Visual Writing Prompt: 7-26-09

When writing and/or editing a novel, writers tend to stress over the opening word/line/paragraph/page/chapter. All of those. They want the opening words to be ones that will pull in the readers or agent -- will make them keep reading, turning the pages into the next chapter and the next.

And so those opening lines become a test for the author. Can s/he make them so compelling that the agent will sign on, the editor will buy the manuscript, the reader will buy the book? An author probably spends more time on the first chapter than any other, writing, re-writing, perfecting.

The opening lines and pages are important. So is the rest of the book.

If you imagined your book as a home, what would the walk-up to the book look like? Is it wide sweeping steps? A narrow pathway? Are there flower pots and bursts of color? Is it dark and spooky? Are your words open and inviting or are they a trick, luring the reader into the danger ahead? Is the mood light and happy? Do your words evoke emotions that send the readers’ hearts racing?

What does the door to your story look like? Does it have stained glass? A peephole? Is it wood or made of metal? Is it a screendoor? Do your readers get an idea of what will happen in the coming chapters? Are they unsure where you’re leading them? Have you revealed too much? Too little?

What will happen when your readers open the door and move into the story, into the lives of your characters? How will they react when they enter the house of your book? Will they continue reading? Will they rush to the end? Savor your words slowly? Or leave this book you’ve written?

What kind of entry into your plot have you created?

Start Off Strong

Have you ever been looking for something to eat and get your choices narrowed down to one, only to take the first bite and be disappointed? It’s okay, but sort of bland. You can take it or leave it. Have you had the opposite experience? Your first bite is delicious. You want more. You keep eating. Smiling while you chew. Eating until it’s all gone. Disappointed when you’re done. Thinking maybe you’ll get some more of that. Mmm.

I’m not talking about dark chocolate covered pomegranates. I’m talking books.

That first bite a reader takes of your book can decide whether they keep reading or set it down and look for something more enticing. It can decide whether they look for another book by you or go on to their next author on their to-be-read list.

Most of us have short attention spans, also called very busy lives. We have to be pulled in by the first words in a book, or by the end of the first chapter at the latest. Hook ‘em or lose ‘em. That doesn’t have to mean a death or tossing us into the middle of a firefight or a sex scene. It means whetting our appetites, showing us this will be an interesting book or an amazing character or a fabulous locale.

Books do not start off as slowly as they used to. Readers have too many choices, too little time, and too many distractions.

Think about your beginnings. Work on them. Do you want to serve your readers bland white bread or dark chocolate covered pomegranate bites?

Man, I knew I should not have gotten out that bag to see how to spell “pomegranate.” Curses on those delicious little brown devils!

Hooked by Les Edgerton

A couple of years ago in my newsletter, Doing It Write, I wrote about Les Edgerton's book: Finding Your Voice: How to Put Personality in Your Writing. Today I thought I’d write about his new, fabulous book called, Hooked: Write Fiction that Grabs Readers at Page One and Never Lets Them Go.

Edgerton is a fiction writer and creative writing instructor. He's been the writer-in-residence at the University of Toledo for the past three years and teaches online creative writing for Vermont College. On May 30th, he presented a workshop at the Writers Digest/Book Expo Conference.

But enough about Edgerton, as knowledgeable as he is. Let's talk Hooked.

Put simply, in my opinion, Hooked is great. You might think the book is all about how to start your book. Afterall, the first sentence in the Introduction is:

Why a book on just story beginnings?"

But you'd be wrong ... and right. It is about the beginning of your book, but it goes beyond that to show how that beginning relates to the rest of your book. He tells you what the components of an opening scene are as well as the goals. You learn the difference between the lead's surface problem and his/her story-worthy problem. How the inciting incident has to be more than just a neat way to open your book -- it has to relate to the story-worthy problem.

He gives lots of examples from books and short stories. And with an index in the back, you can always find your way back to things when you need a refresher-read.

I liked this book so much I took it with me last weekend when I went to a conference at the Lost Pines Resort. I've finished reading it and now will go back and re-read all the lines I highlighted -- which are many.

A great book. I recommend either checking it out at the library or buying your own copy so you can mark it up. But definitely read it.

Book Hooks

It’s not easy to know where to end a chapter. As much as possible, you want it to end with a hook, something that will make the reader want to keep reading, even though it’s way past bedtime, even though they’ve got other things to do.

Some people say they end when the scene ends. Period. When the scene is over, they quit. But, let’s face it, sometimes a scene goes on too long. A writer can imagine the scene going on and on, people talking or fighting, looking at scenery, discussing other characters, whatever. Sometimes you have to take a hard look at what you wrote and ask if all that is necessary. Can you stop the scene earlier and create a hook, as well as making what is included in the scene more relevant?

If you feel you need it all in, even if it peters out and doesn’t have a hook, can you break it into two chapters? Find a spot where you can stop with a hook, then pick up in the next chapter, reworking it so it, too, ends with something that hints at things to come or leads in a direction that will keep the reader reading.

Everybody knows the first chapter has to end with a hook. A hook is just what the word implies – it hooks the reader into reading more. But each chapter is important. They won’t each have a huge hook like the first, but they should each in their own way make the reader want to keep turning pages.

Analyzing the Writing of Others

How often do you finish reading a book and think, “That was good.” It kept you reading and when you turned the last page, you were satisfied and hoping there would be another with the same characters.

Hopefully, you do that a lot. If so, then pick out one (or two) and do an analysis of it. You can decide what you want to study, but here are some ideas:

Make a list of the characters – the lead, the opposition or antagonist, the sidekick or best friend, the red herrings (if it’s a mystery), the character who hinders the lead or blocks her/his way, and those characters who are color for the background.

Note what page the first turning point takes place. Is there a major turning point around the middle or two-thirds of the way through the book? What is the climax point? Now take those page numbers see where they fall in relation to the entire book.

The middle is where a lot of books sag, so note what things happen in this section to keep the book forward, to keep the action up.

We all know there needs to be a hook to get things going in the beginning of the book. How about hooks throughout the book? Does every chapter end with a page turner hook? If not, then how often was there a hook that made you keep reading?

In addition to the action plot line, what was the emotional story? How was it resolved?

There are a lot of other things you may want to look at, like how did the author employ the five senses? Was the setting vivid and memorable? What was the length of the chapters? What was your estimated word count for the entire book? Was there a ticking clock? Did you feel the lead’s live or desire was in danger?

Take the book apart and figure out why you liked it so much. Then apply what you’ve learned to your own writing.