Novel – Page 88

is for hook.

What do I mean by a hook?

A hook will exist in a variety of writing, from articles, t0 poetry, short stories and novels. It is that magnetic word, or group of words, that grips the attention of a prospective reader or browser, and turns that person into a reader.

My own rule for short stories is to create a hook within the first 30 words. It may go over by one or two, but generally I manage to keep it pretty tight.

Example 1: Opening lines of my short story, ‘Duty Bound’.

‘Gary felt pain throughout his body. He opened his eyes and gasped. A small monkey that had been studying him from six inches away shrieked, and scurried along the high branch.’ (31 words)

Example 2: Opening lines of my short story, ‘Mary had a little gun’.

‘Standing in the remote, disused warehouse; Mary stared through the broken windows. Her tortured thoughts drifted back briefly, to life before she became a wife and mother. She had been a different person then. (34 words)

When writing a novel, I may not follow the template suggested by the ‘How to …’ books, but I do create a hook within the first 3 – 5 pages. I also create a hook early, and late in each chapter. In a novel, they are better described as cliff-hangers.

I tend not to give the solution to the cliff-hanger too early in the next chapter, preferring in some cases to keep it under wraps for maybe two chapters or more. Some solutions might be kept from the reader for longer, but I make sure the solutions are worthy of such a wait. The key thing is; they must exist to keep the reader going.

A good choice of title, cover, or both, might be enough to capture interest, but the writer must create a recurring interest to keep those pages turning. The story must tease the reader’s inquisitive nature, sometimes allowing the reader to play detective for a while, and then the solution to one issue is overlapped by creating a new one.

Your task as a writer is to entertain and lure the prospective reader into looking beyond the title of the short story, or novel. Tease them into looking at that first page, and then draw them in, line by line, and page by page.

If those hook examples have worked for any of you, those two stories are available on this blog. As always, thank you for reading, and I’ll see you back here for … ‘I’.

is for gratification. You might be wondering what gratification has got to do with my chosen theme of writing. Please read on and allow me to explain.

When we first write a story, however long, it may be ultimately for others to read, but we write it primarily to give us satisfaction. As we refine that same story, through careful and ongoing editing, we are preparing it for other people to enjoy.

Why then have I encompassed my multiple sensations with gratification?

In my own writing, I’ve occasionally found a tear come to my eye – no, not because the writing was so bad! I have felt the emotion of my character; be it love, pain, joy or whatever else. Sometimes, depending on the passage (pardon the pun), I’ve been sexually aroused, because I’m at one with my character. I’ve felt anger, disappointment, frustration, happiness; all through the depth of feeling of a character.

When an occasion arises, and I don’t feel any of these emotions, I know the writing isn’t working; it isn’t good enough.

Is this always the case for me?

Yes, be it poem, short story, or novel. I must feel a connection, an empathy with my characters. If I don’t feel it through the written word, through my own creation, then how is anybody else supposed to feel it? They will not.

The reward for the reader is to feel they have been entertained, and they have the satisfaction of knowing that the author worked towards that goal.

For the writer, the reward comes when there is a positive review of the writing. Okay, some of us may now be seeing a small cash reward too, and that does feel pretty special; to be paid for your writing.

In summary, gratification is an appropriate word in my theme, because when the writing is to a good enough standard, the result is mutual satisfaction for writer and reader.

Thank you for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow with thoughts on ‘H‘