“One of the most difficult things is the first paragraph. In the first paragraph, you solve most of the problems with your book. The theme is defined, the style, the tone. At least in my case, the paragraph is a kind of sample of what the rest of the book is going to be.” Gabriel Garcia Marquez…who won the 1992 Nobel Prize for Literature (100 years of solitude which sold over 10 million copies.) wrote that. I have it taped to my computer monitor, to remind me of the impact and the importance of that HOOK paragraph. Today, briefly, we’re going to talk about the HOOK. What do you do when you pick up a book? Probably read the back cover blurb, and then open to the first page. Then, […]
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Great Storyworlds!
Wow, I’ll tell you we have some excellent writers among us! I really loved the entries I received – so many just captured their story world with such active description they pulled me right in. It was so hard to choose! Here’s a couple of my favorites: ***** The minute she stepped onto the beach, hot sand filtered into her shoes. The faint scent of coconut tanning oil carried on the scorched breeze. Sweat trickled down her ribcage. A gorgeous hunk of a man jogged around the edge of the lake. Talk about eye candy. Too bad she was on the career advancement diet. No sweets for her **** When I stepped out of my dressing room into the dim hallway, I should have heard death’s gentle taunting. I should […]
Read the RestWooing your Reader with Words
What makes a great book stand out? Is it the story? The words? The characters? All of the above. In today’s competitive market, a story has to sing, it has to woo the reader with its premise, a hero or heroine who stands out from the mundane, and sentences that connect with oue hearts. However, the truth is…most readers don’t even notice these components. They say – wow, what a story, I loved the characters. Or, it made me cry. But, most don’t know the secrets that are embedded in every page. But you will. *g* We’ve been talking over the past weeks about premise, and characters, even setting, but today, we’re going to turn our attention to the words we put on the page that beckons our reader into […]
Read the RestPopulate your Storyworld
Every book, regardless of what kind – Suspense/Romance, Fantasy, Thriller, Historical romance – every book starts out someplace. In a world. At a moment. And, in today’s literature, with a person. Whether it’s a firecracker start to a book, or something that begins with a wide-angle view, drawing into the scene, it needs to have action. Movement. A place for your reader’s eye to land, and a perspective with which to view it. A good way to see storyworld is to watch the opening scenes of a movie. Note the details of the scene, and how they pinpoint on just a few and then move into the action with the character. I recently wrote a book that started in Night Market, in Taiwan. I could have started with description, the […]
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