Earlier last month, the Spanish congress approved a set of amendments and laws that drastically restricts freedom of expression in the streets and on the internet. In response, Spanish citizens held the first hologram protest in history. Some questions to consider:

· When can the government put a limit to freedom of expression?
· When should people be allowed to express their dissent?
· What other avenues can citizens utilise to express their points of view?
· Is it more important for people to be able to express dissent, or for society to be stable?

One type of opening favoured by students when writing compositions is that of describing the weather. While there is nothing wrong with describing the weather in a composition, it does tend to get overused and hence, it is not likely to impress the teacher.

One way to improve on this is to link the scenery to your protagonist’s mood. Think about how your protagonist is feeling at the beginning of the story. Is he excited, or sad and feeling dejected? Let him remark upon the weather and how it reflects his mood.

Example:

The dark, ominous clouds looming overhead and the violent gust of wind that swept past the field mirrored my feelings of dread and confusion as a thousand hypothetical scenarios played out in my mind. Clutching my windbreaker, I fervently wished that I was doing something else, anything else but walking towards Allie’s house. How would I break the news to her? I wondered.

Next time you are asked to write a composition, why not give this technique a try?