Writing a Hook. Beg. Comp.

Transcription

1 Writing a Hook Beg. Comp.

2 Example Hook: Suspense--present tense A myriad of thoughts whirl around me like a tornado--a tornado of cruel words. Words that penetrate my fragile mind. Words that hurt, that sting, that make me remember. I don t want to remember. I have to. Why? I can t. And then, the thought enters my mind. I shudder.

3 Example Hook: Suspense--past tense My eyes were red and burning as blood slowly ran down my forehead. My cramped and trembling fingers hovered over the keyboard like it was a Ouija board. I closed my eyes and, when I opened them again...

4 Example Hook: Profound idea Nothing we learn in the first seventeen years of life means a thing. This was crystal clear the day I turned eighteen.

5 Example Hook: Suspense What sounds better? Past or present? As he pounded on the door, the room shook. I knew it would open eventually, and nothing would be the same, but I wasn t watching the door. I couldn t take my eyes off the Little League trophy that was slowly moving closer and closer to the edge of my shelf.

6 Example Hook: Past tense-- Where is the story going? Setting the mood. There was an old water tower in my hometown that I d climb from time to time. I d sit dangling my feet off the edge, picking at the flaking turquoise paint, and watching the cars carry those lucky people down that road, towards the setting sun, far away from me.

7 Example Hook: The quote Christopher McCandless, a writer, hiker, and traveler, once declared, The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.

8 Transitioning between the hook and the story Look at how you want to organize your story: Will you shift to the exposition? Provide more detail about the character? Add to the setting? Fill in necessary background info? Foreshadow future events?

9 The transition between the hook and story The Hook #1 There was an old water tower in my hometown that I d climb from time to time. I d sit dangling my feet off the edge, picking at the flaking turquoise paint, and watching the cars carry those lucky people down that road, towards the setting sun, far away from me.

10 The transition #1 When I was twelve, I dreamed of escaping Tuolumne--and never coming back. Never. Not to that podunk town. It screamed hopeless, lifeless, like a black hole sucking all that is good from humanity. From its pores radiated the most archaic, backwards way of thinking, trapping its most innocent prey and choking it until it can no longer breathe. An escape was absolutely necessary, if I had any chance of survival. So, I ran. Kept running.

11 Putting it together: #1 There was an old water tower in my hometown that I d climb from time to time. I d sit dangling my feet off the edge, picking at the flaking turquoise paint, and watching the cars carry those lucky people down that road, towards the setting sun, far away from me. When I was twelve, I dreamed of escaping Tuolumne-- and never coming back. Never. Not to that podunk town. It screamed hopeless, lifeless, like a black hole sucking all that is good from humanity. From its pores radiated the most archaic, backwards way of thinking, trapping its most innocent prey and choking it until it can no longer breathe. An escape was absolutely necessary, if I had any chance of survival. So, I ran. Kept running.

12 The Hook #2 As he pounds on the door, the room shakes. I know it will open eventually, and nothing will be the same, but I m not watching the door. I can t take my eyes off the Little League trophy slowly moving closer and closer to the edge of my shelf.

13 The Transition #2 That day--that moment--sticks in my mind like all the vivid memories that make up the human experience: the first day of kindergarten, the first kiss, the first time explaining to a cop that the stop sign was hiding behind the tree. If I had only listened to her, I wouldn t wake up in a cold sweat every night...25 years later. She told me to take the bus to Jonathan s house that morning.

14 Putting it together: #2 As he pounds on the door, the room shakes. I know it will open eventually, and nothing will be the same, but I m not watching the door. I can t take my eyes off the Little League trophy slowly moving closer and closer to the edge of my shelf. That day--that moment--sticks in my mind like all the vivid memories that make up the human experience: the first day of kindergarten, the first kiss, the first time explaining to a cop that the stop sign was hiding behind the tree. If I had only listened to her, I wouldn t wake up in a cold sweat every night...25 years later. She told me to take the bus to Jonathan s house that morning.

15 The Hook #3 A myriad of thoughts whirl around me like a tornado--a tornado of cruel words. Words that penetrate my fragile mind. Words that hurt, that sting, that make me remember. I don t want to remember. I have to. Why? I can t. And then, the thought enters my mind, and I remember.

16 The Transition #3 Before high school, I had my close friends. Sarah, Tonia, Josephina. We were inseparable. Every morning, we Face Timed each other. What are you wearing? Dark jeans or white washed? Hair up or down? Skirt, Converse, new Thrasher tee--the one with the pink flames, hair in bun. Must look good for Sean. Meet in the quad. 7:40. Don t be late. We never missed a beat. We were best friends.

17 Putting it together: #3 A myriad of thoughts whirl around me like a tornado--a tornado of cruel words. Words that penetrate my fragile mind. Words that hurt, that sting, that make me remember. I don t want to remember. I have to. Why? I can t. And then, the thought enters my mind, and I remember. Before high school, I had my close friends. Sarah, Tonia, Josephina. We were inseparable. Every morning, we Face Timed each other. What are you wearing? Dark jeans or white washed? Hair up or down? Skirt, Converse, new Thrasher tee--the one with the pink flames, hair in bun. Must look good for Sean. Meet in the quad. 7:40. Don t be late. We never missed a beat. We were best friends.

18 The sun rose like a golden eye over the Earth, and the night gave birth to a new day. The first light carried the scents of sweet marigolds, honey, and dew. A deer leapt across the meadow, making a slight rustling as it hit the knee-high grasses. The birds called out, some fluting beautifully, others squawking, while the bats slept, their dark night-shift over. A horse neighed irritably for its breakfast of golden hay and lush grain. The green grass was a cold, wet compress on the forehead of a waking giant, reluctant to start his day. The pond below the hill still slept under a blanket of fine mist pale and ghost-like in the orange glow of the dawn sun. The cattails waved in the cool breeze, and a water-skipper, skimming across its glassy domain, was swallowed promptly by a scaly fish. And then, all went dark.

19 Abstract idea: Topic: Find what ideas are present here Love, isolation, fear, pain, loyalty, pride Look at the opposite Light--Dark Good--Evil Chaos--Order Hubris--Humility Despair--Hope Find the adjectives; turn into nouns