REVEAL YOUR HIDDEN WRITER
The Presbyterian Writers Guild (PWG) www.presbyterianwritersguild.org invites you to explore your creativity by submitting an opening hook for a story you might write someday. How might you begin a novel or short story that would peak someone’s interest in wanting to read more? You may never write the story, but if your opening hook gets people’s interest, they may urge you to write it.
The deadline is October 12. Your hook might be one or two sentences. Maximum is 75 words. Join the Guild for $25 and you can enter the contest for free. http://presbyterianwritersguild.org .
You can do that by October 12 and who knows what creative juices it might stir within you. Send your effort to Presbwriterscontest@gmail.com by October 12.
what is an opening hook
We are seeking opening hook that address real life issues that people confront, not unlike what Jesus did in his parables.
Whether you are at an airport bookstore, browsing the Amazon web, at a yard sale, or thumbing through a book at a friend’s house, what is it that causes you to pause and consider taking the time to read a particular book? If you send your best efforts to an agent or editor, why will that person take a second glance at your work? Unless you are famous or infamous, the most likely answer is what they see in the opening pages. For busy people, you often have an opening paragraph or two to HOOK the reader.
Consider what your opening hook needs to accomplish in order to attract a person to continue reading.
First, it must establish the tone and setting of the book.
Some people like reading eighteenth century novels and others don’t.
Some people like the mysterious and the frightening and others prefer history or romance.
The beginning should be a vivid invitation that entices us to commit several hours to read.
Second, people are attracted to a new perspective, the unexpected, or the humorous.
The reader wants to be introduced to something fresh, but they don’t want to be fooled into thinking they are reading a mystery and it turns out to be a sci-fi fantasy.
The opening lines should be consistent with the core nature of the book.
Third, a reader should be able to grasp at least the basic quest that your novel is answering.
What is the human yearning that the story seeks to address?
The idea for the story that your hook proposes may deal with an ethical quandary, prejudice, what makes life meaningful, or how humans respond to the challenges of living in a church community. You may only have the germ an idea but you can capture the essence of the story in a few sentences.
A SAMPLE
My opening hook for A Star and a Tear was this:
“Frank Sessions forgot to pick up chocolate chip cookies as he dreove home from John Knox Presbyterian Church, where he was the pastor.
It’s strange how a small, seeming insignificant incident can rip openyour personal universe and alter your life forever”
Does that grab your interest? amzn.to/1aTDdgs
Start working on your entry today. Deadline: October 12
