It was dark ... inside the wolf
craft talk: where to start the story?
During the pandemic, I watched
make a zine and thought it was the most clever, adorable little book I’d ever seen and I would make a zines all day every day for the rest of my time on earth … I did manage to make a couple!They are clever and adorable and you can make your own from a single piece of paper, HERE.
The above zine is about “hooking your reader” from the beginning. There is such a thrill of reading a first sentence - paragraph - chapter and thinking THIS IS GOING TO BE SUCH A GOOD BOOK. This is every writer’s ideal scenario.
How Now, Brown Cow? (remember that title?)
Let
be our guide. In a Masterclass “hook” she said:Little Red Riding Hood.
Let’s start the story a different way.
It was dark inside the wolf.
If we were telling the story out loud, we could add even more suspense by pausing,
It was dark…pause for dramatic effect…inside the wolf.
ooooh, yes, I am all yours now, dear writer.
Hook the reader…and they will keep reading.
It’s that simple (hey, I didn’t say easy!)
In that vein, here are the first lines of the last 30 Newbery Award winners, compiled by Betsy Bird. May they inspire you to start your own irresistible story with a great hook…
Can you remember the last thing you read that gave you such a thrill and hooked your from the start?!
Amy ❤️
Good News and Story Links:
Best Dates Are…at the grocery store. So often the kids ask where we’re going together and this is the answer. And now I know it’s actually true love :)
Win the Books: Enter to win these NINE new release middle grade books coming out in January and February!
For the Love: Writing romance in middle grade? Sarah Allen and Alyson Gerber give us some writing tips!
Reading: Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
Listening: Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs at the Grammy’s was magical
Let’s Launch: Looking ahead and seeking readers&reviewers to help me launch the paperback version of The McNifficents in August. Want to help? Send me an email amy.makechnie@gmail.com 🙏
My new mantra.....it was dark inside the wolf.
I love this so much! Gosh, I must try to make a Zine, how lovely. And Margaret Atwood is such a gem when it comes to craft advice. Thank you for your post!