EXPRESS YOURSELF!
Great ideas for writing
Introduction
This slide show was presented March 24, 2011,
in the TRiO tutoring center at CPCC in
Charlotte, NC. It is based on a Sports
Illustrated story posted January 6, 2011, by
Andy Staley. It is about one of the top high
school football players in America, Ray Drew
Jr., who recently signed to play for the
University of Georgia. The title of the article is
“The Pastor of Pass Rush.”
To write a paper, you must have
An Idea!!
18—year-old football player
Ray Drew Jr is a preacher
Once you have an idea…
• Gather information
– Research
– Interview people
– Write down facts
– Look for details and examples
What kind of research did Sports
Illustrated writer Andy Staley do?
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Went to church service
Interviewed Ray Drew Jr.
Probably interviewed Lizzie Mays
Interviewed senior pastor Eddie Edwards
Probably watched Drew play football
Could have interviewed others
Once you have information, ORGANIZE IT!
How did Staley organize this story?
He wrote two stories.
Story #1: The preacher
• This story is in italics. Staley takes you to Drew’s
church. An elderly woman calls the congregation to
sing. Then, Drew begins to preach and in his story
telling, you find out how he thinks.
Story #2: Ray Drew Jr.
• He is a high school football player who has been
preaching since 8th grade
• He was called to preach in a vision explained by his
godfather
• His first sermon
(“the Lord will provide”)
• His growth as a player
• His hero: Reggie White
• His plans for the future
How Staley tells each story
• The preaching story is in PRESENT TENSE. It is
written in italics.
• The profile of Ray is in PAST TENSE. It is in
regular type.
Once you’ve collected your
information and organized it…
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Write
Write
Write
Write
Write
And remember to start your story
by answering the 5 Ws. You’ll make
the reader feel secure!
Andy Staley gives us what we
need to feel secure.
He tells us ….
WHO the story is about: Ray Drew Jr. (paragraph 5)
WHAT is going on: a church service (paragraph 1)
WHERE we are: Paradise Missionary Baptist church
on South Pinetree Boulevard in Thomasville,
Georgia (paragraphs 1 & 2)
WHEN: 3rd Sunday in December 2010 (paragraph 2)
WHY? to hear Ray preach (paragraphs 4 & 5)
And make every sentence COUNT!
How to make a sentence COUNT?
Great ADJECTIVES
• An adjective describes a NOUN. It modifies. It
reveals a quality of the noun.
Here are some of Andy Staley’s adjectives:
“duct-taped Bible” “Coke-bottle glasses”
“humble building”
“pregame anticipation”
“startling regularity” “on-field mean streak”
“quarterback-wrecking machine”
Choose great VERBS
• A verb is the action; it tells what the noun is
doing. It can identify a state of being, too.
Here are some of Andy Staley’s VERBS
“clutches” —not “holds”
“seized”—not “chose”
“mauling” —not “beating”
“relishes”—not “enjoys”
“lathered”—not “prepared”
“rocks”—not “is loud”
You’ve written it. Now edit it.
CHECK YOUR WORK!
Read through it with a pencil. Mark changes.
Ask these questions about each paragraph:
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Does everything in this paragraph belong here?
Does this paragraph make sense?
Is the FIRST SENTENCE a great introduction?
Does the LAST SENTENCE complete the idea?
Are there transitions from paragraph to paragraph?
Last of all, read it out loud.
In conclusion, next time you have a
paper to write….
• Pick an idea and
gather information
• Organize it
• Write, write, write, write, write
(Make every word count
• Edit
• Read out loud
)
Do this, and you will have….
Acknowledgements
This presentation is based on a Sports
Illustrated story posted January 6, 2011,
by Andy Staley, “The Pastor of Pass Rush.”
It was created by Laurie Prince.