Hooked, by Les Edgerton

Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One & Never Lets Them Go

My Rating: five-stars

Pages: 242

Agents and editors agree: Improper story beginnings are the single biggest barrier to publication. Why? If a novel or short story has a bad beginning, then no one will keep reading. It's just that simple.

Hooked provides readers with a detailed understanding of what a beginning must include (setup, backstory, the inciting incident, etc.); instruction on how to successfully develop the story problem; tips on how to correct common beginning mistakes; exclusive insider advice from agents, acquiring book editors, and literary journal editors; and much more.

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Beginnings are the worst. So much pressure to come up with that perfect first sentence to entice readers to keep reading.

But, it’s not just the first sentence. It’s the first paragraph, the first page, the first chapter. Like I said: Pressure.

An opening scene has ten core components:

1. The inciting incident, 2. The story-worthy problem, 3. The initial surface problem, 4. The set-up, 5. Backstory, 6. A stellar opening sentence, 7. Language, 8. Character, 9. Setting, and 10. Foreshadowing.

I read Hooked in one sitting. Then, read it again the next day because I knew I’d missed some great gem the author tucked inside. I was right. There is so much practical, useful information packed into Hooked. It is a book that every author, seasoned or noob, should read.

The goals of your opening scene are:

1. To successfully introduce the story-worthy problem

2. To hook the readers

3. To establish the rules of the story

4. To forecast the ending of the story

Mr. Edgerton says Hooked is a book about beginnings. I must admit that when I first sat down to read it I was skeptical. I mean, really, why do we need an entire book on beginnings? Well, simple. It’s our book’s first impression. That first page, that first chapter… it’s what readers use to decide whether they’ll keep reading, or move to the next book on their bookshelf… or Kindle, whatever.

Hooked may present itself as a book about beginnings, but there is so much more useful information inside.

…all good story endings and resolutions should involve both an element of a win and an element of a loss. Tidy endings that represent a clear-cut victory or loss just aren’t good endings.

This is one of those books you can tell someone is a good book… great book… but there’s so much information it’s hard to narrow down a tight reason why it’s a good book. Edgerton has packed Hooked full of useful information, told in an easy to read, often funny, narrative.

Each scene in a story is a battle, and the story a war.

 

It is not one of those craft books you might begin to read, only to set it away a few hours later thinking: That was a waste of time. No, Hooked is a writing book that you’ll go back to again and again. I highly recommend it.

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Michelle

I'm an award-winning YA and NA author... but, really? I'm the wife of an amazing man, mom of four awesome kids, a reader of words, and writer of stories. I love candles and books, think garden gnomes are creepy and M&Ms are the perfect food (especially peanut butter). I live and write in Texas, but was raised in Flint, Michigan and will always think of the Great Lakes state as home.

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