Writer:

green

writing skills that guarantee success

1.

Adjectives
Adjectives are describing words that describe nouns. They are great for creating
mind movies for your readers. Use lots of adjectives!
Antonio picked up the huge, juicy, cheesy hamburger and took a humongous bite.
2.
Adverbs
Adverbs describe verbs and adjectives. They answer the questions how? when? where? why?
and to what extent? Adverbs are great for description.
Hallie is amazingly smart. Shes coming over to my house tomorrow.
3.
Alliteration
Alliteration means repeating the beginning sounds of a few words. It adds beauty.
A great big grasshopper jumped from the daisies down into the green grass.
4.
Anadiplosis
Anadiplosis is when we start a new thought or phrase with the noun that ended the thought or
phrase right before it. Anadiplosis adds beauty to our writing.
I bought a new skateboard, a skateboard that will help me with the competition.
Practice leads to winning. Winning is what I want most in this world.
5.
Appositives
An appositive sounds complicated, but its not. An appositive is when you write a noun, then
immediately rename the noun to make sure your reader knows who or what you are talking about.
My little brother, Dallas, gets into my stuff all the time. His favorite toy, my iPod, is what he wants.
6.
Dialogue
Dont you just love it when characters are talking? Thats called dialogue. Dialogue adds
interest and maturity to your writing. Dont overdo it, though. Two lines of dialogue is plenty!
Please start drying the dishes, Ana said. I thought about it. Ill have to do it later, I said.
7.
grabbers
Grabbers are sentences that capture the readers attention right away. The grabber is the first
thing your reader will see. You can write the grabber at the beginning or wait until youve finished
and go back to the beginning and add it. For examples, see the box on grabbers.
I heard the car door shut. Rats! My parents were home early! What was I going to do?
8.
hyperbole
We all love to exaggerate! Hyperbole means exaggerating in our writing to make a point.
This headache is killing me. Ive been waiting a million years for the aspirin to kick in.
9.
idioms
Idioms are colorful expressions that make a point. Idioms add voice to our writing.
A little bird told me that our new teacher, Miss Sparks, is all bark and no bite.
(I heard)
(might raise her voice, but she wont punish you)
2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

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Metaphors
Metaphors are when we make direct comparisons between two things to make a point. Many
metaphors are common expressions. They add beauty and maturity to your writing.
Tyrell is Kobe Bryant when it comes to sinking baskets. Hes 24 karat gold! What a slam-dunk maniac!
11.
mini-story
A mini-story is just what it sounds like: a tiny little story within a larger story or essay. A good
mini-story can give your reader an example or help him picture what you want him to know.
No kid looks forward to going to the doctors office. The last time I went, I had to get three shots! I had
no clue, but there was the nurse, saying, We need to update your shots. But, sometimes we need to go
to the doctor to keep from getting sick or when we hurt ourselves. Good health is important.
12.
onomatopoeia
This big old word means sound effects. Including sound effects in your writing helps recreate
the experience for your reader to picture. It puts him in the middle of the action!
Toby and I were wrestling when I heard a CRACK! Dads reading glasses are now in 100 pieces.
13.
personification
Personification means to give human-like qualities to things that are not human. Personification
adds beauty and maturity to our writing.
The trees danced in the wind, tilting their heads back and raising their arms to the sky.
14.
similes
You know similes! Thats when we compare two things and link them together with either the
word like or the word as. We do this to make a point and to add interest and color to our writing.
Grandpa snored like a buzz-saw. No kidding! It was as loud as a lions roar.
15.
sizzling vocabulary
Using great words is the best way to score high! Pick the BEST word for what you want to say.
Jaylas step dance routine was spectacular! That girl is an amazement, for sure!
16.
Specific emotion word or sensory word
When you describe the way you feel, or something youve experienced with your senses, be
sure to use specific words so your reader knows EXACTLY what youre talking about. This is good!
I was petrified when Mr. Grim, our principal, called me to his office to ask me about skipping school.
I opened the door to the basement. It smelled dank and musty down there, maybe even a little sour.
17.
Strong Verbs
Dont be caught using a weak verb! Impress your readers with strong verbs, verbs you can
picture or visualize in your mind. Strong verbs add beauty and impress your reader.
Mark slipped on the wet sidewalk and fell, bashing his head on the curb.
18.
Supporting with details and reasons
The best feeling in the world is to fill your writing with lots of vivid details. Dont skimp on
examples and descriptions! List reasons, add a mini-story, and knock us over the head with details!
Why dont I want to stay home this weekend? Well, lets see. My dad wants me to help him rake the
whole yard, which is ankle-deep in leaves and pine needles. My mom is hoping Ill take everything
out of the garage and hose it out, which almost killed me the last time I did it. Oh, and lets not forget
that my sisters Brownie troop is having a sleepover, so that means ten screaming seven-year-olds!

My scores

10.

2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

This is the bottom half of Writing Skills

That Improve Our Scores on green
sheet #1. Tape the two sections together
to form one long sheet.

#2

plasma pink

SPARKLE WORDS
affirm - to agree with
altercation - an angry argument
anecdote - a short, entertaining story
astound - amaze
balk - to refuse to go ahead
bedlam - a noisy, confusing environment
behemoth - huge
benevolent - kind, generous
bliss - happiness
brilliant - quite intelligent
captivate - to gain everyones attention
cataclysmic - the absolute worst
catastrophe - a sudden and total distaster
catastrophic - utterly horrible
complacent - willing to please
culpable - deserving blame
dilemma - in a troublesome situation
discombobulated - confused, mixed up
dolt - a stupid or dim-witted person
doubt - to think something might not be true
embellish - decorate by adding detail
empathy - the ability to share another persons feelings
enhance - to improve, to decorate, to embellish
enthrall - to captivate, to fascinate
epitome - a person or thing that shows typical qualities
eradicate - wipe out, destroy
exacerbate - make worse
exuberant - over-the-top happy
fetching - good looking, attractive
flaunt - to show off your skills
forlorn - hopeless, desperate
fracas - a wild fight
giddy - so happy you are silly
grouse - complain
grovel - to beg or be humble before someone
hindsight - the ability to see what would have been the right thing to do
hoard - to collect or stockpile
impeccable - without fault or error
laudable - worthy of praise
maverick - a person who has his own viewpoint that others do not hold to
mirage - something that seems real but is not
monopolize - take too much of someones time or to assume control of

dialogue
Who doesnt like to
listen to what other people
have to say? Adding dialogue
to your writing makes it more
interesting for the reader. Be
sure to use quotation marks.
Dialogue with said for a tag:
Im going to hit a home run, Alvin said.
Dialogue with a strong verb for a tag:
Get a good grip on your bat, Coach reminded.
Dialogue without any tags:
Ive been practicing my grip.
2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

My
This My Scores box gets glued to
the front of the My Scores
Folder on green sheet #2.

Scores

#3

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Jump into successful

writing!
Just Ask Yourself
these important
questions about
your writing:
2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

FOCUS - Are all of your sentences

on the topic? Does everything focus
in on the main idea?

organization - Do you have a

beginning, a middle, and an ending?
Are things in order?

This is the bottom half of Sparkle Words

on pulsar pink sheet #3. Tape the two sections
together to form one long sheet.

support - Did you support a

main idea with juicy details your
reader can picture? Does
your writing feel complete?

2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

conventions - Did you use capital letters,

end punctuation, and pretty good spelling?
Did you invent spelling for words you dont
know how to spell? Did you indent?

nemesis - an enemy or opponent that cant be beaten

pacify - to calm down
personify - to have the qualities of
phenomenal - unusually good
pontificate - talk to convince someone
pristine - completely clean
reciprocate - to take turns doing something nice
savvy - practical know-how
scathing - fierce, angry
scintillating - really good, stimulating
skedaddle - leave quickly
solace - comfort
somber - gloomy
sparkling - bright, happy
sublime - impressive, majestic
supercilious - an arrogant attitude
superlative - outstanding
tenacious - stubborn, doesnt let go of
throng - a crowd
tumultuous - wild and noisy
turmoil - a confusing uproar
utopia - a perfect environment
vamoose - leave quickly
vehement - marked by extreme feelings or convictions
vendetta - a prolonged feud or fight
verbose - wordy, talks too much
winsome - agreeable, pleasant
witty - cleverly amusing
zany - silly, funny, crazy-but-likable
zeal - showing great enthusiasm, working hard to achieve a goal
zenith - the highest, the ultimate

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Idioms for terrible or trouble

Five Parts of Your Writing:

Grabber - This is a sentence or two that hooks your
reader and makes him want to read more.
Beginning - This is a sentence that tells your reader
what you are writing about. Be sure to include one or
two important words from the prompt.
Middle - The middle is where you write details that go
together and details that create mind movies for your
reader. The middle should be orderly and organized.
Be sure to include interesting facts, examples, reasons,
mini-stories, and descriptions that help your reader
picture what you are writing about. It is a good idea to
indent when you change ideas or move on to a different
time or location.
Ending - This is a sentence or two that wraps up your
paper by telling the reader the most important thing you
want to say.
Zinger - The zinger is kind of like a grabber, only at the
end of your paper. A zinger can be an idiom, a phrase,
or a sentence that makes the reader laugh or think.

2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

train wreck
not pretty
pretty ugly
something you wouldnt wish on your worst enemy
youre in hot water
your goose is cooked
youre toast
youre in the dog house
the final straw
the last straw
the straw that broke the camels back
out of the frying pan into the fire
up the creek without a paddle
youre asking for trouble
that spells trouble
youre in deep water
youre asking for it
youre standing on my last nerve

Idioms for easy

like taking candy from a baby
piece of cake
like falling off a log
easy breezy
easy as pie
as simple as pie
easy as 1, 2, 3

Idioms for exceptionally good

out of this world
off the charts
off the chain
a little piece of heaven
heavenly
7th heaven
the be all and the end all
world class
the cats pajamas
the bees knees
the mack daddy
the gold standard
the top of the world
divine
creme de la creme
on cloud 9
crackerjack
beyond imagination
beyond your wildest dreams
apple of my eye

#5
2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

blue

GRABBER - A grabber is an opening sentence or two that

captures the readers attention. The grabber can be:
a humorous statement

When my friend Trekkie Omartian rings our doorbell, I say, Uh oh. Here comes trouble!
a shocking statement

My Aunt Agatha has a beard, and Im not kidding.

dialogue

If you do that again, youre in BIG TROUBLE, my teacher warned.

onomatopoeia

KABLONKERS!! My head hit the corner of the bunk bed frame.

a rhetorical question

Can you imagine if someone gave you a million dollars to give away?

a scenario

Imagine this: Youre home alone cooking doughnuts, and you set the kitchen on fire!
an opinion

My dog, Ogden, is the best friend a kid could ever have.

a comparison

Indiana Jones is cool, but Iron Man has better gear and can even fly.
2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

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Build your writing with transitional phrases

After all...
After what seemed like a long time...
And guess what?
At that point...
At the same time...
Because of this...
But at the same time...
Come with me and Ill show you...
First of all...
For instance...
For that reason...
Heres the best part.
Heres the thing.
I especially like...
I must tell you...
I wish I had more time to tell you about...
Id like to bring my explanation to an end by telling you...
If you think thats bad, it gets worse.
If you think thats scary, wait till you hear what happened next!
In any case...
In fact...
In other words...
In the first place...
In the meantime...
Later on...
Let me begin.
Let me end my story by saying...
Let me give you an example.
Let me remind you...
Let me sum up my thoughts by saying...
Lets start at the beginning.
Moving on...
My favorite part is...
My story wouldnt be complete if I didnt tell you about...

Never again will I...

Now comes the part that got me into trouble.
Now that weve looked at that, lets move on to...
Now you see ...
Oh, and another thing...
On the other hand...
Once that happened...
Right after that...
Right away...
Sooner or later...
Step into my world and Ill tell you...
The first step is a piece of cake.
The first thing that happened was...
The lesson I learned is...
The most important thing is...
The next thing that happened knocked my socks off.
The thing I hate about it is...
This happened because...
This may be true, but...
This next part is a doozie!
To put it a different way...
To put it differently...
Until now...
Until then...
What happened next still gives me the willies!
When all was said and done...
When I found out the truth...
When I realized what had actually happened...
When she realized I was telling the truth...
When we finally got home...
When you hear what happened...
You need to know that...
You wont believe what happened next.

2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

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Scoring the EASY Way!

Beginning that introduces the
topic to the reader and uses key
words from the prompts
1 point
Middle that is filled with juicy
details, descriptions, reasons,
ideas, examples, and maybe a
mini-story
1 point

Ending that tells the reader the

most important thing you want
him to know or a takeaway
ending
1 point

A feeling of completeness,
meaning the reader is satisfied
1 point

Individual Writing Skills

4-5 3rd Grade
5-7 4th Grade
7-9 5th Grade
1 point
If you get to a 5, you ask
yourself this question: Is this
paper outstanding?
1 point
If the conventions are there
MOST of the time and you can
easily read the paper, leave the
score as it is. If the conventions
are NOT THERE MOST of the
time and you have difficulty
reading the paper, you must take
away one point
-1 point

2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

This Metaphor box does not get glued onto the

wings. Cut it out and glue it to the OUTSIDE
of the Metaphor Wallet on pulsar pink on sheet #11.

2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

As hungry as a wolf
As innocent as a lamb
As large as life
As light as a feather
As light as air
As mad as a hatter
As mad as a hornet
As neat as a pin
As nutty as a fruitcake
As old as the hills
As pale as death
As plain as day
As pleased as punch
As poor as a church mouse
As poor as dirt
As pretty as a picture
As proud as a peacock
As pure as the driven snow
As quick as a wink
As quick as lightning
As right as rain
As scarce as hens teeth
As sensitive as a flower
As sharp as a tack
As sharp as a razor
As sick as a dog
As silly as a goose
As slippery as an eel
As slow as molasses
As slow as a snail
As slow as a tortoise
As smooth as silk
As snug as a bug in a rug
As soft as a babys bottom
As solid as a rock
As tight as a drum
As ugly as a mud fence

AS Similes

A metaphor is a word picture that makes an

unusual or fun comparison between two things.
For instance, when we say, My little brother was
an angel during my piano recital, we dont actually
mean that he has wings! What we mean is that his
behavior was good.
When we say, its raining cats and
dogs outside! we are trying to paint
a funny picture of just how hard its
raining. We use metaphors when we
write so our pieces will be creative
and enjoyable for our readers.

As agile as monkey
As alike as two peas in a pod
As big as a bus
As big as an elephant
As black as midnight
As brave as a lion
As bright as day
As busy as a beaver
As busy as a bee
As clean as a whistle
As clear as a bell
As clear as crystal
As clear as mud
As cold as ice
As cool as a cucumber
As crazy as a bedbug
As crooked as a dogs hind leg
As cunning as a fox
As cute as a button
As dead as a doornail
As delicate as a flower
As different as night and day
As dry as a bone
As dry as dust
As dull as dishwater
As easy as A,B,C
As easy as pie
As fit as a fiddle
As flat as a pancake
As free as a bird
As fresh as a daisy
As gentle as a lamb
As happy as a lark
As happy as a pig in a mud puddle
As hard as nails
As hoarse as a crow
As hungry as a bear

metaphors

#8

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punctuation
Punctuation? Of course I use good punctuation.
You wont get very far in this world without it.
Writing is with us for a lifetime, and the best writers
use it to help them become successful at whatever they do!

Capital Letters
Periods
Question Marks

Exclamation Points
Quotation Marks
Indentation

commas in a series
2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

Takeaway Endings, Conclusions, Zingers

We want you kids to know endings are important! They leave
your reader feeling happy to have read your paper. You can
choose from any of the endings below.

takeaway
A takeaway ending tells
the reader what you learned or
how your life has changed.

conclusion
A conclusion is an ending that tells
the reader the most important thing
you want him to remember.
2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

zinger
A zinger is that little
something extra that touches
the reader or makes him laugh
or think!

#9

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LIKE Similes
Be careful whose toes you step on.
Dont beat around the bush.
Get your ducks in a row.
He had a heart of stone.
She is the sunshine of my day.
My mother is the light of my life.
My little sister is a jumping bean.
Now hes rolling in dough.
Mom says Im the apple of her eye.
Hes just a big old teddy bear.
He is 24 karat gold.
He will stab you in the back.
Hes such a motor mouth.
Her ideas are over the top.
I can be a headache sometimes.
I gave her an earful.
I got a slap on the wrist this time.
I had a lot on my plate.
I love her to death.
I was a basket case.
I was ticked off for sure.
I was up the creek without a paddle.
Ill get back on my feet soon.
Ill have to burn the candle at both ends.
Im at the end of my rope.
Im burned out.
Im fired up.
Im not in love with that idea.
Ive been running a rat race all day.
It went in one ear and out the other.
Its raining cats and dogs.
Lets play ball.
Lets put our minds together.
My father has the heart of a lion.
My lips are sealed.
Now thats a home run of an idea.
Our car turned out to be a lemon.
Put the pedal to the metal.
She can kill you with kindness.
Shes a living doll.
Shes clueless.
Take a stab at it.
That bugs me.
That just blows me away.
Thats on the cutting edge.
The balls in your court.
This will knock your socks off.
Watch your back.
We hit the ground running.
Were swamped today.
Well thats a no brainer
Well, join the club.
You can wait until the cows come home.
You do the math.
You need to raise the bar.
You need to think outside of the box.
Youre in deep trouble.
Youre in over your head.
Youre missing a piece of the puzzle.

chatters like a monkey

cooks like a chef
cries like a baby
cuts like a knife
draws like an artist
dresses like a model
drives like a maniac
drives like an old lady
eats like a bird
eats like a horse
eyes like a hawk
feels like velvet
fits like a glove
flies like a bird
floats like a boat
gossips like an old biddy
grows like a weed
irritates like sandpaper
jumps like a frog
keeps a secret like a vault
know it like the back of your hand
laughs like a hyena
like finding a needle in a haystack
looks like a giant
love is like a red rose
plays guitar like a rock star
plays like an athlete
reads like a bookworm
roars like a lion
runs like a rocket
runs like the wind
searches like a bloodhound
shimmers like a diamond
sings like an angel
sits around like a couch potato
sleeps like a baby
smells like a wet goat

smells like money

smells like rain
smokes like a chimney
smooth like silk
snores like a buzz saw
soars like an eagle
sounds like trouble
sparkles like fireworks
spends money like it grows on trees
stretches like a rubber band
studies like a fiend
swims like a fish
talks like a parrot
talks like a house afire
tastes like ambrosia
works like a dog
works like theres no tomorrow
works like a horse

Take it from me,

Lex Lizard:
Similes add beauty and
maturity to your
writing...Use them when
you want to impress
your reader!

2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

Metaphor Wallet
This metaphor wallet does not get glued onto the wings of
the writing satchel. Cut it out, fold the words to the inside.
Place one-half Velcro dot under the flap to hold it closed.
Glue the Metaphor Wallet title to the front of the outside.
It is on orange sheet #8. Place this in the drawer of your
writing satchel.

#10

Instructions for Making the Writing Satchel

1. Open large paper bag. At the top, locate the side that is scooped out in the middle.
2. Make one long cut from the center of the back down to the last crease, 4 from the bottom of the bag.
3. Cut along the last crease 4 from the bottom of the bag along the front and sides.
DO NOT CUT THE BACK OF THE BAG.
4. The bag should now have a drawer at the bottom and two wings.

marquee

5. Put a 12 strip of clear duct tape along the joint that

holds the drawer to the bag in the INSIDE and the
OUTSIDE. This will reinforce the drawer so that it
does not tear. You will appreciate this, later!
6. Fold the wings in to their natural position. I call this
position the marquee.
7. Fold the marquee down--in half--so that it now
meets the drawer. Crease this fold. I call the top of this
fold the rooftop.
8. On either side of the fold I call, the rooftop, put
two dots, about 2 or 3 inches apart.
9. Use a pen or pencil to poke a little hole through all
four dots on the rooftop.

drawer

drawer

rooftop

drawer

drawer
2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

wing

wing

drawer
10. Poke brass brads through the ends of the craft foam
handles, about a half-inch from the end.
11. Push the brass brads through the holes you have poked
on the rooftop. The handles dont lap over the top. One
handle is on each side of the rooftop. Open the prongs
of the brads.
12. On the inside, put one small craft foam square over
each brass brad. This means youll have to close the prongs
again, push on the craft foam, and open the prongs once
more. Now your handles are on and reinforced with craft
foam.
13. Cut out the individual pieces of the Writers Toolbox
Writing Satchel HANDOUT SHEETS. I recommend cutting
out one or two pieces, gluing them on, and then continuing
to the next one or two pieces. That way you wont get them
mixed up.

...Instructions
14. Glue stick the back of the pieces. Place them on the satchel according to the MASTER PLAN.

15. Tape around the edges of the glued-on pieces. This is an important step to the success of the writing satchel. Dont skip!

16. When you have finished placing each piece, fold the wings back into the marquee position.
Fold the marquee down to the drawer.

17. Fold the drawer up over the marquee. Place a Velcro dot under the top of the drawer flap so
that it stays closed.

18. Make the ring clip words by cutting them out, cutting them apart, and punching a hole in the top
of each strip with a hole punch. Thread each word strip on the ring clip. Place those in the drawer.

19. Make the slider according to the directions. Place the slider in the drawer.

20. Pull apart one Velcro dot. Put the soft part around the middle of a pencil. Put the stiff part in the center
of the bottom of the drawer. Place the pencil there so that the two parts stick together. You can also place a 2 segment
of drinking straw over the top of the sharpened pencil to keep the tip from breaking. The straws from McDonalds, Burger King,
and Popeyes Fried Chicken are all wide enough to slip over a standard sharpened pencil.
21. Use the writing satchel to help your students become better writers. Have fun!
Make learning hands-on and memorable. Encourage creativity and imagination.
Celebrate every success!
Velcro dot
underneath

drawer

2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

MASTER PLAN for Writing Satchel

idioms

punctuation
focus, organization
support, conventions

transitional
phrases

SCORING

writing
skills that
Guarantee
Success
2 parts
must be
glued and
taped
together

5 parts
of writing

grabbers

takeaway endings
conclusions, zingers

dialogue

my
scores

duct tape both sides of the bag where

the drawer connects to the marquee
sparkle
words
2 parts
must be
glued and
taped
together

These two pieces

are glued
to the
FRONT
of the
marquee wings
2008 Melissa Forney www.melissaforney.com

LIKE
similes

AS
similes