Do you struggle with opening lines? As writers, we are constantly told that opening lines should draw the reader in right away. Until I read this article, “Why Stephen King Spends Months and Even Years Writing Opening Sentences,” posted on The Atlantic blog, I did not realize how many times famous author Stephen King goes over and over those opening lines until he’s completely satisfied with the result. This is a great article that you must read. His advice is spot on: “An opening line should invite the reader to begin the story. It should say: Listen. Come in here. You want to know about this.”
By the way, I just wrote a query letter for a historical fiction that I recently finished and I mailed it out yesterday. Wish me luck. If you’re ready to send out that query for your finished manuscript, you might want to go over this blog post, “How to Write the Perfect Query Letter,” on The Writer’s Digest blog. It’s always nice to walk into a Barnes & Noble bookstore and see your book on display. Note: bottom left (Alicia’s Fruity Drinks).
Hook: Aspect of the work that sets it apart from others and draws in the reader/viewer.—Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner