molasses pouring out of my mouth.” (Metaphor) “Dried fruit, stale Chex Mix, and cheese flavored rice cakes stared back at me.” (Personification)

6. Specific Details for Effect Instead of general, vague descriptions-- specific sensory details help the reader visualize the person, place, thing, or idea. Instead of general, vague descriptions-- specific sensory details help the reader visualize the person, place, thing, or idea.

7. For example… “I tore off my purple down comforter and ran to the kitchen from my bedroom, which was adorned with MC Hammer and Paula Abdul posters.” “Back then, all of my allowance went towards bubble-gum flavored Lip Smackers, Silver-City Purple eye shadow, CDs, and Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation posters.”

8. Another example of Specific Details “Wham! Bam! The pit bull raced up and slammed into the fence, and the fence bowed out and hit Boy’s arm and he could smell the stink of the dog and feel its hot breath in his ear and hear the snarling and snapping so near his face, about to break through and rip his heart right out of his chest. “ (Jungle Dogs)

9. Repetition for Effect Repetition for Effect Repetition for Effect Writers often repeat specially chosen words or phrases to make a point and to stress ideas for the reader. Writers often repeat specially chosen words or phrases to make a point and to stress ideas for the reader.

10. For example…  Gary Paulsen is a master at Repetition for Effect! Look at this example from Hatchet. “Brian hated judges as he hated lawyers. Judges that leaned over the bench and asked Brian if he understood…Judges who did not know what really happened…Judges with the caring look that meant nothing…” (pg.6 Hatchet) “Brian hated judges as he hated lawyers. Judges that leaned over the bench and asked Brian if he understood…Judges who did not know what really happened…Judges with the caring look that meant nothing…” (pg.6 Hatchet)

11. Expand a Moment Instead of “speeding” past a moment, especially one that is important to the story, writers often emphasize it by “expanding” the actions.

12. For example… “My world froze, and my words were molasses pouring out of my mouth. I was racking my brain for a believable explanation of this event- aliens had taken over my body, I had planned dinner for the night, but nothing good came to mind.” As I fumbled in my mind for the best excuse, I could feel my heart racing and my hands shaking. My mother just stood there in front of me, waiting for my feeble alibi. Her silence seemed to last forever. I could tell she was going to be difficult to convince.

13. Humor Professional writers know the value of laughter; even subtle humor can help turn a “boring” into one that can raise someone’s spirits.

14. For example… “Finally, I thought, it had been over an hour! I carefully examined myself in the hall mirror to make sure everything was in place: my Lipsmackers had been freshly applied, and my hair was pulled up in a hot-pink scrunchy that coordinated with my double-layered socks. Yes, I was looking good, and I was ready for “Mr. Handsome.”

15. Hyphenated Modifiers Sometimes a new way of saying something can make all the difference; hyphenated adjectives often cause the reader to “sit up and take notice.”

16. For example… “It was his destiny, he realized. It was his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great- great-grandfather!” (Holes) “ My mom gave me one of her don’t –talk- I-have-heard-enough looks.

17. Full-Circle Ending Sometimes students need a special ending, one that effectively “wraps up” the piece. One “trick” is to repeat a phrase or a key idea from the beginning of the piece.

18. For example… Beginning: “Free at last, free at last, thank God - Almighty, I was free at last.” When most people hear this famous statement they think of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his fight for civil rights. Yet, on a cold October day in 1990, I was in the sixth grade, and all I was thinking about was that a day of pure, unadulterated freedom laid before me. Ending: Ironically my day of freedom, which actually turned out to be only several hours, resulted in weeks of incarceration by my parents, of course.