Write A Fierce Hook

Worksheet

By Therese Stenzel

Hooks stop me dead in my tracks. How can I even hope to be witty, wise, droll, daring, and mysterious in one or two or three sentences? A hook needs to be cute and clever. It should set the tone of the book. It needs to suck in a reader. There needs to be a brilliant one at the beginning of a book and one at every scene/chapter break. How vexing! Let’s break this down to three steps.

Read my example, then work your hook out on the blank worksheet below and pick your best one.

1. Set Book Tone: contemporary mystery (think the Disney movie, National Treasure)

2. Write first draft: Olivia Weldon opened her antique shop and breathed the smell of time and history.

3. Try writing the hook in a variety of ways until you find the best one.

Cute: Olivia Weldon opened her antique shop with a rush of excitement as only a woman who loves Victorian letter racks, powder boxes, and Edwardian day beds can be.

Clever: Olivia Weldon opened her antique shop. Or did her shop open her?

Mysterious Olivia Weldon opened her antique shop to find a letter lying on the floor. The return address was Windsor Castle.

Dangerous: As Olivia Weldon opened her antique shop door, blood tricked out onto the stoop.

Puzzling: Olivia Weldon opened the door to her antique shop. Except it wasn’t her shop. In its place stood a formal parlor decorated in Edwardian finery.

Ominous: As Olivia Weldon struggled to unlock the door to her antique shop, she bit her tongue. The taste of metallic blood filed her mouth.

Curious: Olivia Weldon unlocked the door to her antique shop and laughed at the sight of three stuffed teddy bears sitting in a row on her front counter. One of them was moving.

Disastrous: As Olivia Weldon opened her antique shop, a flood of water poured out. Riding on the first wave was her rare King Louis the 14th silk fan.

Something is going to happen to the character: Olivia Weldon opened the doo to her antique shop. By the silence of the clocks hanging on the walls, and the complete lack of dust on the furniture, she knew something wasn’t right.

Something about the character: Olivia Weldon opened the door to her antique shop and set the FBI files on the front counter. She peeked out the blinds to make sure no one had followed her.

HOOK ME BABY WORKSHEET

By Therese Stenzel

Tone of Book:__________________________________________________________________

First Draft:_____________________________________________________________________

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Cute:_________________________________________________________________________

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Clever:_______________________________________________________________________

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Mysterious:____________________________________________________________________

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Dangerous:____________________________________________________________________

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Puzzling:______________________________________________________________________

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Ominous:______________________________________________________________________

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Curious:_______________________________________________________________________

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Disasterous:____________________________________________________________________

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Something is going to happen to the character:________________________________________

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Something about the character:_____________________________________________________

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