Seize the Book by Amber: Hooked
Posted By Amber Scott on May 6, 2009
Amber Scott, Author and Reviewer
by Amber Scott
1st Turning Point Staff Reviewer
Copyright © 2009 Amber Scott
Hooked by Les Edgerton—4 ½ out of 5 Parrots*
“Write fiction that grabs the reader at page one and never lets them go.”
There are two things we’re often told that readers primarily use to decide when purchasing a novel: the cover and the first page. Let’s assume we have a fab cover, alluring with a great title, our names in shiny bold italics. Or let’s imagine there is no cover yet, that we’re still dreaming of a cover and a contract. As it happens, the first page is what a publishing house or literary agency gatekeeper uses for slush pile nomination. A brilliant book or manuscript will flounder without a gripping beginning. A good hook.
“The good news is that great beginnings aren’t difficult to master.” Really? Yes. Les Edgerton breaks down exactly what the mechanics of a gripping beginning are. From the inciting incident to the story-worthy problem, Les offers candid and humorous advice on why, and how, certain first lines and pages bait so well. He even includes a section on balancing back story and setup, a challenge for many of us. He does all this using specific, broken down examples from bestselling and well-known works of fiction.
If learning by example doesn’t work, following Les’s analysis steps yourself certainly will. He keeps it simple and concrete. After doing the work myself, the fog that used to cloud what was so effective in my favorite novels lifted.
What I like most about Les’s illumination on the elusive hook is his no nonsense approach. Hooked is a fun and fast-paced read. At no point does he claim to be an expert. Indeed, he maintains a healthy dose of humility throughout. Plus, Les likes writers. “Take what works for you from this book and forget what doesn’t. Trust your instincts.” He isn’t trying to sound important or brilliant. He faces the same blank page we all do and after years of helping others do so, pays it forward with this entertaining, effective book.
I recommend it for any writer, at any learning level, regardless of publishing status. Because, like the story goes, if you teach a man to fish, he’ll never go hungry again.
*1st Turning Point uses a rating system incorportating parrots instead of stars to continue with our nautical theme.
Hi Amber,
I just wanted to thank you for all the kind words you had to say about my book “Hooked.” It’s extremely gratifying to read a reviewer who “gets it” and more than that, to find out my effort has perhaps helped a fellow writer. As the famous Canadian philosopher Red Green used to say, “We’re all in this together.” Best of luck with your own writing!
Blue skies,
Les Edgerton
I have just recently been learning about this “Hook.” I am a reader and just finished an Audible that, for me, had a terrible beginning! The Faerie Queen talking was fine but the topic almost made me say.. I don’t want to listen to this. Fortunately I don’t give up that easy and once I got farther along I really did like the story. Maybe it was an “inciting incident” and many other readers would not have taken it negatively… I think it was just me. I would have hoped for the “perfect” male’s comeuppance based on the gossip but once I met the real character he was not as pompous and callus as described in the beginning. I wonder how often readers actually put aside a book that they don’t like the beginning? Actually I can think of a couple that I have set aside over the past two years and have not gone back to that author since. So I think that hook must be pretty important.
The Hook sounds like something I could use.
I have a copy of Hooked, highlighted and sitting on my desk. Great book!