McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft

Great article on "hooking" readers

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arianne:
So many of those stories that open with action (fight scene, car chase etc) are just setting the stage for a series of flashbacks that led up to the action event. Like, okay, ch 1: random guy is trying to kill me. ch2: twenty years ago. ch3: ten years ago.....ch 50: thirty seconds ago.

Generally speaking, I don't like that kind of plot very much (like writing a murder back to front... ;D) although I see quite a few authors using it. I'm not sure whether or not it's to hook the reader or whatever ::) but most of the time it doesn't work so well.

That said, I do feel an urge to start a story with something exciting and crazy just because it sounds like something really cool to do....(I know, I know, hypocrite, thy name is Arianne... ::))

So, um, any tips?

Figging Mint:

--- Quote from: LizW65 on July 01, 2011, 09:23:48 PM --- It's become kind of a cliche by now,

--- End quote ---

So cliched that I don't even read them.

TBH,  I even skipped over "The building was burning, and it wasn't my fault".

The popcorn-devouring public has already been well trained into expecting things like this; I expect there is more to the article than you could post here or it would just be a sad reaffirmation of longstanding knowledge.   

Snowleopard:
Of course it might be fun to do a whiz bang action opening and then have the main character thinking - "I wish it was that exciting and proceed to the real and verrrrry boring time he or she actually had."

the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:

--- Quote from: Snowleopard on August 14, 2011, 07:52:56 PM ---Of course it might be fun to do a whiz bang action opening and then have the main character thinking - "I wish it was that exciting and proceed to the real and verrrrry boring time he or she actually had."

--- End quote ---

There's a Season 2 NewWho episode that comes pretty close to that.

OZ:
I think writer Harlan Coben is one of the best that I have read at inserting a hook at the beginning of his book that actually is an integral part of the story. It's not always the first sentence but it's usually in the first chapter. I enjoy it when it's well done but can't stand it when it's clunky.

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