RAFT

1. RAFT • Write a spooky exposition to begin a story. With your words, take me to the edge of a cliff and leave me hanging (in other words, don’t write a whole story, stop at a cliff hanger) – SEE EXAMPLE • I am not scared by slasher movies! Blood and guts are gross, not scary. Write an exposition that messes with my mind  • Settings we discussed in class (options): house, night, attic, woods, hotel • Role - Student • Audience – Mrs. Saugier • Format – Exposition Paragraph • Topic –keep Mrs. Saugier from sleeping tonight . . . Scare her! • MINIMUM 2 paragraphs • Capitalization • Word Choice AND Ideas and Elaboration

2. EXAMPLE: Crimson light poured through the cracks of the wood planked barn. However, the air inside the broken down barn was still. The sweet smell of oats left the barn years ago. Right after the accident, I would come to the barn when I wanted to get away from the well wishers who came to the house like cockroaches. Dad wanted to bulldoze it, but he could never find the courage to do it. I hadn’t been back since I moved out. I watched every step as I crawled through the barn. It was like a museum that had been deserted. I could hear rats scurry as I neared the ladder to the loft. I remembered the loft being a lot higher, but now, if I wasn’t careful, I would bump my forehead on its edge. The whole thing replayed in my mind like a bad movie. I could see my sister, but I couldn’t warn her. My hands turned to ice as I climbed the wooden ladder. I crawled up into the loft. No one had been where I currently stood since the accident. A piece of her purple dress clung to a nail head on the floor. The edges of the fabric were reddish brown. As my trembling hand reached for the torn fabric, an icy wind raced up my back sending needles into my spine. I put my hand back on the ladder rung. “Is someone there?” I called out.