Paragraphs are the building blocks of creative writing, allowing our writing to take on an interesting structure.
We should plan an interesting paragraph structure before we begin creative writing to engage the reader.
We can begin with a wide perspective, narrow into a scene and end with a moment of tension.
Prepositional phrases help us transition from one paragraph to another.

Keywords

Alluring - powerfully or mysteriously attractive.
Devour - eat or consume eagerly.
Intricate - very complex or detailed.

Common misconception

Planning each paragraph to describe a different aspect of the scene will always create an engaging description.

Describing something different in each paragraph does not necessarily lead to an interesting description - it is the way in which the paragraphs link and build curiosity and tension that can make it more engaging.

You could revisit the opening of 'After Dark' by Haruki Murakami to give students some inspiration for their writing in this lesson.

Teacher tip

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of upsetting content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.

When should we start a new paragraph in our writing?

Correct answer: when you change topic

Correct answer: when you change speaker

when you start a new sentence

Q2.

To improve the structure of our writing what can we do?

vary our vocabulary

Correct answer: carefully consider the organisation of our writing

use more complex sentences

Q3.

What does devour mean?

to eat something slowly

Correct answer: to eat something quickly

to eat something calmly

Q4.

Which of these sentences uses the word 'alluring' correctly?

Correct answer: The necklace's alluring glow drew attention.

The scorching sun created an alluring heat, leaving people uncomfortable.

Correct answer: The vendor's smile was alluring, making customers feel welcomed.

Q5.

What should you do first when asked to write a piece of creative writing?

write the last sentence of each paragraph

begin writing everything at once

Correct answer: create a plan for the whole piece of writing

Q6.

What might be the most thorough and effective way to plan a piece of creative writing?

to write down all the language devices we will use

Correct answer: to make notes about what we might write about in each paragraph

to write a list of ambitious vocabulary we will use

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.

Starting with the first, put the points to create an engaging paragraph structure in the correct order.

1 - setting is introduced via wide perspective

2 - zoom in to build curiosity or tension

3 - shift the focus to a point of dramatic tension

Q2.

If we use a wide perspective to describe what are we most likely to write about?

a person's facial features

Correct answer: the weather

a characters's feelings

Q3.

If we use a zoomed in perspective what are we most likely to do?

provide a birds-eye view of a scene

Correct answer: describe one aspect of a scene in detail

describe what you can smell, taste, hear and see within a scene

Q4.

If we want to build tension in a narrative, which of these can we do?

describe events in a random order

Correct answer: gradually build intrigue as our writing progresses

repeatedly use a one sentence paragraph

Q5.

Complete the sentence: paragraphs are the blocks of a piece of writing.

Correct answer: building

unimportant

long

Q6.

To help us transition from paragraph to paragraph when describing a scene, it is helpful to use ...

adjective phrases.

noun phrases.

Correct answer: prepositional phrases.