Time to Write the Entire Draft

My colleague Kate and I were remarking that this unit of study on fiction is taking our students longer (i.e., longer for their drafts to come together). Hence, I decided that it’s time for ME to get a full, working draft of my story together so that I can really use it as a touchstone text with my students during my minilessons.

I *did* teach a minilesson on admiring the craft of other authors when we construct the beginning of our stories. I showed my kids my cruddy beginning and then used texts like A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson (pictured below) to help them help me craft a lead that creates an image. The list, to the right of my thumb, are some of the leads they suggested. Not sure which one I’m going to pick, but most likely it’ll be the one that, like Johnson’s lead, starts with the words, “After a night…”