I love running across new tools, don't you? Hey fellow writers, Annette here. This summer Jill Elizabeth Nelson published the most useful book on deep point of view that I've ever read. I've used it in my own writing, told my clients about it, and recommended it over and over. She's here for the month of August to share a series on point of view with us. Enjoy!
Part I: Hook ‘Em on the Way In!
by Jill Elizabeth Nelson
Imagine a fish eyeing a tasty morsel dangling on the end of
your fishing line. If you jig that treat just right . . . it strikes! Now the
fish is on the hook, and you can reel it in, taking the creature exactly where
you want it to go. A hook in a story works much the same way. With every
individual scene and chapter, a writer must present a tasty morsel in such a
way that the reader is compelled to follow your story wherever you want to take
them. A dull hook will lose a potential reader within a paragraph or two, or
even a line or two.
Readers who seek primarily to feed their intellect or to
gain information will pick up a work of non-fiction. Readers who buy novels are
hungry primarily for an emotionally resonant experience that satisfies them at
gut level. This emotionally resonant experience hinges on maintaining and
escalating tension moment-by-moment throughout the story, but especially in the
opening lines of each and every chapter and scene.
Here is an opening hook that does NOT work. (Don’t worry.
It’s not from anyone’s published book.) Why does this hook not work? Ask
yourself if this opening contains any element that communicates tension or
emotion.
Hayley Jones walked
off the plane and onto the tarmac of the small airport.
Certainly, the sentence conveys vital information—the name
of the character, what the character is doing and where; however, information
minus emotion equals stagnation. There is no hint of a story here to intrigue
us to read on!
Here is an opening that works in one simple line. (Again,
not from a published book.) Why does it work? (Hint: is there any word choice
that evokes emotion or tension?)
Aimee huddled in the
corner of the room.
This line contains all of the informational elements from
the line that didn’t work—the character’s name, what the character is doing and where—but
it also captures that all-important element of tension, as well as suggesting
the emotion of fear. Someone huddled in the corner of a room cannot be in a
good situation, and the reader will crave to know more. There are a gazillion
different directions a writer can take the story from here, but the reader is
hooked and will avidly follow where the story leads.
Here is your assignment:
Pick up one of your favorite novels and find at least one
scene or chapter opening that hooks you and evaluate why the hook works.
Remember our keys to effective hooks—tension and emotion.
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(print version) (eBook version)
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Award-winning author and writing teacher,
Jill Elizabeth Nelson, writes what she likes to read—tales of adventure
seasoned with romance, humor, and faith. Jill is a popular speaker for
conferences, writers groups, library associations, and civic and church groups.
She delights to bring the “Ah-ah!
Moment” to her students as they make new skills their own. Her handbook for
writers, Rivet Your Readers with Deep
Point of View, is now available at Amazon (see links below).
Connect with Jill:
Website: www.jillelizabethnelson.com
