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All of those situations draw me into a book. Another one though outside of any of these is the voice and details of the world - even when none of the above are happening. And sometimes those end up being my favorite b/c th ewriting is so good. Awesome post!

Haha--you NEED to write a story about a stumbling, blushing vampire. Please? Great post, Lisa.

Love the tip about internal/external image dichotomy! Thanks Lisa :)

Great post, Lisa! All of these are absolutely what grabs and doesn't let go of me when I'm reading a book.

NUMBER THREE for the win. Well, all of them for the win, really. But it's that dichotomy between internal and external that I love with my whole heart.

*takes notes* This is one of many things on my long list of "need to improves." Thanks, Lisa!

Excellent tips! Making your MC sympathetic in some way is a great way to make people care. I like to give my MC's some kind of flaw, be it big or small.

These are great! Thank you for the post. Number three - LOVE it! We are all like that, different inside than what goes on outside.

Great post, Lisa! I agree, the unexpected can totally hook me into a novel -but not usually by itself. There has to be that.. Je ne sais quoi, I guess. :)

I would like to see the stumbling, blushing vampire too, please.

This is harder to do than I would like. But I'm getting there!

The dichotomy is an important one that many people miss. "There are two sides to every coin" and that statement is true of humans as well. By showing the contradictions between the public face and the private face (internalization) we make the character come to life.

Great post, Lisa :)

Those are some good possibilities, but wouldn't work for all novels or all main characters (not that you said they would, just pointing that out).

Showing your character in at least some time of conflict, not necessarily the main conflict of the novel but SOME conflict, and how they handle it is my solution. In A Kingdom's Cost I jumped around in time and place too much which I think was a mistake and a number of reviewers have complained about it although my very experienced story editor didn't. But I think that delayed my reader strongly connecting with my main character.

Thank you for all the amazing comments! Keep 'em coming!! And for those of you who want me to write about this vampire... It's unbelievably tempting. Perhaps we'll use this in other examples down the road so we can play with him some more. :D

Finally some GOOD ADVICE about starting a story. Loved that third example especially - a contradiction of internal and external. I'm definitely going to have to play with that one. Off to check out your link now. And where is that interview of you that you mentioned???

Sensory seduction! Seduce me baby ;) I enjoy story telling where you become the MC because of how the MC is reacting to and recording the world, scene, action.

Another great post. It's all about making the reader involved in the story.

Fantastic advice! And just what I needed to hear as I'm struggling with the opening of a new WIP.

I agree! Even if the situation isn't one we'll ever be in, we can still evoke the feelings of it. Great examples!!

I hope you all know I don't mean to say this is the ONLY way to go about making the reader connect. But hopefully it will spark an idea in you that will help, because I still believe connecting with character is vital to the book.

I love the way you look at things. All three of those points would grab me. Now I have to go back and check my WIP to see if I did these things. Thanks.

These are some great tips. I had a hard time with the character sympathy in my first book, and these tips are exactly what I tried to do to fix it. Thanks for sharing!

I totally agree. Sweet tips!

I find that making your character good at something can be really helpful in making people care about them. Not good at EVERYTHING, and not that Mary Sue "oh, I'm soooo bad at X" false humility--but to have some skill that gives them agency in the manuscript. A character just completely buffeted around by the fates, without the ability to do anything about it, gets old fast!

I like the idea of revealing character right away - some unexpected contradiction, or through action in a conflict, as you say.

Great post!

Okay..first to comment on the post, then a funny bit after that.

I'm intrigued by this as my first draft of my WIP doesn't even mention the main character (or one of two, I guess) and then it's in passing in background dialogue with his wife. It's four pages in when he is set in motion, but then it is in a sympathetic position. I am going to re-work the first chapter for the bad guys, and and wondering if I'll put the MC in ahead of that just so we get to know him earlier, but don't know how that will work out. I'll keep this handy fo then.

Okay, so I'm in Houston, TX slaving internet off of Starbucks. This page loads a bit slow, and what I get is your header, the top of this post "How to make 'em care" and then the top part of your profile that says "About Me", and nothing else.

So as I read what is loaded up, it says: "How to make em care about me." I did LOL

Dean - Well you know - It's all about me anyway. :P Just kidding! That's funny. And btw, though adult books can work differently from YA, I believe in starting with your MC.

Very nice. I'm a hugely character-driven reader, and writer.

Oh, Lisa, this is too funny. I couldn't look at your post yesterday, because with Pottermore and all, my site was exploding. Just got here and realized I've echoed you today in two ways. I posted this morning a piece about character sympathy and at the end I gave a shout-out to you!

Great article, as always. And thank you! :-)

Great tips! thanks for sharing.

That's a great thing to remember for page one: Make 'em care! Thanks, I'll try.

-Vicki

Really excellent post!

Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse

Great, great tips! Many thanks!

I think this is the most important goal we need to strive for, a character that our readers care about. It's so tricky, but these are great tips. Thanks!

LOL. That's so true. I'm with you all the way! (except maybe on the Godzilla thning ;o)

It's all about the writing! Doesn't matter if it's high action or low action - if the writing is good I'll see past it. Nightshade does a great job with an action scene but connecting the reader right away to the mc.

You do have to have some element of interest early on instead of just scene setting and description, but you're totally right about not leaping into desperate action immediately. I'm sure it works every once in awhile, but it's hard to pull it off. Still, knowing where to start the story is really hard. I've struggled with this with one of my novels, and I think I've rewritten it at least twelve times! It's harder with some stories than others, I guess.

I've struggled with this concept. I wrote my ms. After a few CPs gave a peek, I rewrote the beginning to be more 'action packed'. Although the opener is an emotional scene for the MC and readers all said they were drawn to read more and did (even some agents), something still didn't feel right to me. I'm currently rewriting the beginning with what I feel is a more initial character lure, drawing the reader into the character's current situation (introducing her more personally) before the emotional scene. I think it works better.

Great advice, Lisa. Ellen Hopkins told me during my professional critique at the LA SCBWI conference last year that you should begin with the mc's normal THEN disrupt that near the end of the first chapter. Of course "normal" needs to be interesting enough to get the reader to the end of the chapter. ;)

This is fantastic advice! I honestly think that all the first 250-word contests mess with people's heads on occasion. They get critiques that say, "It's fine, but nothing's happening," and they think it needs to be spiced up beyond recognition. Love the Godzilla pic :)

This is hilarious, and so true!

That is a great picture. I'd like one taken with Godzilla too *_* But yes, awesome post as well lol.

I'm loving the comments today! I see I really hit a nerve for some people, but hopefully in a good way. :D It IS hard to find the beginning of your book, which sounds counter-intuitive. But it's true!

Great post, and something I struggle with. You only have so many pages to hook the reader (or the agent...) but they need to "connect" with the character as well as be interested in the plot... so if it's all plot you won't hook 'em and if it's all character development you won't hook 'em either. Godzilla has to look good in that prom dress, or be having an existential fashion crisis... in addition to breathing fire on the mean girls... or something like that ;-) happy writing!

LOL! I have no doubt someone will write it. How can one not? Godzilla in a prom dress, I mean come on, awesome! You make an excellent point. We need to start our story where it starts, and that isn't necessarily at the inciting incident. I'm like you, I like to get to know the character and care about them, whether it starts with action or not. The connection is what keeps me reading, not the action.

Nice post.
Beautiful picture.

There goes my Godzilla destroying a prom opening!! What if Mothra destroys the prom (gimme something)? Nice post. I think most hectic openings should be reserved for movies - for some reason they work better in that format. Books need a great hook but that hook involves the MC for sure. Thanks, Lisa.

Ha, this is soooo true. As readers, we don't even know who these people are. So do you think I'll care if Suzie gets eaten by Godzilla? (You are going to have Godzilla eat people at the Prom right?).

But if I get to know Suzie a little better, I will be more concerned about her safety. Empathy first. High drama later.

OMG you guys are AWESOME!! I love love love the comments! And yes - I can't imagine Godzilla not being hungry. I mean wouldn't you be if you were him? And all those appetizing girls dressed up... Ha, if I wrote it, it would totally be from Godzilla's POV.

Hey Lisa! First of all, I loved that picture you put there! That monster is so ugly, yet for me it looked cute--or maybe it's just me, lol.
Anyway, I totally agree with you--I think that if you want to start with action, you have to give something about the character for the readers to empathize with. So, I think your words were wise, amiga.

Aw, but it's Godzilla! Everyone can connect with Godzilla! ;)
Great post with a great point :)

So wise, Obi-Wan. For some reason made me think of Jodi Piccoult. I love her opening scenes because they are so gripping: some action, but more emotion, we immediately need to know about these characters - and she can get you to care about multiple characters in one first scene, too.

I though Godzilla was a guy. Apparently he's a cross-dresser, or he just looks darn good in a gown. Great points as always, Lisa. I just started reading White Cat by Holly Black - now there's the perfect blend of a character that I'm willing to invest in from the get-go and a crazy opening sequence.

I love being referred to as Obi Wan. :D And I care extra for Godzilla who takes the time to dress appropriately. He he.

Finding the right spot to open in, the right POV, the right wording -- it's so difficult but incredibly important. And I agree that it can't all be about causing a sensation as much as bonding with the character.

So true. I think fast openings and opening with action get a little lost in the shuffle. Action doesn't have to mean explosions or car chases. Something is set in motion, and like you said, we need to care about someone right away. Otherwise, why bother?

I came over thanks to Julie's tweet. Definitely agree with you on this. I much prefer to know even one minute thing about your MC that'll make me want to go the distance with him/her before the fireworks hit.

Excellent advice. I especially like this: I NEED to be immersed in the scene, not hit over the head with it. ha!

He he he - thanks everyone! JL and Doralynn welcome! Glad you liked it.

Excellent advice. I think people often think that 'start with the action' means 'start with action'. It doesn't--it means you need to start with something that draws us in and shows us what this book is going to be about!

Although I could deal with starting with a bang if it involved Godzilla and a prom.

LOL I LOVE that somebody finally says this. The #1 reason I put a book down in the first few pages is not that it didn't grab me and excite me, but that I didn't bond to the characters. Some people just throw too much chaos in there and you feel like you can't cling to anything. If I don't care about the people you're introducing to us, I won't read it past page 5, period.

We must resist the temptation - even of Godzilla at prom.

And I'm not sure I'm really the first to say this, but I'm glad I mad it clear!

Great tip! I need to rewrite my opening but I'm struggling with where to begin! It's good to remember that you don't have to start with an action-packed scene. I agree with the above commenters who said that you need to start at a place where the reader can get to know the MC.

I also don't care for action-packed beginnings. Not only is there no bond with the characters, but sometimes they're confusing.

LOL - I'm going to start using that example (the what-not-to-do)! Do you get the feeling that sometimes the blogosphere creates it's own problems in some ways? Anyway, the best description I've ever read was in McKee's book: start with the Inciting Incident, but only if it makes sense (sometimes you can!). Otherwise, put exactly as much information (no more, no less) than is what's necessary for us to completely understand the Inciting Incident before it.

Not that this is easy to do, but it helps keep me pointed in the right direction. :)

Ha ha! Action is okay - but it can't be the deciding factor, it's really about letting the MC reveal his/herself to the reader. And Susan - I love that advice. Well said!

I think people confuse having tension in your opening scene with having wham-bam action. They aren't the same thing. I think action scenes could open up a novel, but it would have to be done really, really, really well. Really.

Lydia - REALLY? LOL!

This is great--thanks for sharing it, Alice!

Awesome, Erin. That was fun. Thanks for sharing, Alice. (Hey, that was one smart dog reading the CWIM).

I love readding, and thanks for your artical.........................................

What fun!

I enjoyed visiting your blog
God Bless;

http://westbob.blogspot.com/2010/02/encourager-part-1.html

認識自己,是發現妳的真性格、掌握妳的命運、創照你前程的根源。 ..................................................

Fun. Thanks for sharing.

I don't have an agent (yet) but I've had this experience with editors, as I'm sure many freelancers have: after happily submitting for awhile to an editor, suddenly the next article is rejected. All you can do is ask why- no answer coud be worse than what you are telling yourself!

Oh, I just had this happen to me, and boy does it hurt. I did actually ask my agent that very question, and was assured that wasn't the case at all; that all my agent's clients have at one point or another handed in something the agent didn't like, and we'll just keep brainstorming until we come up with something that we both love.

So yeah, it's worth asking. I wasn't quite as scared since we've already sold books, but this was the first time I sent something that got that response, and just because some books have sold doesn't mean I couldn't be dropped too. And it just sucked; I loved that little proposal and was really excited about it. (Sorry. Like I said it just happened, so it still hurts.)

I agree; I know a few multi-published authors whose agents have rejected proposals from them as well, so I'm sure for your agent it's just par for the course.

I'm sorry for this.

You have to remember that you agent works for you. This is a business relationship. Email and ask what is going on. You shouldn't have to play a guessing game as to this agents thoughts. SHE should've taken the inititive nd discussed her reasons for rejecting the book. But since she didn't, the ball is in your court. No agent should simply turn down a book without a thoughtful response as to why.

It is vital to you as an author to find out what didn't work about this book. How can you continue to write if you have to second guess what an agent's response is going to be? Has the agent sold books? How many? Are her comments legitimate -- does she know about this specific book in terms of genre, if it is different from your previous book with her?

Agents can be wrong. They are a lot of the time. Just because the agent didn't like the book does not mean it's a bad book. (I speak this as someone who sold a book under a (now former) agent. The agent wanted tons of revision before she'd send the book out. When it sold, the editor had me undo every single thing the agent had insisted on.)

The OP sounds like it was a whole book she sent, not just a proposal, and I think that makes a big difference as to what she has a right to expect from the agent.

A proposal -- or simply brainstorming some ideas, where things are in the planning stage might very well entail a lesser response, a brief, no this isn't going to work and here's why... blah, blah...

But if this was an entire manuscript, as in finished, rewriteen mutliple times and polished, I think any agent worth their salt owes you a lot more that a simple, sorry, this doesn't work. NEXT!

Writing is hard. It takes the better part of a year to finish a novel. Having the entirety of a years work be met with, Sorry, NEXT, is completely unacceptable

Oh wow. You know, this never crossed my mind that an agent would reject her clients work. I knew editors rejected their authors work, it just never dawned me agents did too. Complete brain freeze on my part.

I hope it's just a proposal that was rejected. If I put my work into a book for an agent I was already contracted with, and the whole ms was rejected, I'd be crushed, even with a good explanation. With no explanation, I'd be livid.

LOL! My, this is so timely, since Jessica just rejected one of my proposals this morning...but, her reasons are excellent and her suggestions have me scrambling to revise and rewrite and head in a new direction. In my mind, it all comes down to trust--if you trust your agent's instincts, it's not a problem to change direction. If you are concerned that your agent is not looking out for your best interests, it's time for a heart to heart talk--find out why the ms. was rejected and what, if anything, you can do to make it better.

It's perfectly normal for an angent to reject the odd proposal from a client...I mean, not everything we write is amazing, or sellable...in my case, I tried something out of the box and my agent explained what was wrong with my initial proposal and I took her comments and reworked it. I just hit send this morning so we shall see....she sold my first book back in September but I trust her totally to know what works and what doesn't...and she was right in this instance....but, she was open and forthright and more importatntly, encouraging....I was not upset, just pumped for the opportunity to get it right...I hope this works out for the author. good luck with your next proposal.

I thought clients submitted their next projects (after several sales) based on proposals, not fully written books? It sounds like your clients have to write the entire book before submission. Is this a genre thing?

I've already discussed my next book with my agent and gave her sample pages and 1-page synopsis before starting. So I got her buy-in before I got too far into the book. I think the key is to discuss your plans beforehand and get your agent's blessing before going forward.

The OP was unclear whether she turned in a completed book, or a proposal. That makes all the difference in the world.

What would concern me in this situation is if my agent had rejected a project of mine, I'd expect her or him to tell me why up front so then we could discuss whether to drop the project or re-invent/improve it. Why would an agent leave her own client guessing?

Another reason to make you want to self-publish. If you're writing to become famous or rich- well.... Do you give up your story or do you take a chance? I just want MY STORY published, not my agents! Cha-ching!

You should ask why, absolutely! Yet it's though times and editors have become much more choosy. Whatever her answer will be, keep on trying. There are always other agencies.

So, if your agent rejects your book, can you just submit it elsewhere without severing the relationship completely? Can you have two agents working on two different things (eg: you write fiction and non-fiction and each agent does not represent the other genre?)

I like the last question, considering that my novels span different genres.

Anon 2:11 -

In my ears, your Cha-Ching was the sound of money going out of the author's pocket into the vanity publisher's.

The real money is in building a career and a backlist of well-written well-edited books that give astonishing reader satisfaction. Clearly, a professional-quality writer who already has an agent should be using that person as a resource to make sure her projects are salable and the best that they can be.

Paying someone to publish your book is unnecessary when you get to that level of professionalism, and deeply foolish before then.

Dal,

I didn't write a manuscript for the money. I wrote one because i had a story to tell, not tell my agents story. Maybe you should tell Christopher Paolini and his family about how un-professional it is.

Anon 2:11

I didn't write a manuscript for the money. I wrote one because i had a story to tell, not tell my agents story. Maybe you should tell Christopher Paolini and his family about how un-professional it is.



And they can tell you how they already had connections in and knowledge of the publishing industry, and over 30k to spend, along with over a year of their time.

If you've got all that, too, more power to you, although you'd still do better going with a big house. There's a reason why the few self-publishing successes--rare enough to make huge news--always end up signing with a major house.

Anon 5:27

You missed my point. As I said before, if your about money do it your agents way. My point is they controlled how their book was published, what was in it, and what was on it. Sounds to me like we have some touchy agents and/or authors who compromised the integrity of their book for money.

Sounds to me like we have some touchy agents and/or authors who compromised the integrity of their book for money.



:rolleyes

Sounds to me like we have some unpublished people who don't know how publishing actually works, and thinks everyone who gets a book deal has to "compromise their integrity" in some way. For the record, my book is mine, and nobody else's, and I didn't have to compromise one tiny thing about it or me in order to get an agent, or to get it published.

It also sounds to me like some of us made the mistake of trying to save you a lot of time, money, and heartbreak. Sorry we bothered. I wish you the best of luck.

Anon 6:11

LOL I'm confused wasn't this article about having a book rejected by your existing agent. Are you telling me your not professional enough to publish a book on your own? or that nobody is capable of doing that. I would think a published author would have a little bit of knowledge. I can also tell you that just because one agent doesn't like a book doesn't mean the rest of the world won't. This was about a published author being rejected, not an un-published. Apparently you've never butted the system. An agent tells you to sit down in a pile of dung, you'd plop down. Your assumptions are almost as funny as you wishes of luck. If I thought my book was good and I spent a year working on it, I wouldn't roll over and die because one person didn't like it. I believe that was the point. Self-publishing for an author who has their name already out there is certainly an option, along with finding another agent. If un-published authors can do it, surely you would be capable. Cha-ching.

Great advice, Jessica.

I hope you'll do this kind of post for other genres...oh...let's say like all the varieties of women's fiction.

Not that I have a specific interest in that genre of anything (cough).

This post I found to be quite helpful and could possibly assist some of the beginner writers in my writer's group. Would it be allowed for me to post this to my beginner's writing blog to help the new writer's I know? Of course I would give appropriate credit to you.

Just wondering

So, may I ask, what genre are the books in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series and books by Sujata Massey (which feature a Japanese American who sort of solves mysteries but not the violent type)? These mysteries don't seem like cozies but perhaps they are? Can a mystery be a cozy if there's no death to solve?

I'll tell you what, if there was a book about a sixty-year-old knitting grandma who also hunted serial killers through the Cajun bayou, I'd buy it.

Love this post, thanks. Wish I could have heard you speak on the topic at Sisters in Crime.
I'm about to start my next RS and will take another look at my H/H's training and abilities to get the job done. I always think of romantic suspense as softer than thriller but perhaps I've gone to far to the softer side. Maybe if I think thriller and try to write darker I'll come up with the recipe for a romantic suspense that sells. Ha ha.

Do you feel paranormal mysteries fit into any of those categories or are they a genre unto their own.

coll

Bonnie--

I don't know about the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency, but Sujata's books are definitely mysteries. The distinction, in my mind, is whether or not you'd feel comfortable reading the book aloud to, say, your mother-in-law. If you'd stumble over a certain passage or phrase (as in Sujata's first mystery when Rei's with her lover--yikes!) you'd definitely be in mystery/thriller terrain. Of course, this would depend on what kind of gal your mother-in-law is!

That's an interesting comment, Carla. I guess I couldn't read Massey's book out loud to my Grandma, but I could read No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency to her without being embarrassed. So cozies are G rated then? Does a cozy have to star an amateur? Would a G-rated (or PG-rated) mystery with a PI, for example, be a cozy if there was no murder but the PI solves other kinds of crimes?

Bonnie--

Yes, I'd say cozies are basically G-rated (though the occasional swear word might slip in) and traditional mysteries more PG/R rated. The key is that stuff is toned down in cozies--sex might happen, but it happens off-screen. Death occurs, but it's pretty sanitized (for example, there's a dead body, but there's little description of maggots, blood-soaked flesh, hideous bite marks all along her...you get the idea.)
If there's no death at all, then it's neither cozy nor traditional mystery, but suspense. Generally, in suspense, there's one person at risk.

Thrillers are definitely PG/R rated and more than one person is at risk. This would encompass such things as environmental disasters, serial killers, rampant disease, and so on. Usually, the reader knows who is the bad guy or what is the bad thing.

Do others want to weigh in?

I think that suspense can vary from something PG-ish to well beyond with an X for violence. (Or should that be a V?) Personally, I prefer the gentler suspense (sometime mixed with romance) in which the story is facinating enough to keep you turning the pages, but not so gory it turns your stomach. Maybe these would qualify as simply mysteries then, I don't know. But my favorites are the humorous mysteries, a catagory no one mentioned. Sarah Graves and Donna Andrews would be good examples.
And I'd like to know the answer to the question about the paranormal mysteries, too. My novel is a paranormal with elements of romance and suspense...I am still struggling with what the heck to call it.And there is humor, so some have said it is actually paranormal chick lit. Oy.

I prefer mysteries that defy any kind of categorization--perhaps that's why I set my two novels in an imaginary Great Lake city and incorporated elements of the occult. I'm a huge fan of the novels of Jack O'Connell and, especially, James Crumley (sadly, he died 10 days ago). Re: Crumley, I can think of no other author who comes close to his exquisite writing and peerless characterization. Mystery, like most genre fiction, often falls into the formula trap, so much of it is derivative and dull. Crumley set the standard and it will be a long time before we see his like again...

Wow. Could you just keep reading my mind for a few days? At this rate you'll have every question I could possibly have about my recently finished 1st novel answered in a couple of weeks!

In all seriousness, thank you. Do you ever get people who aren't sure which category to use, so they cheat and write mystery/thriller, or some such?

I wrote the story before thinking of a hook and now I'm stepping into that territory and it's intimidating! I'm fantasy though, so I expect it's a whole different ball game, but on the same note it [hook] has to coincide with your story. Gives me more to think about going into it, Jessica, thanks!

Would one of the agents at Bookends be willing to tell us what genre No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is? No killings there, just nice and fun mysterious goings on.
Thanks in advance if you answer!

Thanks so much for this post Jessica! Since I'm not a mystery writer, this helps to make sense of where differet mysteries fall.

Stephanie

Good explanation of the various categories. Thanks. And I agree with 150's comment about the grandma hunting serial killers in the Bayou. We grandmas aren't what our grandmothers were. :-) My oldest grandson once bought a T-shirt that read, "My Grannie is the Toughest Lady in Texas."

Wow! I had just put my two cents worth in at the SinC ListServe when I found yours. This is a perfect examination of the genre -- and I'm in total agreement.

Great description for different types of mysteries. Thanks, Jessica.

How would you categorize one of the books in Robert Parker's Spenser series?

Slap Shot meets Fatal Attraction, except with less swearing.

Post apocalyptic CSI, with vampires and shape shifters. :)

Jane Austen in Deadwood.

The perfect bride, the perfect groom, the marriage from hell.

Peasant witch to Dragon Princess.

Lost in the wilderness with a psychopath.

How to date a fallen angel and not get killed.

Grace

YA action-adventure in fairytale land.

cupid stops believing in love

Jason Bourne meets Merry Gentry.

How long does it take to realize we're often our own worst enemy?

Blubber meets Sandlot.

Blind Date in the outback...

Weredingo in Australia.

Hooks that worked for L'Anonymous:

Chumplet: I don't know Slap Shot, so this hook failed for me. I can't envision what you're talking about.

Michele Lee: Good elements, but the central conflict is missing, so I'm not hooked. This is too vague.

Terry Stone: Failed for me because I don't know Deadwood. Same comment as for Chumplet.

Beverley: Pass! That sounds like fun. You hint at the conflict and have what sounds like a good setup.

Lesley: Not bad, but you say nothing about the central conflict. That vagueness results in me not being hooked.

Fellow Anonymous 1: Pretty good - you get the tension in there, but the setup is too vague to hook me.

Fellow Anonymous 2: Pass! That sounds really interesting. You give enough details and say what the conflict is.

Becca: Sorry, but a definite fail. So very, very vague.

Angeleque: Pass, although with some reservations. It sounds like a nifty idea, but I don't know what the conflict is.

Xakara: Fail because I don't know Merry Gentry. Same comment as for Chumplet.

Desperate Writer: Fail because it tells me nothing specific about the book. I can care about characters very quickly, but you have to work for quite a while to make me care equally strongly about an idea.

Colorado Writer: Fail, since I only vaguely know your references. Same comment as for Chumplet.

Rachel Blair: Fail, although my interest is piqued. It might be a fun idea, but what you wrote is just too vague to hook me. What's the central conflict?

Erin: Ooh, a pass on the weredingo, although I do have reservations because it's an idea that could so easily become nothing interesting. I'd suggest you skip mentioning Australia (which is implied by "dingo") and hint at what the central conflict is going to be instead.

A crazed family of ski bums vying with themselves for control of political power and a revolutionary computer chip technology in 2057.

That's one.

Thanks for your help - despite my F grade!! But just wondering, if my conflict is that the prize on Blind Date doesn't want to be there and the gal he picks isn't supposed to be, how can I get this across in a couple more words???

With her husband away on a long business trip, Candice fights her attraction to her first love.

Heather

Jane Austen meets Tarzan.

A girl born of two magics must choose to save the people who killed her mother or lose the magic that has defined her, while hiding from the Council that wants her dead.

Hmm, still don't think I have this one sentence hook down.

A thief becomes a hero, with death and deception as the bridge between. (Urban Fantasy)

Bad Boys of Football
~ Bella Andre

ps--And can I take some credit for the "five word" thing, Jessica? ;-)

Shapeshifter cops race to stop a killer virus.

Earning three magical wishes,Claire must choose between spending fifty years with the love-of-her life or one week if she's to reunite with the son stolen from her years ago.

Angeleque, I like yours. So many possibilities!

Jane Austin in Deadwood makes me laugh. I don't know Deadwood, but I know enough to know that the combination is funny.

Blubber meets Sandlot definitely works for me!

Here's another one:

When the Basques took Amanda on an inpromptu tour of the Pyrenees, she wished she'd taken her toothbrush.

Okay, it's more than five words, but at least it's a sentence.

Alias in Africa, the front lines of a new cold war: between the US and China.

Fairy wishes and reunited love.

That's the five words, but they don't seem to be a strong enough hook to me. Help!

A regency mystery unites two wounded souls

These are too much fun! I'm enjoying everyone's immensely.

I've got another couple too...

Cross-dressing vampiress falls in love.

Stubborn Half-dragon Princess battles the Order Nocturne.

I'm cheating a little and counting "the Order Nocturne" as one since it's a name. ;)

Book 1:
Is her modern-day Norseman's mission to end the world - or to save it?

Book 2:
Her ecologist hero would throw her back in the sea, if he knew who daddy was. He's hardly son-in-law material... or is he?

Boook 3:
Cutting-edge artist needs image to match his art; discovers substance within stylist.

Helen

Glass beadmakers become murderously competitive.

(I had six words in my previous post, so I removed it.)

Hook Critiques by L'Anonymous (pass/fail):

Joycemocha: Sounds like it has zany potential, but it doesn't hook me because I don't have a grip on the conflict. Crazed ski bums and Very Serious Business don't seem like they should go together.

Rachel Blair Redux: Look at Beverley's submission; it's actually a decent template for what you describe.
Blind Date in the outback: he doesn't want to be there and she was never supposed to be.

Writer's Support and Inspiration: This is pretty good, but as phrased, it sounds like an old idea. It needs a bit more zip. To jumpstart the tension, you need to show that Candice has to choose between two things she really wants.

Lori: Uh - it's a joke? If not, I do apologise, but I don't see how Jane Austen and Tarzan would meld, so this hook fails for me.

Mary: Good conflict, but it is a little dry. Less detail might help - how about this?
A girl must choose to either save the people who killed her mother or lose the magic that has defined her.

Karen Duvall: I like the plot elements, but this fails for me because you're too vague about what happens. What's the conflict?

Fellow Anonymous 3: This would be okay for non-fiction. It doesn't work as a fiction hook.

Jill James: Sounds pretty funky - I'll give this a pass! The shapeshifter cops hooked my interest and you outline the conflict very succintly.

Laceydiamond: Good conflict, but I'm confused why - if she has three wishes - she gets either one week or fifty years with her love. Clarify the logic? It's great that she's choosing between two things she really wants, but the hook has to make sense to someone who doesn't know any more plot details than what are here.

Chumplet Redux: I'd call that a pass, but with reservations. There's no conflict mentioned. If the story is a light comedy, I think this would be fine, however.

Spyscribbler: This sounds like it could be nifty, but I'm not connecting with it because there are no characters mentioned. It left me a bit cold, because the conflict is impersonal.

Laceydiamond Redux: I agree this isn't strong enough. It's too vague - give us a character with a conflict.

Alison: Too vague. Telling us the subgenre doesn't tell us anything meaningful about your book. Instead, tell us about these wounded souls! (Everybody loves a wounded soul - the only thing better is two wounded souls! :-) )

Lesley Redux:
1) Cross-dressing vampiress? Good! Falls in love? Vague! Sorry, but I'd call this a fail also. What's the conflict? What gets in the way of the steamy, cross-dressin', blood-suckin' lovin'?
2) Too vague again; sorry! We don't know what the Order Nocturne is, or why it's bad, so the conflict isn't clear.

Pomo Housewife:
1) Pass! I like this one. However, the language is a little clunky. You might want to buff and polish a bit.
2) Fail, I'm afraid. I'm just confused about what is going on.
3) This is pretty good too, but a fail because I was again confused while reading it. Buff and polish (or blow-dry and style, if you prefer.)

Laura Kramarsky: Ooh, a pass! No one expects beadmakers to get murderous, so I want to know more.

Paranormal Romeo and Juliet

S

Sacrilege, treason, regicide: a disgraced heir can't be precious about saving her nation.

Cynical journalist meets 160-year-old ghost -- an impossible relationship

How I ended up sharing a one bathroomed house with 6 women, 4 dogs, 3 cats, assorted tropical fish and two fluffy yellow baby chicks.

What if you had only seven days to spend with the man of your dreams?
What would you do?

Hope you don't mind me giving this a second shot, but you really got me thinking!

I can't do it in 5 words - sorry - but I have increased the number of "wounded souls" LOL!

"In the shadow of the Great War, four wounded souls must cross time to come together to solve a mystery and bring peace to their hearts!"

Girl gets sick healing others.

Touch Hottie, find body.

A Bosnian war crime survivor, pursued by her captors, escapes to the US to hunt down serial killers.

Captors follow.

OK. I know. Too many words.

Jo writes The Perfect Obit, can she live up to it?

She wanted her memory back. He wanted Revenge.

Has been TV star agrees to reality show as her life crumbles.

Agatha Christie meets Cocktail. Great drinks, sexy female bartender, lots of dead bodies.

1. Set in the not-so-distant future, a virtual reality sex addict cop and a hacker team up to catch a cyber serial killer. Sci-fi

2. Ten years after saving the world, former teen super hero bands together with former sidekicks to take care of some unfinished business. Think a Gen-X/Y, grittier Harry Potter. Post-YA Urban Fantasy

Stephanie Plum meets Repo Man.

Insomniac security guard battles sentient dreams.

(eh...six words, it'll do)

Five words is so insanely hard to do unless you have good book/movie comparisons to go with.

1. Sentient wormhole sends space salvager back to 1400's Wales to rescue her father and change history.
2. Old west sheriff and modern day FBI agent chase vampire into the afterlife to save the ghosts of all his victims.
3. 14-year-old comic writer chases down evil fairies in the world of Fae to retrieve his prophetic comics and end the Fairy War.
4. Demon hunter fights to close the gate to the battleground between the forces of Order and Chaos while dealing with the attraction to a warrioress from each side.
5. A Social-worker-for-ghosts and a water-born PI fight the corrupt government of the half-submerged New York City of the future and discover the depths of NYC are being taken over by something not quite human.

5 words? No problem.

Indian Jones meets Bridget Jones.

Attorney G.W. Chism’s devotion to the letter of the law frees a psychotic killer fifteen years after Chism served as foremen on the jury that sent illiterate killer No Mercy Percy Kilbourne to Texas’ infamous death row.

Peasant queen versus jealous lords.

Or, as a full sentence:

Peasant-turned-queen leads rebellion against usurping lords who want her dead.

"There are over 300 living Americans who have floated weightless in outer space, but fewer than a dozen who've crawled along the deepest muddy bottom of the Mississippi River."


Five words! Pffft! It takes me more than five words to say "ouch."

When a drug-addled teenager turns the annual Alamo Day Parade into a bloodbath, the tragedy plunges minister LUKE OEDING and deputy sheriff NANCY NEFF into a deadly race to save Nancy's daughter, CINDI, from the leader of a South Texas drug cult that practices human sacrifice.

This kind of reminds me of when Hemingway was challenged to write a short story in seven words or less. He didn't hesitate:

"Baby shoes for sale, never used."

Is that powerful or what? 8^)

Would it really do that? The science facts behind movie magic.

Okay, so it won't be five, but close:

Dragon-seeker turns soldier to save kingdom.

It's quite helpful to have to distill like this...makes the plot clearer, somehow.

What's the point of having a hero who doesn't want to save the universe?

Lone female FBI agent lost in the wilderness with a psychopath.

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys meet Charmed.

When a former Belfast killer is haunted by his victims he must return to his murderous past to quiet their screaming.

Wayward footballer gets aristocrat-ess makeover

A former Belfast killer must return to his murderous past to silence the ghosts of his victims.



(I've had to delete and rewrite that three times to get it right!)

Hook critiques by L'Anonymous (pass/fail):

Fellow Anonymous 1:29AM: Sorry, but too vague to hook me. Note your hook would apply equally well to Tanith Lee's A Bed of Earth.

Jennifer: This is a bit too thin to hook me - do they get together? Is that the conflict? It isn't totally clear what the book is about.

Hippolyta: Sounds fun, but what's the conflict? This hook makes your novel sound a bit too much like "What I did for summer vacation" essays. Try to imply what the story is about.

Fellow Anonymous 4:32 AM: Cheat! That was two sentences! :-D This isn't bad, but it doesn't hook me because it doesn't say what the story is about; it's just a hypothetical question.

Alison Redux: Yay! More wounded souls! And the hint about crossing time is intriguing. However, "mystery" and "peace" are still too vague. Be specific about what the conflict in the story is.

Robert Henshaw: Hmm, pretty good - very good for just five words. I'll call this a pass!

Petrina: Pretty good except for the fact that I'm confused. Is the body the Hottie's, or a dead body?

Josephine Damian: Cheat! Two sentences! :-D This is pretty good, but I don't see the connection between her hunting serial criminals and her past. I'll call this a fail because I'm not sure what the central conflict is.

Tammie: Put a semi-colon in there instead of a comma, and that's a definite pass! Very intriguing hook.

Just Nicki: Cheat! Two sentences! :-D A bit too vague to hook me; I don't see the connection between the two sentences, so I'm unclear on what your central conflict is. (BTW, should revenge really be capitalised?)

Dara Edmondson: Good elements but I don't know what the central conflict is. As is, this is just a list of events and we have no reason to empathise with the has-been.

HWJ: Cheat! Two sentences! :-D You could get rid of the first sentence, actually. I'll call this a fail despite some intriguing elements, just because there's little to hint at what the central conflict is except your comparison to Agatha Christie's works.

Helen:
1) Chop the "Set in the not-so-distant future" cliche, and I'll call this a pass. (Cyber serial killers and a genuine virtual reality don't strike me as realistic for the "not-so-distant future" anyway; the first in particular seems a pretty remote possibility.)
2) Fail because it's too vague about the central conflict and - with the reference to Harry Potter - it sounds like fanfiction, i.e. derivative.

Lara Chapman: Sorry, but this fails for me because I don't know your references well enough to understand what you're trying to describe.

Josh: Ooh, definite pass. That's sounds pretty awesome!

JDuncan:
1) I'll call it a pass with reservations. How did a spacefarer's father wind up in the 1400s? Remember the reader doesn't know anything about the book except what you say here - so things that seem like logic problems (but aren't, in the novel) pop up distressingly easily.
2) Sorry, but a fail because I don't understand why they would want to.
3) Prophetic comic books? Definite pass! That sounds awesome; it's a very fresh and funny idea.
4) Sorry, but a fail because you cast the "two babes" problem as your central conflict (and I have so little sympathy for men who can't decide which hottie to chase; it's not a particularly gripping conflict) instead of saying why it's important for the gate to be closed.
5) Sorry again, but you lost me on "something". You were overly specific before that and too vague there about what the main conflict is.

Angelle: Sorry, but a fail because I can't see how that mix would work. These "[X] meets [Y]" hooks don't tend to grab me because they're vague about what - specifically - is in your book. Who are your characters? Why are they interesting? What's the novel's central conflict?

Chisem: Sorry, but a fail because there's too much detail and yet too little information about the central conflict. Does the killer come after Chism? Probably, but you don't mention it. You've given us the setup - what's the story about?

DKWhite:
1) This doesn't hook me because the characters are too bland and the conflict seems a bit weak (as you've stated it here.)
2) This is a lot better, but you could leave off "who want her dead." I still find the hook less than gripping; you might try to zip up your description of the heroine. The peasant-turned-queen is your most intriguing element, but it's glossed over.

Dwight's Writing Manifesto: A definite pass, because that's an awesome hook, but with reservations because I don't know what the story is about. Still, the weirdness of someone wanting to crawl the bottom of the Mississippi has me very intrigued!

Chisem Redux: Too much detail again, but you do a good job of capturing the central conflict. How about this?
A minister and a sheriff race to save the sheriff's daughter from the leader of a South Texas drug cult that practices human sacrifice.

Emilie: Cheat! Two sentences! :-D This would be fine for non-fiction, but it's a bit bland.

Calenhiril: Sorry, but a fail because the character doesn't stand out and the central conflict isn't really outlined - yes, he has to save the kingdom, but why? I.e. Why would we readers - snug on our sofas - empathise with this fellow? Why should we care about his quest?

WandereringRay: I'm sorry, but answering that question to myself does not make me want to read your novel. I think hypothetical questions don't really work as hooks because they say nothing concrete about the novel itself. Who are your characters? What makes them interesting? What trouble do they get themselves into?

Fellow Anonymous 12:52 PM: This is good, in that you get the conflict in very well, but I'm not hooked because this sounds like a fairly standard variation on a common plot. What makes your heroine or this struggle particularly intriguing? I think this hook would be a pass if there was one thing in it that struck me as out of the ordinary, as far as plots/characters go.

Heather Janes: I am sorry, but based on this, I don't know a thing about your book. Who are your characters? Why are they interesting? What sort of trouble do they get themselves into?

Conduit: Ooh, a pass! This sounds very nifty, although I'm confused whether there's any time travelling involved when you say he "must return to his ... past".

Allison Rushby: Sorry, but a fail because I don't see what the central conflict is. Nifty-sounding juxtaposition of characters, however!

Yeah, I can't figure out how to do five words. Any ideas on how to change this (shortened!) version of my short pitch to get to five words is most welcome :)

She's got secrets, he's out to get them: too bad they didn't introduce themselves before their scorching-hot one night stand.

Death surrounds her...does his detective badge put you at ease?

Zee

L'Anonymous Judge - Hmm, you've got a point, there. No, there's no time travel, but I see how you could get that impression. Rewording is in order. Thanks! :)

Ms/Mr L'Anon
Thank you for taking the time to register your thoughts on the two suggestions I made. I liked what you did with the drug cult suggestion.

I would appreciate any suggestions you might have on the other. Most comment as you do. What happens between Chism and the killer? He does come after the attorney along with the other eleven jurors; except, the now highly educated killer is executing the first born of the jurors.

I have no pride, and will take all the help I can get. Any suggestions?

Thanks

PS You won't be our beloved Ms Snark, would you?

I'm sorry, but answering that question to myself does not make me want to read your novel. I think hypothetical questions don't really work as hooks because they say nothing concrete about the novel itself. Who are your characters? What makes them interesting? What trouble do they get themselves into?

*chuckles* Thanks Anon.

Unfortunately answering those questions takes up a heck of a lot more than 5 words. *looks* Even at my current best I'm 173 words over the limit. :D Thankfully that's a bit more acceptable as actual hooks go and all those questions are hopefully answered.

Appreciate you taking the time to look at these!

WandererInGray

Hey thanks a bunch - this was fun!

Maddie thought life was out to get her. Will a child teach her that she is her own worst enemy?

Hmmm. Can I try an extra word, please?

Wayward footballer gets unwanted aristocrat-ess makeover.

Thanks for the interesting exercise!

Hook Critiques by L'Anonymous (pass/fail):

Michelle: Sorry, but I'm a bit confused by this. I don't see how he could not know her name if he's out to get her secrets. It obviously makes sense in the novel, but it doesn't really here. Also, I'd be more likely to become intrigued if I knew why her secrets are valuable. As for trimming words, "hot" could be omitted, since that's implied by "scorching".

Zee: I am sorry, but this confused me also. Is Death wearing the detective badge? If so, that helps things make sense, but if not, I'm at sea as to what is being implied here. (However, Death wearing a detective badge would get an enthusiastic pass from me; if that's your meaning, work a bit harder to get it across to the reader, because it is a great idea.)

Chisem Redux: It sounds like your conflict is Chism trying to fix the mess he unwittingly made and your hook is the killer executing first-borns of his jurors. The hook is creepy and nice; the conflict has great potential to get audience empathy because we all know what it's like to screw up. How about:
An attorney's devotion to the letter of the law frees the killer he helped imprison fifteen years ago, but the killer has not forgiven him.
PS - No, I'm not Miss Snark. If I were, you'd all be bleeding far worse than this! :-D

Desperate Writer: Cheat! Two sentences! :-D I don't see the connection between the two sentences, so I'm unsure of what the conflict is. Sorry, but this doesn't hook me.

Allison Rushby: Ooh, that one word makes an enormous difference. Now you're hinting at the conflict effectively. I assume this is a fluffy, fun book, so I'd give this a pass now. Nice work!

Thanks Anon! How about this - my original short version that I hacked up for this exercise. Is it still unclear? Thanks again, this is fun. :)

She's the secret daughter of a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde. He's the playboy publisher determined to sell her story to the world. Too bad they didn't introduce themselves before indulging in that unforgettable one-night-stand...

Stranded with an Italian Lure

Take #2 (now that I'm at home and actually have access to my computer :D ) It's not five words, but it is one sentence.

Sergeant L.C. Amalin was supposed to Fade when her Mate died, but something went horribly wrong.

Further to:
Cynical journalist meets 160yo ghost -- an impossible relationship ...

Cynical journalist cannot help falling in love with 160yo ghost -- they can see each other, hear each other but cannot touch -- only sorcery can solve an impossible situation.

Condo diva's diary exposes neighbors' foibles.

The real truth about Hanford.

In one sentence

A prearranged marriage dosn't help the heroine when stranded on a deserted island with an Italian Lure, the love of her life.

Ok, let's see if this works if I'm more specific.

A social worker who helps the ghosts of the half-submerged Manhatten of the future, teams up with a water-born PI to fight the corrupt city government who wishes to rid New York of the mermaids who are making its depths their new home.

Chick-lit girl in zombie slugfest or "How I got brains on my Prada."

(credit to my wife for this gem. I thought it was hilarious)

Dear L'Anonymous,
Thanks so much for your insightful reviews...the body is a dead body. The Hottie and heroine team up to find the killer and the reason behind the killing.

So...I'll try again

Magic fingers discover love and murder.

Petrina

Love, Power, and water demons.

-Christine, Maryland

When a repulsive genius’s love for his Good Samaritan makes him come out of hiding to repent his sins, his madness causes her to become a criminal--again.

Ms/Mr L'Anon
Thanks for the help on Chism. I'm glad you like the hook. The original hook, in my mind, is the fact that Chism sent an obese village idiot to jail, who studied hard for fifteen years and came out a literary genius when he discovered he was dyslexic, not dumb.

Guess I just want too many elements in the hook.

Yours has been a great help. I believe you've positioned me to get attention when next I query.

Many thanks,

Bob

Hook critiques by L'Anonymous (pass/fail):

Michelle Redux: That makes much more sense and I do like it!

Brandy: Sorry; I don't know what a "Lure" is, so this is a fail for me.

WandererInGray Redux: I don't know what it means to "Fade", so I'm sorry, but I'm afraid this doesn't work for me. Also, it's vague to say "something went horribly wrong." Try to add some specifics.

Jennifer Brassel Redux: Sorry, but this still fails for me because there's a lot of setup details that aren't necessary and then you end on a vague note. How about:
A journalist falls in love with a ghost and tries to steal her back from the afterlife using sorcery.

Diane:
1) It sounds like you have some juicy plot elements, but this fails for me because it gives no clue to the central conflict. This sounds like the setup for the story, rather than the story itself. Does the diva's exposure then cause havoc?
2) I'm sorry, but this is a fail because I don't know who or what Hanford is, or why I should care about the him/it or the truth thereof. The vagueness of the hook is the real problem; there's nothing there for my brain to latch onto.

Brandy Redux: Sorry, but this is still a fail for me because I still don't know what a Lure is. Also, the logic here seems a bit odd, in that there's no reason why a prearranged marriage is going to help anyone while stranded on an island, regardless of the challenges he or she faces there. I think the problem is that you're skirting the central conflict, which is (I presume): Heroine faces temptation: love of her life or nicely-arranged life? She's choosing between two things she wants, so that's the conflict you want to outline clearly.

JDuncan Redux:
1) This is quite nice as it is, and I'll give it a pass for sheer awesomeness of elements (mermaids in New York? Squeal!), but you might consider cutting a few details to make the sentence "hook" better. How about:
A PI and a social worker for ghosts try to save the mermaids colonizing half-submerged Manhattan.
2) "How I got brains on my Prada" is awesome. Definite pass for that version! You might consider a cheat to slip the zombies in, like:
Zombies On Rodeo Drive: How I Got Brains On My Prada

Petrina Redux: Sorry, but I still find that too vague. I liked your first version better; it just needed a few more words to clarify what was going on. This version doesn't introduce any characters and thus doesn't hint at a conflict for anyone to solve.

Christine of Maryland: I am sorry, but this doesn't hook me because it's too vague. The water demons are very cool, but there's no hint of what the novel's central conflict is going to be (very hard to do when you're sticking to five words, I know.) The hook would probably be improved by introducing a character also, as it gives the reader someone to empathise with when you then outline the trouble that person gets into.

Jennifer: I'll pass this! The beginning is a bit convoluted but adding "--again" at the end worked beautifully! You don't outline a conflict exactly, but you do make this sound like an interesting story, which is all that matters.

Dear Bookends Hookers,

L'Anonymous thanks all those who graciously refrained from flaming me for my overweening gall. Double thanks, of course, to all the kind souls who let me know they appreciated my efforts!

To anyone who was miffed, please take all my comments with a house-brick sized grain of salt - I'm an unpublished writer also. Who knows if an agent would agree with my assessment of any of these hooks?

And now, may I respectfully call "Uncle"? :-) This has been fun, but if I keep doing it for much longer, it won't be fun anymore! Feel free to harangue me in private over at OxyJen

Cheers!
L'Anonymous

The true story behind the Hanford Nuclear Reservation litigation

that was fab - I learned heaps from reading the comments to others as well as my own.

thank you!

Space pirate becomes reluctant hero

Hi Jessica:

"Some people deserve to die."

Gordon

I was totally completely intrigued by the idea of a shape-shifting rock. I thought it might be a golem or something, and I've never seen them done in anything but a fantasy world where they are beating people up. I'd love to see one as a sympathetic character!

Huh. Interesting. The other day, my 13-year-old son, who IS a writer (ie., he writes stories every day on his own) was telling me: I'm working on a story about a forensic expert...

But he's a centaur.

See, you'd want to read it, wouldn't you?

Have you read Vivi Anna's Nocturne Blood Secrets? It's about a vampire CSI who investigates crimes commited by vampires, werewolves, witches and humans. I absolutely loved it!

Cheers, Julie Rowe

lol, I have a paranormal CSI book too. (just joking...) But I'm sure if there are any out there, you'll get a flood of queries. :)

Thank you for answering my question, the one that I was most curious about, regarding requesting a full manuscript even though you knew it probably would never fly.

In 1991 I was 13, just on the edge of my childhood. I was quite partial to "Hook" back then. The sets were awful. Just terrible soundstages that the more recent live action "Peter Pan" really put to shame. Still, I remember having the clock = death metaphor explained to me. And I liked Dustin Hoffman.

Dustin Hoffman was incredible. I didn't have a clue it was him until about halfway through the movie when I thought to take a look at the video case to see which English actor was playing Hook.

Oh I'm glad someone else enjoyed Hook ! I'm not that much of a fan of Peter Pan and its many variations (having come to it so late), but I enjoyed Hook as I like Robin Williams...