Okay, people, we’ve got our first batch up! I want you to know I did an especially careful job on these brave folks who stuck their necks out while the rest of you waited to see if I was going to slap them silly. I can make no guarantees about… Read more“HOOKING”
Tag: novel hook
Hook, developing, climaxing
I’ve got my statues against the sky. —Virginia Woolf, A Writer’s Diary HOOK Why do I want to read your novel? Throw it out there before I even ask. What’s in it for me? Because you’re a great storyteller. That’s the only reason that has ever mattered. And you can… Read more“Hook, developing, climaxing”
Pulp Rag: Planting a suspicion, revealing a glory
A week or so ago I posted an essay on hook-development-climax that was almost entirely quotes from great works. I quoted hooks. And I quoted climaxes. I would have quoted development, but my fingers got tired. I wanted you to see exactly what constitutes a hook (why it’s short!) and… Read more“<em>Pulp Rag:</em> Planting a suspicion, revealing a glory”
HOOKING
All right, folks, we go out with a bang this week with three really beautifully-done entries from Amy Carey, Laura Eno, and Sean O’Mordha. These authors left me with quite little do do, edit-wise. Please give them a round of applause! And please remember to make your complimentary comments. Give… Read more“HOOKING”
Free HOOK Edit: Steam rose from the surface—
Steam rose from the surface of Gina’s latte. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Your face. You look—” “I was jogging. I ran here.” Gina dumped a packet of sugar into her cup. “Not that. You look a little—spent.” “I am spent. I’m single-parenting while Todd’s out of town.” “He’s still out… Read more“Free HOOK Edit: Steam rose from the surface—”
Free HOOK Edit: Katie had just taken the first bite—
Katie had just taken the first bite of cake when the world stopped. Focused on the chocolate icing melting on her tongue, it took a moment to assimilate the absence of sound in the room. She looked up from her plate and stared at the party guests frozen in time…. Read more“Free HOOK Edit: Katie had just taken the first bite—”
Free HOOK Edit: The uninhabited island—
The uninhabited island lay thirty meters to port, and somewhere beyond the white sand beach an ambush. In the star-filled blackness of night neither were visible to the man standing alone on the bow of the ship, but the sound of the waves rolling across the wide, shallow reef placed… Read more“Free HOOK Edit: The uninhabited island—”
HOOKING question
@Doublelattemama has asked why I’m limiting the hooks to 150 words. Is that really how long a novel’s hook is supposed to be? Well, the first part of that answer is that that’s as long as I can handle if I’m doing multiple hooks for free every week. I had… Read more“HOOKING question”
Free HOOK Edit: Sherman hated this town—
Sherman hated this town, he hated his life, but most of all, he hated this job. He looked over the counter at the customer and asked, “Would you like fries with that?” “Ha! That’s priceless!” The woman grinned at him. “They actually made you say that back then—I mean, back… Read more“Free HOOK Edit: Sherman hated this town—”
Free HOOK Edit: I was happy—
I was happy. Life was good. I had a beautiful twenty-two year old daughter, a successful practice, numerous friends, and a nice home. Now I have nothing to speak of, all because of those evil boys. My daughter is dead though she died months before her death. My practice is… Read more“Free HOOK Edit: I was happy—”