The Power of The Hook

Writing Tip of the Day: April 1, 2008

Hook your editor with a strong opening sentence

to bring attention to your writing.

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Couldn't let this one pass by without being addressed.

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Hooks, pitches, and the dreaded first dark and stormy line. What do they all have in common? Mostly that I have a difficult time with achieving them.

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Recently I had cause to readdress my earlier efforts at writing a hook for both my overall Forbidden World Chronicles storyline and Book One of the series, Caged Heart ~ The Last Heartbound.

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The question was posed [see QOTW Going Up!]: "What is your one sentence summary of your book?"

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Since my first attempt failed, I'll not post it here. While the concept of a pitch (or hook) is not entirely lost on me, I concede to the fact that whittling it down to an in-a-nutshell, single--albeit complicated--sentence is.

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Plus, as I learned from version one, I spilled a few too many of those ever-precious, proverbial beans. But, I set about to rework it after reading the subsequent, follow-up lesson. [see Elevator Pitch in More Detail.]

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Here is the pitch for Book One of The Forbidden World Chronicles:

Caged Heart ~ The Last Heartbound

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A young divorcee and author, hooks up with a world-renown rock band that uses their tour to search for the last surviving member of a team caught entering this world in order to find and rescue its most secret prisoner.

I'll let you know if I get a passing grade.

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