Hooked
I’m leaning on
the book called Hooked by Les Edgerton.
Les suggests in
his Tagline: “write fiction that grabs readers at page one and never lets them
go.”
Well how to
heck are you going to do that while developing your story and characters? You
may avoid hooks by writing a literary novel, but I suggest the style of writing
replaces the traditional hook with an intellectual or artistic, come on, read
more. After all we all want to find that book that smacks us aside the head and
says read on, you really don’t need that much sleep.
If a book is
book, literary or not, you the reader will know and I might add, immediately.
Back to Hooked:
1.
If your book doesn’t catch the eye and heart of
the gatekeeper then you haven’t done your job. The gatekeeper is either an
agent or editor. If you want to self-publish, then satisfy yourself with the
story. But please do be a tough taskmaster. Perhaps a critique group or other
authors to pair with will help get you feedback rather than receiving it in
reviews in which the risk of one-stars can sink a story.
2.
Take a look around at similar books and the very
best to see how they handled the beginning.
3.
By books on structure and the art of writing.
You’d be surprised how these inspire an enhanced story.
4.
I’ll stop here and just mention that the
inciting incident looms large and it must be in chapter one. In a rom-com or
romance they often merge the meet-cute or cute-meet with the inciting incident.
Something must propel change and that’s where you start the story.
Something
(hooks) compels the reader to keep reading. I suppose I’m not clear (it would
take 242 pages) so there’s only one thing to do. Buy the book.
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