The Secret Pillars Of Writing, A Crash Course Jeffrey A. Friedberg
Butand this is all-important, so pay attentionyou Must
Hook the reader into the plot immediately, via the characters or
action, to keep the reader reading.
Start by showing that the Hero/Heroine is trying to have a
life (or not), trying to get along, just being himself, or whatever
they generally do, when some Great Outside Disturbance
occurs, something that changes their life forever.
As a result, s/he must become Desperate to get, find, or do
Something that s/he needs to survive the Disturbance.
Pack the scenes with emotion, conflict, and passionwrite
with abandon, write like you‟re announcing the cure for cancer
or the Second Coming, but write it (you can clean up the wild
and crazy parts later.)
No book ever got published by not writing it.
Your book „s Hero/Heroine character must have an
Objective, a Goal. For that they need a Desire, a Great Want. It
must be something that will interest the reader and move the
story, plot, and structure forward.
S/he must be Desperate to get to the Great Goal. There must
be Tension, Conflict, Doubt, and Suspense about The Great
Goal. It must drive the book forward, or there‟s just no story
worth turning the page for.
There has to be a Great Question: Will s/he get that Great
Thing s/he desperately needs to survive?
