4 Hooky Thoughts from The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman

http://www.amazon.com/First-Five-Pages-WriterS-Rejection/dp/068485743X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1306372139&sr=8-3

In this book, Noah Lukeman, a successful agent, describes why many novels submitted for publication are rejected before an agent finishes reading the first five pages. He has a lot to say, but I'm going to concentrate on Chapter 14 which is about "hooks."

So in the contest that I just entered, the contestants were required to write a piece that generated tension or story interest using 300 words or less. In other words, we were required to write a hook.

Clearly it is important task to get a reader (and hopefully an agent) interested in your novel with just a handful of words. Often, a reader will evaluate your entire novel on them, but be careful...

Here are some of Mr. Lukeman's observations:

(1) Avoid the "overexcited hook," If your hook line is intense, your entire manuscript will have to live up to its promise.


(2) Avoid dialogue as a hook. According to Mr. Lukeman, it "is hard to pull off and almost never works." Most of the time exposition is needed to establish a story. When dialogue is used as a hook, it often verges on the melodramatic in order to make up for story set-up.

Also, opening dialogue may be missing essential parts of the story so it doesn't make sense. On the other hand, the dialogue may be clogged with information so that the story does make sense, but then overloads the reader.

(I was actually surprised to note how many YA books I admire avoided using dialogue as an opener - The Hunger Games, Pretty Little Liars, Wither, Matched,   and Harry Potter and the Socerer Stone.  However,  Wicked Lovely, which I loved , does open with dialogue so the lesson I come away with is just be careful.)

(3) Your hook should NOT stand alone. It should be integrated into the entire story. Remember your hook serves to establish the tone and voice of your entire novel, not just to catch a reader's eye for a brief second.

(4) Pretend that every line in your novel or story is a hook and that each paragraph needs to be crafted as a work of art. That can really change the way you write - for the better.

Thanks Mr. Lukeman (his tone is so formal that I don't feel like I should call him Noah without permission) for some damned good points.