Show Me Your Hook!
The baiting of the hook? Makes me queasy.
The catching of the actual fish? Makes me teary.
The cleaning of the fish? I have never and will never do that. Can you say quease all over again? And with sound effects? Yeah, that would be me.
But I get the need for fish hooks - otherwise we'd never be able to enjoy cod or walleye or catfish.
We also have a need for hooks in our writing - without an end-of-chapter hook, would a reader be pushed to turn that page? To stay up an hour later, to be tired the next day at work just to see what happened? Would we want to keep writing if we didn't give ourselves a little bit of a hook to keep us pushing forward? I wouldn't (as a reader or as a writer)...so I hook myself all the time.
Because we all use hooks in our writing, I want to share. So, grab your latest WIP or current release. Turn to the end of a scene or chapter (preferably early in the book, but I'm not choosy). Give us the last paragraph or line...something that will make us wonder where this book is going next, something that will make us want to turn the page - come on, tease us!
I'll go first...this is the hook from Mr. Right Now, my next contemporary which releases from Lyrical Press in November:
“Should we continue this in my room or yours?”
Space. Just a little space. Her cell phone rang and she quickly wrestled it out of her bag. She made an apologetic face and shrugged one shoulder.
“Six o’clock. Upper deck.” The words sounded husky to her ears.
Mason raised one eyebrow, and then released her hand. “That’s a long time to wait.” When she stepped from the elevator, he stepped to the back of the car.
The elevator doors closed. Why had space seemed so important just a few moments ago?
Loved your hook Kristi.
ReplyDeleteHere's mine from my latest release Bachelor's Special. This is from one of my favorite scenes in the book. Yep, the love scene in the pool...teehee
Drowning. Drowning in passion and want and need. His foot touched the bottom of the pool and he pushed upward, carrying them toward the surface. As they broke past the barrier of the water, their lips curved into small smiles, but they didn’t break connection.
“I want you.”
Did she just say that?
aw, thanks, Christine! Did I ever tell you this scene is my *favorite* from B.S.? Cuz it so is!
DeleteNice, Kristi!
ReplyDeleteHere's mine from my WIP: Small Town Armageddon
It’s the first time—maybe ever—that I’ve seen Bronte Farmer show emotion. “Bronte, I’m not a manifestation.” Her insecurities seem to soften how I feel about her—at least momentarily.
“That’s exactly what my subconscious would tell me if it was trying to convince me I wasn’t crazy.”
“Oh yeah?” I plant myself in front of her. Time to take the kid gloves off. “Would your subconscious do this?” And I smack her hard across the face.
ineedtoturnthepage!!!
DeleteFrom Ride A Falling Star:
ReplyDeleteTaking a sharp left turn around the front of an SUV, she raced between rows of vehicles.
Bright lights suddenly blinded her. Raising her hand to shield her eyes, she made out the silhouette of a big pickup. In a split-second decision, she raced to the passenger door. With the agility of a lifelong dancer, she opened the door and swung into the truck.
She caught a glimpse of a cowboy hat and dark eyes. He stared at her. “What the hell, lady?”
“Drive, just drive,” she gasped.
Still he hesitated. “Is this some crazy fan thing? Cause I gotta tell you, honey, there are easier ways to get my attention. I really wasn’t looking for company tonight…” Clearly, he wanted her out of his truck.
“Somebody’s shooting at me! Just go!” Ava ducked down as a bullet smashed into the passenger-side mirror.
“Son of a—”
“Go, go, go!” Ava waved frantically. “Drive.”
Love it - was on the edge of my seat, D'Ann!
DeleteKrisit, what a fun idea. Your hook made me sad because there was no page to turn, and I would have!
ReplyDeleteHere's mine from Cooking Up Love:
A cold sweat broke out on her brow. Even thinking about Jack’s sexy factor didn’t help. In fact, the space felt narrower because of the presence of the very large man next to her. Her lifelong struggle with claustrophobia bared its claws and sunk them deep in her stomach.
“See how the conduit runs up the wall and over to the other side?”
She forced herself to tear her gaze from the door that led to freedom, and followed the path of Jack’s finger as he pointed out the metal snake sprouting out of the electrical box. Twisting to follow the line overhead, she bumped the door, nudging it with her hip.
The door slid shut with an ominous click.
Oh, thank you, Gemma! As for yours, you've hooked me. Need to know what happens post-ominous-click!
DeleteThanks so much for letting us do this, Kristina. Much appreciated. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is from my current WIP, Serpent Fire:
The snake harrumphed. “You know I feel your emotions.” He slithered over Uriell's shoulder and surveyed their surroundings. “Like Raphael said, nice digs.”
“Enjoy it while you can. We’re only here until I kill Samael.” Uriell put the PC to sleep and closed the cover.
Ouroboros’s tongue flicked in and out, tasting air. “But you don't believe Seraphiel will keep his word.”
“You’re too perceptive." Uriell stood and stretched, joints creaking. “In any case, unless you think it’s a bad idea, I'm going to check out his place.”
“Are you going to kill him?”
“Not yet.”
“Hope you’re not walking into a trap.”
Uriell grabbed his keys and tossed them into the air. “You already know it.”
oooh, verra intriguing! Thanks for sharing, Pamela!
Delete