A Funny Writing Challenge
Set a timer for 5 minutes and write as many hooks as you can. A hook is an opening that, when successful, snares the reader and creates the germ of a possible story in their mind. In one sentence.
This exercise is from a book called Let the Crazy Child Write, by Clive Mattson, whose class I’m taking at UC Berkeley’s Extension writing program.
I did 5 minutes writing hooks. Here are the ones I liked:
A guy butted ahead of her in line — and ordered the last piece.
She wrote the final sentence, and threw down her pen.
The phone would not stop vibrating.
He promised he would try to meet a new person every day, but it was 11:15p.m., and he was about to break his streak.
I also spent 5 minutes writing hooks for my blog series, Sky’s Falling. They’re silly:
- My girlfriend may not be building bombs for the revolution.
- The line at Third Love Coffee was out the door, and my heart wanted to jump out of my throat.
- Sal said, “A part of me actually wants there to be a revolution.”
- I pictured my girlfriend building bombs for the revolution. Why else would she be late?
- The revolutionary next to Sal on the bar patio offered him a cheers, and though he lived in fear of the world ending, Sal clinked his beer glass.
- The can upended itself, and pennies rang out on the sidewalk. A voice said, “Hey, no small change!” Sal agreed, and felt guilty. He also wanted big change.
Share yours with me, please! And/OR share a story you wrote with a hook you LOVE, or a hook you would LOVE feedback on. I’m looking for some reading material.
