When I think of a scrapbook, I think of my 20-something friends and their midwest moms, spreading around dozens of tables with hundreds of 12x12 pre-designed sheets of paper, 20 kinds of tape and glue, several copies of each photo from their family vacation to Medora, North Dakota, and hours upon hours of creating each page.
They are beautifully handcrafted and are special for bringing them out at life events...you know the ones: 8th grade, high school and college graduations, wedding showers and baby showers.
But a yearbook should not be a scrapbook. A yearbook is meant to provide glimpses of history in your child's life through the eyes of the school. Unlike scrapbooks, your yearbook will be archived for years with the school, perhaps eventually enter the town's library.
One main element that separates a scrapbook from a yearbook is writing. You've heard the saying "A picture's worth a thousand words," but just like comparing a movie to a book, there are elements you cannot conjure with only photographs. Your writing should capture a moment, a focal point of life.
So how do you write a good story? Let's start with how to write an attention-grabbing opening paragraph, or in journalism terms, the lead. (Note: "The lead" can also refer to the opening sentence.)
First, figure out how you want to approach the story. Look for the perspective in which you'll write. Perhaps this is through the eyes of the water-boy for the basketball team or a behind-the-scenes account of this year's spring production of "Oklahoma!"
Next, take notes. Then take more notes. The only time your pen should stop (or thumbs tapping away on your iPhone) is when you're processing information, and sometimes not even then. Write down what your five senses are telling you. Does it smell like sweat or hairspray? Is it dark? Is it as quiet as a library or as loud as a rock concert? Maybe there is a taste involved, such as the taste of the lunchroom's choice of a rubbery hot dog. Taste can also be metaphorical, like the taste of victory. What can you physically touch? Does sweat drip off the cheer team in cups as they practice endless stunts and tumbling? Is there a chill to the air as autumn gives way to its cold mistress, winter?
Using these five senses, we can create an opening that will lure your readers in by creating the atmosphere.
Now it's time to practice on your own! Use the following prompt to write an opening paragraph using each of the five senses. If you get stuck, take a look below for ideas.
The setting: Football Game night at the championship game. You are in your hometown's locker room, just minutes from the game-time warmups, observing their pre-game ritual. Outside, fans pour into the stands.
example:
An odd quiet stirs in the dimly lit locker room. No one else speaks as the coaches mutter in the corner about last-minute strategies and scenarios. The muffled sounds of the pep-band and a crowd already boisterously shouting filter through the tunnel and into the room. Senior Defensive Tackle Jared Allen hunches forward and stares at his feet as he sits, his left leg bouncing in nervous anticipation while Senior Quarterback Christian Ponder tucks his older brother's lucky dog tags into his cleat. On the unseasonably warm November night, the taste of victory hangs as thick in the air as the stench from 30 pairs of unwashed sweaty socks. "Our game, Our year, Our time" the banner says in bold maroon and gold, hung proudly above the lockers. Only time would tell if, indeed, it will be our year.
Creating a story can give your audience a back-stage pass into a piece of history they would never have otherwise experienced. If you include these pieces of writing, it will bring to life the stories a photo could never tell.
Coming up: Caption Writing!
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