People talk like microtension began and now idles with Donald Maass. For Maass, microtension boils down to a conflict...a juxtaposition...a clashing of things, preferably emotions, but also ideas, concepts, anticipations, whatever--whatever's available for contradiction in your story. But is there more? More guidance? By random chance (or synchronicity?), I came across a book in the … Continue reading Microtension: What is it and how do we get it onto the page?
Category: Hooks
Hooks Big and Small–How the Masters Do It
We looked at hooks last week, both concept hooks that pique our initial interest in a story and in-story hooks that keep us engaged from start to finish. Today we’re looking at how a few New York Times bestsellers hook us. I pulled these loglines from the February 2, 2020 NYTBS list, and then looked … Continue reading Hooks Big and Small–How the Masters Do It
Story Hooks: What are they?
In the last post, we discussed how the most important element in a logline is often the element that reveals the story's hook(s). But what is a hook? Let's find out. What is a hook? Generally speaking . . . “A hook is a device for catching, holding, sustaining, or pulling anything--in this case, a … Continue reading Story Hooks: What are they?
Writes With Tools 