Quick! You’ve got less than a minute to convince me your story is worth my time. What do you tell me? You’ve got to pique my curiosity with mystery and potential, while still conveying the bulk of the plot, theme, and general tone. “No problem!” you say. But when you sit down to actually figure […]
July 22, 2024 by 15 Comments Beginning Your BookThe Hook (Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 2 of 12)
Readers are like fish. Smart fish. Fish who know authors are out to get them, reel them in, and capture them for the rest of their sea-going lives. Like all self-respecting fish, readers aren’t caught easily. They aren’t about to surrender to the lure of your story unless you present them with an irresistible Hook. […]
July 11, 2022 by 36 Comments Beginning Your BookClearing Up Some Misconceptions About In Medias Res
One of the most significant challenges for writers is crafting a beginning chapter that immediately grabs readers. Most commonly, writers are advised to accomplish this via two different methods: the hook and the technique of beginning in medias res, or “in the middle of things.” But are these really two different techniques? And if not, […]
September 28, 2020 by 38 Comments Beginning Your BookThe Link Between Your Story’s Hook and Resolution
On a theoretical level, art often comes down to patterns. As readers and even writers we are not always conscious of these patterns, but whenever we are able to recognize that a story works—or does not work—usually what we are responding to is the comparative effectiveness of certain underlying patterns. This is perhaps nowhere more […]
May 11, 2020 by 88 Comments Beginning Your BookCritique: 7 Possible Hooks for Your Opening Chapter
What are some good hooks for your opening chapter? This is a question every writer must ask at the beginning of a story. How can we introduce the story and the characters in a plot-pertinent way that also deeply interests readers? A good hook sets your book apart. It promises readers you’re going to deliver […]
December 9, 2019 by 48 Comments Beginning Your BookCritique: 10 Ways to Write a Better First Chapter Using Specific Word Choices
The one thing all writers are trying to do is write a better first chapter. First chapters are do-or-die territory. We know this as writers because we know this as readers. Most of us make our reading choices after scanning the first few paragraphs of a story. Sometimes we know if we want to go […]
November 12, 2018 by 82 Comments Beginning Your Book5 Ways to Successfully Start a Book With a Dream
Don’t start a book with a dream. This has become one of those bits of writing advice that has passed into legend, right along with “show, don’t tell” and “write what you know.” There are so many good reasons for this. Dream openings are notorious for being boring, irrelevant, misleading, and cliched. As a “fake” opening, […]
April 23, 2018 by 32 Comments Beginning Your BookYour Ultimate First Chapter Checklist, Pt. 3: Introducing the Story
The reason the first chapter of a story is so complex is because it bears a triple load of responsibility. First, it must hook readers. Then it must offer a compelling and interesting scene of its own. And finally, it must set up the entire story to come. Today, let’s dive into our third and […]
April 9, 2018 by 61 Comments Beginning Your BookYour Ultimate First Chapter Checklist, Pt. 1: Hooking Readers
Your story’s first chapter is one of the most important pieces of your story. Not only does it provide the foundation for a solid storyform to come, it is also your first and only chance to pique readers’ curiosity and suck them in. For better or worse, the first chapter is also one of the […]
June 25, 2017 by 21 Comments Beginning Your BookHow to Ace the First Act in Your Sequel
Part 15 of The Do’s and Don’ts of Storytelling According to Marvel Sequels are special. On the one hand, they still must follow all the same basic rules of good storytelling. But on the other hand, they both simplify and complicate various aspeof that approach. While the burden of introducing important elements (characters, settings, conflicts) is […]
