EXERCISE: Hook me!

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 22 Feb 2010

All right. Everyone agrees that one of the most important skills for a writer is being able to hook readers, to grab their attention and make them want to read. So here's a quick, hard exercise in three simple steps. Ready to write?

Step one. Read the news, gaze into space, look at those lists of plot ideas, thumb through your journal, or do whatever you like to get at least one story idea. If you're like me, you might make a list of five or 10 ideas and then pick out the best one for right now. Get one idea. Do it now.

Step two. Now write about 100 words -- just the start of the story. Go ahead and try a couple of different ones. Revise, rewrite, shift the point of view, change the setting, change the action. Work on it to make that 100 words catch the reader's attention, show them what's coming and make them curious about it, make us want to keep reading. Grab us! Just 100 words.

Step three. Try it out. Post it here on writers, grab your writing partner and give it to them, take it to your writing group. Listen to them. How well does your 100 words work to catch their interest and make them want to keep reading? What would make it better? What's missing? What confused them?

Bonus step four. Take that glittering lure that you have now polished quite well and add some more words. Finish the story! Then submit it. Find out whether your hook catches slush readers and editors...

Ready? Write!