I don't want to give her whole lesson, because, I don't know, that might be bad in some way. But basically, (and she made this up, I think,) there are One-cent sentences, Fifty-cent sentences, and Dollarized, or Golden, sentences.
One-cent: Really cheap sentences. Cliché, bad or no description, poor grammar, poor wording, so on. These are the sentences you really just do not enjoy reading, but sometimes can't help writing. Do I need to say more? We all know what I'm talking about.
Fifty-cent: These are what they sound like - normal. Not good or bad, just in between. If a book was made entirely out of these, you likely would not keep reading it, just because there is so much good stuff out there to read. Again, these are the sentences we end up writing if we, one, don't review our work, or two, don't really care all that much.
Dollarized: There is very little chance you will write one of these on accident. These take effort, review, and time. This sentence is one that is grammatically correct (most of the time), interesting, descriptive (but not too much - you don't want to info dump), and not cliché. They are difficult, but you don't need to be an expert to make one.
I'm going to put down the Dollarized sentences my teacher had us write. Try to guess what it's talking about if it doesn't directly say. Some of them are things she gave us prompts on, some are things I observed about my family. Here goes!
His mouth watered at the aroma of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies wafting off his grandmother as she gave him a tight hug.
(The smell of Grandparents)
She noticed that her grandfather smelt a bit like gun powder, animal skin, and moth-eaten clothes as he patted Jenna's back affectionately.
(Same as above)
Joy welled in her heart as they hugged tightly, simultaneously reliving memories.
(Hugging a well-known friend she hadn't seen in a while.)
An aura of somber silence was overwhelming and stifling, heavying hearts and extracting tears to all in the large room.
(In a Funeral Home.)
A crispy crunch, a sweet taste filling my mouth, and the rosy red of the fruit in my hand was enough to make my eyes roll back in delight.
(Biting into a good apple.)
Her hair was like wisps of clouds on a sunny day – soft and messy and light.
(My little sister's hair - lucky!)
Doing a split, his legs stretched, his toes reaching to the sides as his face filled with discomfort.
(My amazingly flexible little brother.)
His batman shirt was scratched and faded, the yellow and black almost fading into each other with time.
(Another of my little brothers - the shirt they happened to be wearing at the time.)
Her face was tired: her eyes big and blubbery, her cheeks sagging, her lids half closed, her mouth hanging open like it was on hinges.
(I'm hoping what every girl looks like when they wake up - am I really the only one?)
So, those were some of my Dollarized sentences. My teacher only gave us about two minutes per sentence, so they could have been better, but I did my best. Hope this helped! Please vote and comment some Dollarized sentences of your own!
- Total_KOTLC_Fan
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Writing Notes
CasualeThis is a collection of the things I learn at my writing classes. It will be some of my notes, some tips, some short stories I wrote, and other things. Enjoy!