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Writing tips - hooking the reader
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A primary objective of most romance writers when crafting their books is to engage the reader from that first sentence and to keep them reading until “The End”. That might mean spending a lot of time honing the first line, paragraph and page. Or the opening line might spring into a writer’s mind out of the blue, with the book falling into place behind it. That event is a writer’s dream.
Today Houston area writer Jennifer Bray Webber has some great advice to offer on hooks at her blog http://musetracks.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/gone-fishing-writing-hooks/
As Jennifer says at the end of her blog, a strong opening line is important, but there’s more to “hooking” a reader than a witty or suspenseful first paragraph. To keep those pages turning, writers must fashion their prose and dialogue so that every scene and chapter leads the reader on to the next.
Writers can lead readers on with the following techniques:
- A surprise announcement
- A turn of events
- A revelation or realization
- A decision
- A cliffhanger
- A question
- A death
- A birth
Any of these should prompt a reader to keep the bedside lamp glowing for “just one more page”.
If any of you know other ways to end a scene or chapter to keep a reader reading, feel free to post them in the comments section.
Jennifer Bray Webber: http://musetracks.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/gone-fishing-writing-hooks/
Northwest Houston RWA: http://www.nwhrwa.com
West Houston RWA: http://www.whrwa.com
Houston Bay Area RWA: http://www.hbarwa.com
Romance Writers of America: http://www.rwanational.org
Read about more wonderful romance novelists at
http://www.examiner.com/x-5288-Salt-Lake-City-Romance-Novels-Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/x-2533-Romance-Novel-Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/x-4981-Romance-Novel-Examiner
Check out movie reviews at
http://www.examiner.com/x-3938-Houston-Movie-Reviews-Examiner
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