Here is a great example of a From the Brain paragraph from thirteen-year-old Margaret. She’s a natural at tight, focused paragraphs. This unrevised paragraph is from Margaret’s free-write journal.
I dance. I do many types of dancing: ballet, jazz, tap, and modern. My favorite type is probably ballet or modern. Two years ago, I bought my pointe shoes and have gone through about seven pairs since. I have gone through so many of them because I have very high arches which bend the shank of the shoe, the bottom of the shoe, extremely fast. The fastest time I have gone through a single pair is two weeks! Thankfully, jazz, modern, and tap are less expensive, otherwise my mom would probably not let me dance as much as I do now, or I would have to be a millionaire! Dance is a large part of my life, and I enjoy every moment of it.
