Hooks Of All Types

No. I haven't gotten into fishing. Most writers know what hooks means. And I might've posted on this before some years ago, but it was on my mind. Hooks are devices used in books that catch a reader's attention.

Hooks can be through the plot or the central characters career or personality. The ones I love to read are cowboys, cops, bad boys, assassins, bodyguards, force marriages, and lately chefs. I didn't misspell the last one. The movie NO RESERVATIONS showed me how sexy chefs can be.

Of course, I love anything with swords in it. So medieval romance novels are a favorite, but lately I haven't found one that doesn't have the heroine acting too modern (she'll have trade and be too independent).  While others have the woman or man being too stupid to live.

I'm sure there are more that ring my bell and I'll think of them later.

Other hooks that people like are secret babies (where the mother won't tell the man he's a dad and later he finds out), brides (I've been told if you put a bride in full regalia on the cover, the book will fly off the shelf especially in June), woman in jeopardy (think the movie KNIGHT AND DAY - love it! Or any romantic suspense where a killer is after the woman), reunions (they had a relationship that didn't work out but they want to try again), etc.

And there is another form of hooks. It can be the first sentence or paragraph in a book. You know how we love reading the first page or so to get a feel of the writer's voice. That helps in the decision of what to buy.

The first paragraph in my third book (CIRCLE OF DECEPTION) coming out late this year is: Ankles bound by duct tape and rope to a massive hook suspended from the ceiling, the man swayed back and forth. A bare light bulb at the end of a long wire swung in the opposite direction, casting drunken shadows across every inch of his sweat-coated skin.

Does that make you want to read more? It even has the word 'hook' in it.  LOL!

Pacing

It's been a while since I shared an old Auntie WIP article with you. This one is about pacing.
First, let’s look at what the Oxford University Press Dictionary tells us about pace/pacing.

pace: noun 1. speed or rate of motion, development, or change. verb 5 move or develop (something) at a particular rate or speed.

Of course, you’re thinking, “Say what?” Well, let me say I found that most writers agreed pacing is tied with how much backstory, dialogue, and action you include in your story.

So to slow down a story include backstory, narrative, introspection, and long, complicated sentences. To speed it up add dialogue (no boring greetings or exchanged pleasantries), action, plot or subplot turn points, short sentences and paragraphs.

Do remember that too much of one or the other can be boring or too intense. You can imagine if we read several paragraphs of introspection, such as how pretty the sunset is over the Pacific, we would lose interest. Or if we read scene after scene of car chases, foot chases, boat chases...you get the idea. How believable could it be for the hero or heroine to never rest? Not counting that your reader would need a rest too.

Pacing can set moods. A few years ago, I read that the best way to make a scene more frightening was to have the scene before it to be mellow, slow such as a romantic moment.

Imagine that you’re reading a scene where the hero is holding the heroine in his strong arms and whispering in her ear. He tells her that he loves her and wants to live happily ever after with her. Then in the next paragraph his face changes. Suddenly a demon with horns and ridged forehead emerge. I don’t know about you, but I would be upset. I certainly would want to scream right along with the heroine who’s scrambling out of his arms.

Sounds almost like the old Michael Jackson video, doesn't it?

Here is a good link to check out more about pacing.

AuntieWIP Explains Types of Subplot

A few years ago, I wrote articles under the name AuntieWIP. Most of the time, I asked questions and had others in my chapter give the answers. Other times, I wouldn't receive any answers, so I would give the answers myself after some research. The links for my research have pretty much gone bye-bye, but I left the ones that are still valid at the bottom.

There are three types of subplots: 1) connected, 2) comparable, and 3) conscience.

Connected
This one is the most obvious and, of course, the most used. It’s where a writer’s main plot has a smaller plot(s) that hints at or provides momentum or information for the main plot. This will give the main plot a three-dimensional feel and provide your characters with depth. Often used in larger book formats where you have more room for your characters to grow and show backstory.

A good example is in Debra Webb’s STRIKING DISTANCE. You have Tasha North tracking down an assassin to save the head of the Colby Agency. At first, you have no idea of the connection between the assassin and a main character, but as the plot moves along several subplots reveals their connection. The author subtly provides hints until the connection is revealed. So as not to reveal the twist, read the book and see how well crafted the subplots are entwined into the story. In this case, the subplot becomes fundamentally connected to the main plot.

Comparable
This can be used for effect, but an author needs to be very careful. It can also become more of a fill, making a manuscript longer, and bore the reader to death. You take two plots, either of the same importance or one of more importance and written parallel of each other.

Sorry, it has been years since Auntie has read a book like this, though there are probably many excellent ones. The best example would be the movie LOVE ACTUALLY. A wonderful romantic comedy. The only connection the four stories had was that they were about love. The stories were presented in parallel of each other, but of different types of love.

Conscience
All authors would like to use this more, but we have to be careful in popular fiction to not preach or push our particular causes on those that just want a good read -- a delightful escapism. We’ve all read books that tell us a moral behind the story or makes us think about how we treat the environment or our fellow humans. If you’re subtle with it, it can give a story flavor.

The one that comes to mind first is Linda Howard’s CRY NO MORE. Some of you are saying, “What? That didn’t have anything related to public awareness.” Linda doesn’t preach or thrust her views at you. It’s all woven into the storyline. You have mention of the Amber Alert and adoption practices that help but at times can hurt needy want-to-be-parents. None of the information provided in her book dragged down the main plot or made you feel like it’s all your fault. They actually solidified the story further.

For more information on subplots, check out the following:

http://www.storymind.com/dramatica/plot/subplots.htm

Writing the Breakout Novel, by Donald Maass