The air turned black all around me. Icy fingers gripped my arm in the darkness. Wandering through the graveyard it felt like something was watching me. The eyes in the painting follow him down the corridor.

A story starter is any kind of prompt that helps a child (or adult!) begin to write a story. This can come in many different forms but essentially it directs the child towards a certain theme or gives them a beginning situation that they can build a story around.

Find out which starter makes your partner most interested in reading your story.

1. Start with action or dialogue.
2. Ask a question or set of questions.
3. Describe the setting so readers can imagine it.
4. Give background information that will interest readers.
5. Introduce yourself to readers in a surprising way.

5 Ways to Start a Short Story

1. Hook readers with excitement.
2. Introduce the lead character.
3. Start with dialogue.
4. Use memories.
5. Begin with a mystery.

The first one or two sentences of an essay that serve(s) as both an introduction to the reader and an attention grabber. A sentence that grabs the reader’s attention and gives them a reason to keep reading.

A Checklist For Writing A Great Happy Ending

1. It’s positive, but not perfect.
2. Loose ends are tied up neatly.
3. No last-minute entanglements or distractions.
4. Hint at things to come.
5. No deus ex machina.
6. Happiness happens in context.
7. There’s A Difference Between The Right Ending And The Happy Ending.

6 Types of Story Endings

• Resolved ending.
• Unresolved ending.
• Expanded ending.
• Unexpected ending.
• Ambiguous ending.
• Tied ending.

A reversal is when something (character, plot) appears to be one thing, or going on way, and changes on a dime so that there’s a perspective shift and the reader (and characters) see that thing differently.

Situational irony is probably the most common type of irony a reader will come across in literature. Authors use situational irony to surprise, intrigue, and engage their audience. This plot twist surprises not only Pip, but the reader as well, and it leads to a new adventure for Pip at the end of the novel.

5 Tips for Writing a Good Plot Twist

1. Kill off a seemingly important character.
2. Let your character discover a plot twist organically.
3. Elevate a seemingly minor character.
4. Have your big reveal instigate a twist ending.
5. Make sure your plot twist is earned.

To create foreshadowing in fiction or non-fiction,

1. Give the reader direct information by mentioning an upcoming event or explaining the plans of the people or characters portrayed in the text:
2. Place clues in the first few sentences of a story or chapter to indicate the themes that will be important later:

The villain is revealed to have been right under the hero’s nose the whole time. The strength of a character is actually their greatest weakness. The hero must die to save everyone else. The villain has a change of heart but has driven the hero too far over the edge and must stop them.

Bad plot twists invalidate everything that has happened in the story so far. They make the story less meaningful. To take an extreme example, imagine you are reading a romance story. When the twist is revealed, the reader has the feeling that suddenly they understand the story in a more profound way.