Ideas for essay about my strongest childhood memories. How should I start the opening paragraph?

Question

I would like some creative ideas please, I hate talking about myself in essays-I find it so boring! Any ideas on how to keep it consistently fresh throughout and not lapse into boring sentimentality?!!

Answer 1

a good hook that would fascinates the readers to read more or wonder what is going to happen next.

I'm a journalist for my school yearbook and newspaper. You might want to start with specific lead, rather than general lead.
For example, That's my childhood memory. That is general lead.
The specific lead would be Something incredibly happens! etc.

The hook goes with specific lead, the first paragraph of an outstanding essay. The general lead is often in the second paragraph after explaing what happened.

Then you must support your topic(childhood memories) with at least three supporting paragraphs. and conclusion which reviews the topic sentences from first paragaphs to be answered. And explained what happen again in a different way.

Answer 2

Childhood Memory Essay

Answer 3

Start off with some of your best memories of all time. This will grab the reader:

" I will never forget my first kiss and the first night I drank more alcohol than I could manage. I remenber seeing the Rolling Stones live and the Concorde flying over my house."

Then hit the reader with a reality check:

" Can the more faded memory of falling out of my pram or being lost in Woolworths for 5 mins, etc, really compare?"

Then go on to explain why and how they can. The world seems so huge and alien when you're small. The only person really worth knowing as a toddler is your mother. Even your father's a poor second best."

Go on and describe any happy (or traumatic) moments and anlalyse against the involvement (or lack of) with your mother.

Of course, father kicks in later in your life. Earliest memory? Probably Dad cooking when your mother was unable to do so.
How bad was his cooking?

Answer 4

Its "Past" not "passed". It also sounds better to put the adjective after the verb, ie " I flung open the door, excitedly", although thats a matter of personal taste. The sentences are a little long. You have to think how easy it would be to read aloud in front of the class. You'd be gasping for breath! You could shorten them ie "My mum turned our Rover left onto the long driveway which lead up the hill to our destination. I was sucking air through the hole in a polo whilst slowly winning my weekly battle. Trying to force my feet down into my riding boots was not easy. . ." etc Other than that its fantastic! Very descriptive and evocative (I can smell the stableyard and the leather of the saddles and hear the Moody Blues! lol) Make sure you address all the senses in your account - ie sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. How did the Polo taste? Cool, Minty, Sweet? Did it make your mouth water? Did you wash it down with some crisp bubbly spring water which burned on your tongue, already sensitised from the mint? What could you smell - stableyards have a distinctive smell! The warm sweaty smell of the horses, the sweet pungent smell of the manure pile, the salt of the leather in the tack room, the strong scent of the saddlesoap? What could you hear? The contented munching of the horses in their stalls? The rhythmic thumping of Conker kicking inpatiently against his stable door? The excited chatter of your friends as they pulled on their boots? Touch - what did your boots feel like? Rough, smooth? Were you holding your riding crop, how did that feel? Did you pat your favourite horse as you passed? How did his neck feel? Warm, damp etc? What was the weather like? Cold crisp autumnal morning or a balmy spring evening? The point I'm getting at is the most evocative writing does not just tell us what is going on, it prompts us to use our imaginations to experience everything in the story, with all of our senses. you've already given us a few clues - the rain on the windows and lush green grass (sight), the Moody Blues on the stereo (sound), the Polo (taste), now just expand it a bit further! Good luck and post the finished version - we'd love to read it!!!

Answer 5

Opening paragraph could be... As I sit here in my favourite chair, with my lovely cat on my lap, I am closing my eyes and drifting off into memories of my chilhood. I am feeling so comfortable,because the most overwhelming feeling is one of love and security, for which I am so grateful to my parents. Together we have shared so much, all of which has made me the person I am now. Of course there were the bad times, and it would be wrong to ignore them, we have to have these experiences to appreciate the positive ones! Then of course, the humorous memories-as I recall these I can feel my lips curling into a smile........
Then you could describe a happy time, a bad time and then a funny moment to end on a good note and amuse the reader! I do wish you luck with it.

Answer 6

Ask the reader a question... "Don't you just hate it when the loo roll runs out?"

Begin in the middle... "Fying through the air, in a huge swinging arc was incredible: it was the landing which put me in hospital."

Make a statement of intent... " It was probably the dumbest thing I'd done during my first year. No... That's a lie; it was definitely the dumbest thing I'd done... ever!"

What ever you write, keep checking the sentences you've written. Are they saying what you want them to say? Are they witty? Erudite? To the point? Engaging?

If you haven't already, the main question you should ask yourself is who am I writing for? Think about your target audience and focus your answer to address them.

Key tip: don't just waffle on with out an end in sight - plan that too!

GOOD LUCK.

Answer 7

As a child the mind is still developing, and the most vivid memories are the ones that serve to mould one's character. Sometimes these go as far as shaping subconscious baheviour.

hope that helps. and if you dont want to lapse into sentimentality then maybe you should not talk about things that arouse such feelings in you.

Answer 8

Paint the picture of your first ever memory - it would be the perfect opener. This allows you to get creative with the writing without it being all "i did this, and I did that" ie:

ie...The sun shone brightly in the sky and autumn leaves had begun falling from the trees, littering the footpath with specks of orange and yellow. I ran along the path, clutching my lunchbox, my heart thudding with panic that I would miss the bus and miss the chance to go on the school trip with all my friends" blah blah

Whatever your first memory is, think back, put yourself back there, and create the scene in your essay with as much description and colour as you can.

Answer 9

You could use a artistic/literary approach, say.... Today I woke up and the sun was shining, the wind caught my hair and made me shiver, it made me think about when i was young and i didnt feel the cold. I dont recall ever shivering beneath a cool breeze. Childhood is when we are most free, the worries of being an adult are far away and the memories we make are full of colour. My first memory of childhood was....... Dont know if this helps, but I guess its how I would approach it. It will make the person who reads it feel emotions and recall their own childhood. Its vivid and captures you, i think! Good luck anyway!

Answer 10

try a different point of view. suppose you're talking about a flower.

look at from an ant's eyes. or a bee's choice destination.

suppose you[re a baby in a crib, looking a light,

frame it like youre in space, a great light shown in the eternal darkness, as I approched it my ship rocked. I'd filled my own diaper and the great light was a hall light, or a night light.

if you use a little self-depricating humor, it will engage your reader and peek their curiosity. they'll want more of the good stuff. You have it in you, you just have to look at things a bit differently.

best of luck,

frankie chocolate