Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
65th out of 319 books
—
506 voters
Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One & Never Lets Them Go
by
Les Edgerton (Goodreads Author)
*The first pages are the #1 key to acceptance or rejection of manuscripts--most agents and editors claim to make their decision on a manuscript after the very first page, which means that no writer can afford to have a weak story beginning
*The first and only fiction-writing book that focuses exclusively on beginnings--no other book on the market addresses story beginning
...morePaperback, 242 pages
Published
April 12th 2007
by Writers Digest Books
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,326)
An excellent book and a must-have for anyone that is writing a novel.
Mr. Edgerton's humor and warmth is translated into words as he guides and empowers you in the lonesome journey that is that of being a writer. His words mixed with the conversation-like approach touch the reader and fills him with such a positive and realistic (quite the combo) outlook for their future novels, that they truly believe nothing can stop them.
Above crafting a great opening for your book, he goes into backstory, fo...more
Mr. Edgerton's humor and warmth is translated into words as he guides and empowers you in the lonesome journey that is that of being a writer. His words mixed with the conversation-like approach touch the reader and fills him with such a positive and realistic (quite the combo) outlook for their future novels, that they truly believe nothing can stop them.
Above crafting a great opening for your book, he goes into backstory, fo...more
Remember the first time you went fishing? You tagged along with Daddy or Grampa or some kid bigger’n you, and there you were with a real pole and a real line and a real hook, and you were gonna catch something, by golly, and you did — seaweed.
In Hooked, Les Edgerton shows aspiring authors how to land the big one — a full reading by an agent or editor. You bait your hook with a strong opening that pulls the reader right into the action — right where the trouble begins. You set your hook with cha...more
In Hooked, Les Edgerton shows aspiring authors how to land the big one — a full reading by an agent or editor. You bait your hook with a strong opening that pulls the reader right into the action — right where the trouble begins. You set your hook with cha...more
I generally don’t care for “craft books” about writing. Most of them seem written more to show off the erudition and insights of the authors than to build the skills of the writers who read them for help. There are a few exceptions, and they’re all books that I’ve found I can put to work in my own pages. Janet Burroway’s Writing Fiction is, of course, the classic. Her book takes a lot of work to use properly, but the payoff is high and any deficiencies in results are mine, not hers. David Micha...more
Hooked is a guide that provides ways to improve openings of fiction writing. It discusses and explains a variety of topics and problems that writers encounter when focusing on the beginning of a manuscript. This book gives problems to avoid as well as tips and components to include.
Hooked has opened my eyes to writing. I really enjoyed this book. I am not sure that I will be writing fiction as a profession, but I can use what I now know by applying it to what I read; I learned how to decipher go...more
Hooked has opened my eyes to writing. I really enjoyed this book. I am not sure that I will be writing fiction as a profession, but I can use what I now know by applying it to what I read; I learned how to decipher go...more
If you only read a single book on writing, make it this one.
The beginning of your story is the most important weapon you have to win the reader over. Needless to say that every writer strives to come up with a compelling beginning, and there's tons of advice on creating catchy beginnings out there -- but none of it comes even close to the clarity and practicability of Les Edgerton's "Hooked".
Not only will you get a detailed break-down of what an effective beginning is and how to write one (alo...more
The beginning of your story is the most important weapon you have to win the reader over. Needless to say that every writer strives to come up with a compelling beginning, and there's tons of advice on creating catchy beginnings out there -- but none of it comes even close to the clarity and practicability of Les Edgerton's "Hooked".
Not only will you get a detailed break-down of what an effective beginning is and how to write one (alo...more
Les Edgerton writes a very fine book on the importance of writing your opening sentence, paragraph and page such that the reader is instantly engaged and wants to keep reading.
He quickly moves past the first sentence Hook and into the deeper, psychological needs an author must understand about his main character and how those needs should be presented to the reader through the opening scene and chapters. What looks like an initial problem needs to just be a surface problem, under which lies a m...more
He quickly moves past the first sentence Hook and into the deeper, psychological needs an author must understand about his main character and how those needs should be presented to the reader through the opening scene and chapters. What looks like an initial problem needs to just be a surface problem, under which lies a m...more
A famous saying goes: "My child is the most beautiful in world." That's describes very aptly not only the feelings of a proud parent, but of a proud author as well, and as these cases go, we're sometimes puzzled when other people don't see things the same way.
The truth as per Les Edgerton? Even if they skip on such lowly duties as eating, sleeping and spending time with your family, agents and editors only have 24 hours a day and that's not even close to enought time to read through all the manu...more
The truth as per Les Edgerton? Even if they skip on such lowly duties as eating, sleeping and spending time with your family, agents and editors only have 24 hours a day and that's not even close to enought time to read through all the manu...more
I got Hooked free on the Amazon store in some promotion or other -- possibly something about NaNoWriMo -- along with a bunch of other books. I don't know exactly why I started reading it; maybe it was the shortest. Anyway, it's the second non-fiction book in a week that's been surprisingly compelling. It's really about writing the first chapter, especially the first paragraph, or even more specifically, the first line of a novel. It's about exactly how to get your readers hooked. And it's really...more
I've read a few Writer's Digest articles written by the same author, so when this book came up on the free list here, I jumped at the chance to download and read it. I've read a number of books on writing, so I'm not a novice looking for something like basic story structure, the importance of tension, etc. I knew the first sentence or three were important, but I'm always open for new ideas and gave this one a chance.
And, honestly, I'll say that the first half of the book is helpful, but the seco...more
And, honestly, I'll say that the first half of the book is helpful, but the seco...more
I've purchased and begun looking into a handful of books about writing. Instruction on the craft, tips for the many elements of a good story, even a few on the publishing industry. This one stood out not only for its bright blue cover and diminutive shape, but also because it truly had me "hooked." Les Edgerton is humorous and passionate - and just a little bit in love with himself. Which elevates his book on beginnings above the typical "how-to" and had me reading anytime I had a moment as thou...more
This book is full of helpful tidbits. I found myself highlighting a bunch of helpful passages that I'll run through later as reminders as I'm working on my own openings. He did repeat himself quite a bit -- maybe to make a whole book's worth of information -- but since the information was mostly helpful I was okay with it. He did give one of his book's first sentences as an example 4 separate times though. A little pleased with himself there ;)
It's also full of eye-rollingly bad attempts at coll...more
It's also full of eye-rollingly bad attempts at coll...more
This book has a conversational style that keeps you turning pages. I also found it to be thought-provoking about current projects I'm writing. It's helpful to think about the beginning, but the author also makes a good point that most books about writing don't include how to look at a project as a whole. I'd recommend this to any would-be writer.
Besides loving Les Edgerton’s style and voice in general – the information in this book is a must have for anyone and everyone in the realm of fiction writing.
An unfortunate but true fact is that most editors and agents won’t read past the first page – or five if they’re feeling generous – if the story hasn’t hooked them. There’s exceptions to this, obviously, but best not count on hitting that rare editor/agent that’ll read past that without a darn good reason to. Gone are the days where writer...more
An unfortunate but true fact is that most editors and agents won’t read past the first page – or five if they’re feeling generous – if the story hasn’t hooked them. There’s exceptions to this, obviously, but best not count on hitting that rare editor/agent that’ll read past that without a darn good reason to. Gone are the days where writer...more
Les Edgerton’s HOOKED: WRITE FICTION THAT GRABS READERS AT PAGE ONE AND NEVER LETS THEM GO delights in its knowledge to writers and witty humor.
Any writer knows the first pages of a manuscript are the key to acceptance or rejection by agents, publishers, and readers. If the writer can’t grab their readers at the beginning, then that writer has little chance of keeping readers. HOOKED tells writers how to create those intense first chapters by focusing on the elements of opening chapters as well...more
Any writer knows the first pages of a manuscript are the key to acceptance or rejection by agents, publishers, and readers. If the writer can’t grab their readers at the beginning, then that writer has little chance of keeping readers. HOOKED tells writers how to create those intense first chapters by focusing on the elements of opening chapters as well...more
If you're a writer and having problems getting your book started off with a hook that will keep the reader turning pages, then this is a good book to read or have on your shelf. Edgerton goes beyond just the opening hook. He also talks about backstory, creating your story-worthy problem, foreshadowing, etc.
Being a novice writer, this book was a life saver. It opened my eyes to a lot of interesting opportunities and devices to keep the reader wanting to turn the page. It focuses on the beginning of your story to help your with setup, backstory, etc. I'm 'hooked' on this book!
A great book that has raised my standards for writing and has helped me see exactly what it is in a novel that is just wrong.
However I have a problem with the idea that there are actual rules and standards out there that publishers and editors stand by because I have read alot of crap in print while searching for just a good book. I mean if there are standards, then how does so much crap get into print and even made into a bestseller series with beautiful covers? If low quality work can get int...more
However I have a problem with the idea that there are actual rules and standards out there that publishers and editors stand by because I have read alot of crap in print while searching for just a good book. I mean if there are standards, then how does so much crap get into print and even made into a bestseller series with beautiful covers? If low quality work can get int...more
I'm somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for this rating, but I bumped it up to 4 because I do feel that it's earned more than an "average" rating.
As with any instructional book about writing, there's always information that the writer comes to the table knowing previously. I haven't read any instructional book on the writing process and been totally blown away by entirely new information. But a good writing book will show you something new and give you a new perspective on your work that you haven'...more
As with any instructional book about writing, there's always information that the writer comes to the table knowing previously. I haven't read any instructional book on the writing process and been totally blown away by entirely new information. But a good writing book will show you something new and give you a new perspective on your work that you haven'...more
Incredible book on writing. I recommend it to every writer out there.
Starting a new book of my own, and I do not ever do that without first re-reading this lovely little thing, which is full of total awesomeness.
Starting a new book of my own, and I do not ever do that without first re-reading this lovely little thing, which is full of total awesomeness.
Hard to explain "hooked" to a free fish except to say, you'll want to allow yourself to be hooked and read this book.
Simple formula to start your book:
"A character begins in stability in the world; this world becomes unstable after the introduction of an inciting incident; the character struggles to restore his stability; and a new stability is established as the conclusion, reflecting the change the protagonist has undergone as a result of the struggle. Almost a mathematical formula: Stability...more
Simple formula to start your book:
"A character begins in stability in the world; this world becomes unstable after the introduction of an inciting incident; the character struggles to restore his stability; and a new stability is established as the conclusion, reflecting the change the protagonist has undergone as a result of the struggle. Almost a mathematical formula: Stability...more
The material in this book is great, but for a book dedicated to its topic it didn't hook me. I blame the constant examples. In the kindle version, there's no visual difference in the text of an excerpt from a story and the regular text, so it's hard to jump back and forth between the two.
For some reason, the constant praise offered to these excerpts irked me after awhile as well. Even among well-written books, not every opening will entice every reader. When offered an example opening sentence,...more
For some reason, the constant praise offered to these excerpts irked me after awhile as well. Even among well-written books, not every opening will entice every reader. When offered an example opening sentence,...more
Hooked is purportedly about openings. Rather difficult to write 256 pages about just openings, even with extensive examples (many of which are taken from his own works rather than those acknowledged by the writing community as stellar).
Edgerton seems to be trying to carve a niche for himself, creating new, sometimes confusing and self-contradictory terms for each element of good fiction, and introducing the idea that a good opening (or hook, ergo the name of the text) should contain ten element...more
Edgerton seems to be trying to carve a niche for himself, creating new, sometimes confusing and self-contradictory terms for each element of good fiction, and introducing the idea that a good opening (or hook, ergo the name of the text) should contain ten element...more
As a writer who devours how-to writing books like candy (not that I eat much candy) I can say that this one looks very promising. Already taking furious notes...
1 like · like · see review
If you want to understand modern story.
I've been to lots of writing classes, seminars, and workshops. I've heard many a time that you need to hook your reader right away. How do you do that? I've never gotten an answer that really helped me. Until now.
HOOKED wiped the fog from my brain. Writing beginnings has never seemed so clear. It's easy to understand and follow. Each section gives you an important key: story-worthy problem, inciting incident, background. Edgerton helps to sweep away all the extra stuff and focus on what is vital...more
HOOKED wiped the fog from my brain. Writing beginnings has never seemed so clear. It's easy to understand and follow. Each section gives you an important key: story-worthy problem, inciting incident, background. Edgerton helps to sweep away all the extra stuff and focus on what is vital...more
I really enjoyed this book in my quest to educate myself in writing. It had very useful advice and interesting application.
1 like · like · see review
I was lucky to notice that the author offered this book as a freebie. I am so glad I downloaded and read it. This published author also teaches writing. The theme of the book is about hooking the reader's interest with your first line, your first paragraph, your first chapter. I believe it has already helped me flesh out how I want my present work to begin (with action) and how I want it to proceed. A great help and highly recommended. Lots of do's and don'ts - I always like those to see if I've...more
A technique book that teaches how to capture an editor's attention. It's focus is the first couple of pages in a new book. Maybe the first couple of lines.
While the various technical elements of story writing are represented, the best part of the discussion is distinctions among story worthy problems, inciting incidents, and initial surface problems. The conclusion is the basis to a good story. This discussion is worth the price of admission for this book.
The other elements, such as dramatic fo...more
While the various technical elements of story writing are represented, the best part of the discussion is distinctions among story worthy problems, inciting incidents, and initial surface problems. The conclusion is the basis to a good story. This discussion is worth the price of admission for this book.
The other elements, such as dramatic fo...more
This isn't the kind of instructional book you'll want to read all in one sitting. I had to put it down a number of times and just chew on the previous few chapters--deciding how to incorporate the advice into my style and approach. I ended up doing a lot of highlighting that I know I'll be coming back to later. It occasionally felt like the author was a bit too impressed with some of the examples from his own work, but it is his book.
Lots of great points and examples to get you thinking differen...more
Lots of great points and examples to get you thinking differen...more
The message was fantastic, but the author was a bit long-winded. There are only so many times you can read about Thelma & Louise, and how Thelma was trying to free herself from male domination. I got it the first time, and had to have read it about ten. Thelma & Louise may have been a great movie, and a shining example, but it was a screenplay. It was never a novel or a short story, which, as I understood it, was the focus of this book.
I liked the points he made, and I'll take them to he...more
I liked the points he made, and I'll take them to he...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Mar 03, 2012 07:53pm