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Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/12148-Hooking-the-Reader.html
Fantasy: August 30, 2023 Issue [#12148]




 This week: Hooking the Reader
  Edited by: Prosperous Snow celebrating Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

"Beginning hook readers. Endings create fans."
Martha Alderson

"As a writer, there are times when you have something to say, and yet no particular 'hook' upon which to hang the missive you are burning to release."
Tim Wise

"Question marks are shaped like hooks for a reason: they will hook the reader and drag them deeper into the story"
Chuck Wendig



Word from our sponsor

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Letter from the editor

Where do you put the hook in the first or second paragraph? The hook should go in the first paragraph. However, I have read some stories where the hook, at least for me, was in the second paragraph. I, and I suspect this is true for many readers, won't stop reading if the first paragraph doesn't hook them. This doesn't mean that an author shouldn't attempt to put the hook in the first paragraph, because that will usually guarantee the reader will continue reading.

Until I started rewriting the first chapter of Mark of the Blue Wolf, I didn't think much about the hook. When I reread the chapter, before editing and rewriting, I didn't realize where I placed the hook. After rereading the chapter, I found I had placed the hook in the first paragraph. Which is where I wanted the hook from the start.

How do you hook your readers? Does your hook consist of an action paragraph, a question, a character description, or dialogue? While dialogue may not be the best way to begin a story, it can hook the reader. I can testify to this because, sometimes dialogue hooks me.

Does the type of hook you use depend on the plot or the protagonist? The hook I chose for Mark of the Blue Wolf was a combination of the two. I did this because the protagonist is blessed or cursed (depending on one's point of view) with a talent that moves the plot forward.

The original chapter one can be found in the book, "Mark of the Blue Wolf" Open in new Window. [18+] "Chapter 1: Weeping Meadows" Open in new Window.. I'll post the rewritten chapter on the newsfeed as soon as it's finished. I'm sure that the rewritten chapter will be somewhat different from the original chapter. Because there are some things I need to add and others I need to take out.


Editor's Picks

 
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STATIC
Friend or foe? Open in new Window. (13+)
Drake Grimstone in DnD; In to the kobold lair. (2/2)
#2299948 by M S Groves Author IconMail Icon

 A Gypsy Spins a Tale Open in new Window. (13+)
A fortune told, events predicted
#1926395 by Gaby Author IconMail Icon

 Bard's Alternate Reality Open in new Window. (E)
August Sci-Fi
#2302266 by WriterRick Author IconMail Icon

 Parental Warnings Open in new Window. (13+)
A parent warns their child against the monsters of the world
#2302455 by Santeven Quokklaus Author IconMail Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2302449 by Not Available.

 Why I'm Useful As a Dragon Open in new Window. (E)
A list of things I love to do for my human friends.
#2302592 by Massive Friendly Derg Author IconMail Icon

 Attack on Rockway Open in new Window. (18+)
Not all casualties of war have only two legs.
#2296903 by Arsuit Author IconMail Icon

 Sol'ginok Open in new Window. (18+)
A "good" man learns he is not as good as he thought.
#2302632 by Jolly Jingle Jtpete Author IconMail Icon

 
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Jack and Jill Open in new Window. (E)
Daily Flash Fiction 12/23/22 W/C 300
#2287211 by QueenNormaJean snow?forgetit.. Author IconMail Icon


Submitted by Readers

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In The Park Open in new Window. (E)
A day in a city park.
#1551319 by Annette Author IconMail Icon


Activities, Groups, and Contests

 What multi-verse would you be in? Open in new Window. (E)
What universe would you choose to live in if you could?
#2302581 by 🐺Wolfkingdom🏰 Author IconMail Icon

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GROUP
Flights of Fantasy Group Open in new Window. (18+)
A group for writers of fantasy stories and poetry
#2295322 by A E Willcox Author IconMail Icon


 
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Ask & Answer

Annette Author Icon writes: I don't have any inanimate object stories, but I wrote this squirrel story after watching the squirrels in the park behind my sons' elementary school find Oreos in the trash bins.

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