what a hook is

Tuesday my class critiqued my manuscript. It was awesome. Not just because most of them said they liked it. And okay, it didn't hurt that the instructor noted at the end of her comments that I write well. (Nothing like a little praise from a professional to stoke a writer's ego.) No, it's because I got great feedback that helped me know how to fix what doesn't work.

My teacher said one of my main problems was that I was too coy with the reader. I tried to keep them guessing about who my main character is and what she can do, but I just ended up confusing and frustrating everyone instead. I needed to give information sooner about who she was.

After processing the information for a while, I had a major epiphany. It happened during someone else's critique session the next day who had the same problem. Louise said the same thing: You're being too coy. We want to know what your character is, we don't want to have to guess what he is.

It hit me. A hook is not wondering what the premise is. A hook is the actual premise. And if you have a good one--a mind-blowing one, or an interesting one or a relatable one--people will want to read more.

So I've changed my first line. And today in my individual session with Louise, she said I'd nailed it. Nice to hear. There were some other problems that I worked on, but the major thing I'm taking away from this week is the realization I had about what a hook is.

I can't believe it's the last day of the conference. I've had a great time and learned a bunch of useful information. Can't wait to come home and put it to good use