1. @jaedansie

2. Send me your stuff!
@jaedansie on the twitter or Instagram. Send me your first sentence or last sentence (and accompanying paragraph for context) and we may get to it in class!

3. • what do you want from your book? GOALS?
Why does it matter?
• what do you want from your book? GOALS?
• you owe it to your readers
• agents, publishing, and sales

4. Have you met ELLE? Who is elle? Elle came to your party late
Elle left your party early
Elle witnessed all the interesting parts because…

5. e . L . L . E .
Enter LATE
Leave EARLY

6. Why does ELLE matter?
Elle helps make crafting great beginnings and endings easier.
That way you can really hook ‘em and hang ‘em

7. What is a good beginning?
A few samples:
“The early summer sky was the color of cat vomit.” -Scott westerfield, uglies
“It was a pleasure to burn.” -ray bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
“all children, except one, grow up.” -j.m. barrie, peter pan

8. What is a good ending? A few samples:
“someone was outside, knocking to come in.” -j.k. rowling, harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone
“that was, after all, the defining trait of serial killers: they kept on killing.” -dan wells, I am not a serial killer
“louder than the machine, louder than the pots, was the sound of their own furiously beating hearts as Charles took their brother away.” -lemony snicket, the miserable mill

9. The elements in common
It leaves the reader asking questions so they want to keep reading
It sets up expectation
Can Give us a sense of what’s coming
Can give us a sense of voice
Can give us the mood of the story or chapter or both
It leaves the reader asking questions so they want to keep reading

10. Let’s get wordsmithing!
Volunteers for beginnings
Volunteers for endings

11. Let’s get wordsmithing!
Work in pairs.
1. you and your partner work on one of your beginnings, from any chapter.
2. you and your partner now work on an ending, from any chapter.

12. Share your results!

13. Review time! Remember elle: enter late, leave early
Hook ‘em so they want to read the chapter
Hang ‘em so they want to keep reading!

14. question & answer time!

15. @jaedansie