"The whole idea of the Dear Authors series is readers chatting with readers about what we love and don't love in books." And then writers watching said videos and taking notes. Or am I the only one who does that?
I don't necessarily take notes, but I do pay attention because in most of them there's a lot of what-not-to-do moments regarding how to write in terms of the entire process of writing. And what people like and don't like in their stories.
I'm an aspiring writer and Merphy's bookish videos tend to really make me think about my own writing. Dear Authors especially. This video alone had me rewinding a few times because my brain kept on getting sidetracked thinking of what I have written and could potentially write in the future. @ o @ (Part of why I've fallen behind on Merphy's videos 'cause I didn't wanna think about my writing which I've put on hold multiple times. lol I love this channel, though, and intend to catch up.)
I once started a paragraph with the line: "Speaking of the devil, he came rolling through the aisle." and laughed out loud. I found myself wondering what would happen if I opened the book with that. Ps. I'm SO happy you brought my favorite series back!!
The emperor's new groove begins with a prologue showing Kuzco at his sad llama mid-point. Then we go back and see what got us there, flipping which character the audience sypathizes with. To such an extent that Meta-Kuzco has to come in and remind the audience we're supposed to feel sorry for him.
@@sjokkoladehjerte The book is called Guilty Pleasures - it's the first book in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. I remember reading that opening line, stopped reading, and immediately went to buy the book! (It's written in first person, and surprise - you learn Anita is talking to an unpleasant vampire lol. So good!) The book itself is, I'd say, 4 out of 5 ish if it's something you can enjoy If you're only going to read 1 Anita Blake novel, make sure it's the first one Guilty Pleasures. The series is still going I think, but only the first few or so are actually worth it :/. It's a shame it peaked with the first book and never really maintained the quality, because in concept Anita Blake is very cool and very fun. I'm surprised there hasn't been a TV adaptation tbh The series was somewhat popular when it first started. The premise is, Anita's world is exactly like the real world expect vampirism is legal. The cast of characters and world-building with the Nosferatu/necromancy is cool, unique, and stylish. Also there's a tiny splash of erotica for good measure. The stories themselves (back in it's prime) are essentially murder mysteries. If a vampire is murdered, or a prime suspect, then Anita Blake is the detective they count on to solve the mystery and then beat up the undead bad guys
@@richardgurney1844 I love the Anita Blake series. The first books that really got me hooked on reading. I love that first line in Guilty Pleasures and I will never forget Willie's crayola green pants LOL.
I'm thinking about a writing a story and I want to set up my vilains in the first chapter by showing why they are the villains, but they wear masks, so you don't know who they are. Then I'll spend the rest of the book to unravel who they are.
Ironically I can think of one movie that does the 'lowest point' part as the prologue. The Emperor's New Groove! Where Kuzco, the Emperor of a Kingdom, finds himself turned into Llama, alone in the middle of the forest, and getting rained on. It's a start that lets you get into the mind of this immature tyrant who found himself facing the consequences of his attitude, and is repeated partway through the movie after he abandons the friend who was helping him go back to being human. It's not a book, I know. But it was the first example that came to mind.
I didn't realize how much I missed dear authors untill now. I missed it very much. Thanks for bringing it back! Also, a very good hook was the first sentence of bear town. The beginning was a very slow burn, but the first sentence had me on the edge of my seat, trying to pick up on all the clues who was gonna do the thing, that had been promised
The death/resurrection thing is especially true, and I instantly thought of some specific books that did that. If you promise me a death in the hook, only to resurrect them instantly when they die, I just feel cheated. Resurrections in general are rarely something I like, cause it's something that is hard to pull off in a satisfying way, but this is ESPECIALLY the case when the whole story is literally building up to that death. Commit to killing characters. If you don't want to permanently kill your characters, don't write a story that requires death. You don't get to have the emotional impact of a death without sticking to the actual DEATH part of it.
I feel like that’s because most resurrection plots are written as an easy solution. It’s something that needs to be set up well both in the lore as well as in the stakes and whether it’s something the character “deserves.”
I feel like, sometimes, the emotional impact of a resurrection might not always be intended to be the emotional impact of a death. There are other emotional impacts that could be intended by it, i think. (But maybe that's just me🤷♀️😅😹)
I think part of a successful resurrection trope is when you get to see the other characters being (severely) impacted by the death and then their relief when the dead character is resurrected. But this requires a sense of time passing and diving deeper into the affected characters. Your focus shifts from being personally impacted by the death to wanting the other characters to be relieved from their pain. The death should probably be one that feels surprising yet inevitable. Even more so for the resurrection. I think if you’re going to have a resurrection it’s more important to build up to that rather than the death. Or at least to make it clear early on that it might just be within the realm of possibility. One story I can think of that I think did it right is the anime "Uchuu senkan Yamato" (space battleship Yamato) from ca 2010, at least the first part of the story about their journey between Earth and the planet of Iskandar. Personally I like resurrections (or I don’t like perma-death), though it could be I’ve just not seen it that often in general and thus not so many poorly done versions either. (Or I’ve just seen too many, particularly anime, with gut-wrenching perma-deaths)
The Wheel of Time prologue hooked me so hard as a 20yr old who'd only read Harry Potter and LOTR at that point. I was floored by the epicness of the world, the writing style, and totally hooked by the conversation between the two characters. I NEEDED to read on so I could figure out what they were talking about.
I like the "snapshot of the future" hooks that show the character in the middle of a tricky or dangerous situation, and then we read the story to see how they got into this problem and how they'll get out of it
I have been burnt by authors who put out one amazing series, then everything else is humdrum or worse. So, when I stood in a bookstore, ready for more Jack Chalker and holding Lilith in my hands, I was nervous. The blurb sounded interesting, but the cover did nothing for me. I turned it to the first page and read, "The little man in the synthetic tweed jacket didn't look like a bomb." I brought it to the register and bought it. THAT is a hook. The opening pages of a book are often showing you the main character's "normal" but also making promises of what the story will feel like. To do both those in few words is a hook and helps your audience self-identify (if the hook doesn't land you, the book probably won't either), and betraying your hook is one of the most egregious sins an author can commit. Thank you for this discussion, Merphy.
As a brazilian, I just LOVE the hook on The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas... I mean, he starts of the book with this dedication: "To the warm that first gnawed at the cold flesh of my cadaver". Brilliant!
The Passage by Justin Cronin has a great opening hook: "Before she became the Girl from Nowhere--the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years--she was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy. Amy Harper Bellafonte." I love this because it's SO epic at first, like it's straight out of a standard fantasy story. And then he mentions Iowa and it gets as mundane as possible. And it continues mundanely, like its just another "literary" novel, but that promise of an epic future sticks with you, ever so subtly, pushing you further into Justin's web. And it delivers. Oh boy, does it deliver. I wish more people would discuss this series. It's so good.
When you said your shelves were a mess because you had pulled all the books with great examples off I was shocked to see Lies of Locke still on there… but not for long as it turns out lol
It makes sense that Elantris would be Brandon Sanderson's first published book. It has a short one-page prologue ending in a one-sentence hook that can't be topped. It's clear and concise: "Eternity ended ten years ago."
An opening sentence like “It was the day my grandmother exploded.” just invites you to carry on reading. (The Crow Road Iaian Banks). But more often it’s interesting prose which sets off in one direction, and then poses a question or a change in direction which intrigues the reader and hooks me.
26:51 I feel it worth pointing out = sometimes, for some people, the hook is actually not what is going to be "different" about a story or a character or so on...sometimes the hook is actually what is going to be familiar or the same about a book, because it's all the little nuancial differences that aren't necessarily the hook itself that makes it fun to dive into anyway. (If that makes sense^-^) 💜🥰💜 It's kinda like the differences between giving new foods a try versus going back to the same few foods you really like but maybe made in a slightly different way or with slightly different ingredients or in a totally different place &/or by a different person! 💜💜💖💜
Yeah, it can be either or both! In some books, I am hooked because I see something clever or unusual or a question I want answered or something strange happens that doesn't make sense, and I love those original things! But there are also books where I get hooked in by a familiar trope I love. Honestly it's often both. In The Way of Kings, I was sold the moment I was introduced to bridge runs, because it was such an original way to make the characters suffer. But in the same book, I was also sold the moment it became clear that Shallan was planning to steal Jasnah's soulcaster, because I like heists so I was excited that there was going to be a heist! Though at the same time, this was original as well because Shallan wasn't your typical thief and stealing was so far out of her comfort zone. And in Kaladin's storyline, there were also a lot of familiar tropes I recognized and loved.
@@booklanerecommendations TRUE! Sometimes it truly is more than one thing that hooks us, personally, into a book-so oftentimes it is actually a bit of both. 🙂 (but in my comment, I just meant more the intentional 'hook', like that thing which the writer [theoretically ]intentionally wrote to be the thing which catches readers' attention and/or propels the story forward[..which often enough is also the thing which ends up personally hooking readers into it]; although that[ intentional-'hook'] could ALSO definitely actually be multiple different things sometimes too!.🤭🤭💜 And sometimes, it's necessarily just one singular thing or point within the story, but could be something or some things about the story more just overall. .. if that makes sense? ^-^)
@@jaginaiaelectrizs6341 It doesn't really matter whether it was the author's intention or not. I was just saying you're right that while some hooks are about what is 'different', other hooks are about showing the reader something familiar that they know they'll like.
@@booklanerecommendations I know 🙂 And I was just agreeing with you that sometimes it can even be about both something 'different' and something familiar all at the same time, rather than exclusively being one or the other; but I just also felt like it was worth pointing out that sometimes what hooks the reader personally is not necessarily specifically the general 'hook' of a story overall but also that it doesn't make it any less valid when a reader is hooked by some random detail or whatever about a story versus when they are hooked by the actual intended 'draw' or 'appeal' of a story either, even though I was initially thinking more of the general appeal than the personal one myself, I definitely should have been thinking of both personal and general 'hooks' not only differences in content tastes(and that part wasn't meant as a comment on anything your comment had said..more about a lapse in the way that I had been thinking/speaking of it, myself, previously...because I completely agree with you that it doesn't really matter if it's a personal hook or the author's intended 'draw' or appeal to the story or whatever).^-^
Haha yeah, I thought about that too and how it's literally the first line: "this is the story of how I died." Honestly though, kid me would have been so sad if he wasn't revived
I love the fact that you use examples and excerpts of how an effective hook/beginning can be pulled off. Some of the how to write youtubers just give people a set of rules. These examples and excerpts you use give aspiring writers references to draw on, perhaps the skeletal frame or an effective prose. Thank you.
Merphy, that last hook you discussed... I just finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (as in just a couple of hours ago) and it was exactly like that! So well done and heartrendingly executed.
So glad i discovered this channel... As an aspiring writer i love to hear what are the general things which people like and dislike. I mean i get that not everyone can be pleased,but this discussion fills me with joy. Please keep going 🤗
OMG I know what that is! It is a YA fantasy series I actually really enjoyed despite normally being put off of YA (not for snobby reasons, I'm just way too easily upset by drama). The writing style and most of the characters were great, but the plot was a hot mess with several anticlimactic 'climaxes' and a terrible ending where half the stuff is unresolved and the other half is resolved in stupid ways like resurrection. This is one of the few series I would recommend going into with lots of spoilers, so that you're well prepared for it to go downhill but can still enjoy the good bits. Do you wanna know what it is? I can tell you, but that would be a pretty big spoiler. Despite personally being happy I went into it spoiled, I don't wanna shout it out in the comments unless you ask me to :)
@@ohohnenyeoo2654 ummm since you asked, spoilers ahead for whether or not this is the series I meant: it is, though I'm sure it's not the only series that does something like this.
I can't think of many specific hooks that got me in terms of plot, but what really makes me interested to read more is the narrator. A silly narration like Discworld or Hitchhiker's Guide will make me want to see where this goes because I can't expect anything. A narration like Dresden lets me see his personality quickly and look forward to him making trouble for himself.
So if we merge all these together, a hook that has well established characters, is a prologue, mystery about the world, daily life and then sudden change... Oh it's Attack on Titan.
For real tho....one of my favourite prologues..its just jaw dropping..they show the incident about to strike into their daily lives at the beginning then make us forget entirely about it..as they establish the world and the characters..
Not sure about that one. One of the biggest hurdle I had with attack on titan was its early story parts. I'm not particularly a fan of some of the main characters like Eren and Armin. But I guess you could argue they were properly established enough. Just not well enough for me though.
@@freddice8156 I don't blame you. I liked Armin and Mikasa a lot, but early Eren was definitely a hard sell. I am a sucker for characters like Armin who have simple dreams like wanting to see the ocean.
SO HAPPY this section is back! Also, I can't remember the last time I've seen a video that starts with a sponsor and I'm actually interested in knowing what this sponsor is about (talk about a hook!)
Avatar the Last Airbender is definitely one of my top stories for good introductory hooks. You have the literal intro of the show which acts as a sort of prologue, "Avatar disappeared, fire nation attacked" but we don't know the results. As the episode goes on, we get bits of info about the aftermath, leading up to the reveal of Aang as the Avatar, and so on. We get four of our five main characters in this episode, hints for the overarching plot, a goal for the character's to chase, wordbuilding, learn the philosophical standpoints of the show, and probably even more.
Merphy, you should give the book, Cheaper by the Dozen a try. The opening, and majority of the book, is hilarious. Plus it's about a large, loving family and the shenanigans they get into. It's a beautiful tribute to the Gilbreth patriarch written by two of his twelve children.
@@pipitameruje Yes but the Steve Martin one has almost no resemblance (and is trash to boot). The OG adaptation is super old-fashioned but reasonably faithful to the book. Quite cute if you don't mind a very retro vibe.
So grateful for all the advice Dear Authors series (and all other book review by you!) have given to me! You've helped me make my own book a lot better! Thank you for bringing back this series!
Merph's vids are *highlight of the week* for me. :) Thanku for considering starting this series again. I love it so much! Hope u and ur loved ones are doing great!
A hook for me needs to happen within the first chapter or first few pages - even the first line. Hooks for me, are fantastic writing and imagery. The way of kings prologue is a fantastic hook. I am not one of those people to bear with a book, if I am not hooked in the first chapter then I probably wont keep reading.
I think this is one of the coolest ideas to have for the show. Not just for us Authors but also to help educate readers as to what makes a great story.
I was toying with something similar to the prologue in the middle of the story, but more so, at the end of a subsequent novel. You gave me lots of ideas. Thanks Merphy!!!
Yaaayyy! So happy that Dear Authors is back! I love this series! I love a book with a mystery that keeps you so immersed in the story because you want to figure out what the mystery is and how it unfolds, searching for clues and wondering if something is foreshadowing or not. I also love interesting worlds where you discover more about it as the story or series unfolds.
Thanks for bringing back this series. As an aspiring author, these help me reevaluate and improve my ideas. Also, thanks for the lordofmaps link and discount code. I ordered a map of Ireland immediately.
I am really excited about watching these videos please continue with them please. Please stay safe and enjoy your reading 📖 love your amazing channel love your Australia fan John xxx
I'm delighted you brought this series back. Not only can novice authors benefit, more seasoned ones can pick up pointers. We don't always get feedback from readers, especially if we're indie or mid-list trad authors.
I love you for pulling out Jurassic Park as example! I wish more people would read the book & not just think oh I've seen the movie, why should I read the book? It's so different in a way, very well-written and unlike other books apart from the science maybe not a dull moment. Almost like having a movie night with popcorn but for the imagination
So happy this series is back!!! It's okay you needed a break from it to breathe, but I'm glad we are coming back. I love hearing other people's opinions on these topics and as an aspiring writer. Can we also do a Dear Authors with a specific fantasy creature? Like with a focus on dragons, mermaids, unicorns, etc. Or even fantastical beings like elves, dwarves and other lesser known ones? I would really love to hear other people's thoughts if we could possibly get to these kinds of topics as well. Thanks for sharing Merphy!
DEAR AUTHORS IS BACK!!! And somehow I didn't notice for two days... I'm so disappointed in myself, lol. Thank you for bringing Dear Authors back. This series was my introduction to Booktube. These videos and OSP's Trope Talk have been the best at helping my writing.
I read a book as a teenager that had the first line, "Ethan died of a burst appendix." That was quite a hook, just from the aspect of, "Who the heck starts off a book like THIS!?!?" And it was a science fiction book, that I really enjoyed!
The hook where it’s a future piece of the story can be a hit or miss for me. Red Seas Under Red Skies had a great hook that had me invested and I was always waiting for it in the back of my mind. It has to be something interesting that gives me a feel for the story without giving too much away for the plot.
"The whole idea of the Dear Authors series is readers chatting with readers about what we love and don't love in books."
And then writers watching said videos and taking notes. Or am I the only one who does that?
nope you’re not alone, dear authors gives me many useful ideas and tips. it’s great
I don't necessarily take notes, but I do pay attention because in most of them there's a lot of what-not-to-do moments regarding how to write in terms of the entire process of writing. And what people like and don't like in their stories.
Haha, this is me 😅😅😅
Nope I am totally here for that. XD I confess!!!
I'm an aspiring writer and Merphy's bookish videos tend to really make me think about my own writing. Dear Authors especially. This video alone had me rewinding a few times because my brain kept on getting sidetracked thinking of what I have written and could potentially write in the future. @ o @
(Part of why I've fallen behind on Merphy's videos 'cause I didn't wanna think about my writing which I've put on hold multiple times. lol I love this channel, though, and intend to catch up.)
"Eternity ended 10 years ago." This hook is what started me on my Sanderson journey back in the day.
Bro I just started reading elantris and that hit me like a truck
@@distractedrogue6472 Wow ok me too :)..I'm on page 206
@@royalewithcheese5639 eyyyy late Brando sando hype traiiin
I cannot wait to start his books!
I once started a paragraph with the line: "Speaking of the devil, he came rolling through the aisle." and laughed out loud. I found myself wondering what would happen if I opened the book with that.
Ps. I'm SO happy you brought my favorite series back!!
This seems super interesting, which book is it from?
I need to read that book lol
The emperor's new groove begins with a prologue showing Kuzco at his sad llama mid-point. Then we go back and see what got us there, flipping which character the audience sypathizes with. To such an extent that Meta-Kuzco has to come in and remind the audience we're supposed to feel sorry for him.
One of my favourite opening lines is a hell of a hook:
"Willie McCoy had been a jerk before he died. His being dead didn't change that."
What book:)?
@@sjokkoladehjerte The book is called Guilty Pleasures - it's the first book in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. I remember reading that opening line, stopped reading, and immediately went to buy the book!
(It's written in first person, and surprise - you learn Anita is talking to an unpleasant vampire lol. So good!)
The book itself is, I'd say, 4 out of 5 ish if it's something you can enjoy
If you're only going to read 1 Anita Blake novel, make sure it's the first one Guilty Pleasures. The series is still going I think, but only the first few or so are actually worth it :/. It's a shame it peaked with the first book and never really maintained the quality, because in concept Anita Blake is very cool and very fun. I'm surprised there hasn't been a TV adaptation tbh
The series was somewhat popular when it first started. The premise is, Anita's world is exactly like the real world expect vampirism is legal. The cast of characters and world-building with the Nosferatu/necromancy is cool, unique, and stylish. Also there's a tiny splash of erotica for good measure.
The stories themselves (back in it's prime) are essentially murder mysteries. If a vampire is murdered, or a prime suspect, then Anita Blake is the detective they count on to solve the mystery and then beat up the undead bad guys
@@richardgurney1844 thank you! I'm going to check it out!
@@richardgurney1844 I love the Anita Blake series. The first books that really got me hooked on reading. I love that first line in Guilty Pleasures and I will never forget Willie's crayola green pants LOL.
I'm thinking about a writing a story and I want to set up my vilains in the first chapter by showing why they are the villains, but they wear masks, so you don't know who they are. Then I'll spend the rest of the book to unravel who they are.
Sounds like an interesting concept. Good luck with writing your book
the 'snapshot of the low point before the beginning' format is done weirdly well in Emperor's New Groove haha
Ironically I can think of one movie that does the 'lowest point' part as the prologue. The Emperor's New Groove! Where Kuzco, the Emperor of a Kingdom, finds himself turned into Llama, alone in the middle of the forest, and getting rained on. It's a start that lets you get into the mind of this immature tyrant who found himself facing the consequences of his attitude, and is repeated partway through the movie after he abandons the friend who was helping him go back to being human.
It's not a book, I know. But it was the first example that came to mind.
I didn't realize how much I missed dear authors untill now. I missed it very much. Thanks for bringing it back!
Also, a very good hook was the first sentence of bear town. The beginning was a very slow burn, but the first sentence had me on the edge of my seat, trying to pick up on all the clues who was gonna do the thing, that had been promised
The death/resurrection thing is especially true, and I instantly thought of some specific books that did that. If you promise me a death in the hook, only to resurrect them instantly when they die, I just feel cheated. Resurrections in general are rarely something I like, cause it's something that is hard to pull off in a satisfying way, but this is ESPECIALLY the case when the whole story is literally building up to that death. Commit to killing characters. If you don't want to permanently kill your characters, don't write a story that requires death. You don't get to have the emotional impact of a death without sticking to the actual DEATH part of it.
Clearly the best resurrection is Resurrection of the Daleks
I feel like that’s because most resurrection plots are written as an easy solution. It’s something that needs to be set up well both in the lore as well as in the stakes and whether it’s something the character “deserves.”
I feel like, sometimes, the emotional impact of a resurrection might not always be intended to be the emotional impact of a death. There are other emotional impacts that could be intended by it, i think. (But maybe that's just me🤷♀️😅😹)
I think part of a successful resurrection trope is when you get to see the other characters being (severely) impacted by the death and then their relief when the dead character is resurrected. But this requires a sense of time passing and diving deeper into the affected characters. Your focus shifts from being personally impacted by the death to wanting the other characters to be relieved from their pain. The death should probably be one that feels surprising yet inevitable. Even more so for the resurrection.
I think if you’re going to have a resurrection it’s more important to build up to that rather than the death. Or at least to make it clear early on that it might just be within the realm of possibility.
One story I can think of that I think did it right is the anime "Uchuu senkan Yamato" (space battleship Yamato) from ca 2010, at least the first part of the story about their journey between Earth and the planet of Iskandar.
Personally I like resurrections (or I don’t like perma-death), though it could be I’ve just not seen it that often in general and thus not so many poorly done versions either. (Or I’ve just seen too many, particularly anime, with gut-wrenching perma-deaths)
The Wheel of Time prologue hooked me so hard as a 20yr old who'd only read Harry Potter and LOTR at that point. I was floored by the epicness of the world, the writing style, and totally hooked by the conversation between the two characters. I NEEDED to read on so I could figure out what they were talking about.
100% agree, that prologue/intro is so amazing in the Eye of the World... still stands out in my mind...
Same here
I like the "snapshot of the future" hooks that show the character in the middle of a tricky or dangerous situation, and then we read the story to see how they got into this problem and how they'll get out of it
It's amazing how close he got, yes?
I feel like this is sort of structure is more prevalent in movies, esp gangster movies like Goodfellas, City of God, Gangs of Wasseypur.
Alcatraz and the evil librarians have that kind of hook.
I have been burnt by authors who put out one amazing series, then everything else is humdrum or worse. So, when I stood in a bookstore, ready for more Jack Chalker and holding Lilith in my hands, I was nervous. The blurb sounded interesting, but the cover did nothing for me. I turned it to the first page and read, "The little man in the synthetic tweed jacket didn't look like a bomb."
I brought it to the register and bought it. THAT is a hook.
The opening pages of a book are often showing you the main character's "normal" but also making promises of what the story will feel like. To do both those in few words is a hook and helps your audience self-identify (if the hook doesn't land you, the book probably won't either), and betraying your hook is one of the most egregious sins an author can commit. Thank you for this discussion, Merphy.
As a brazilian, I just LOVE the hook on The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas... I mean, he starts of the book with this dedication: "To the warm that first gnawed at the cold flesh of my cadaver". Brilliant!
The Passage by Justin Cronin has a great opening hook:
"Before she became the Girl from Nowhere--the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years--she was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy. Amy Harper Bellafonte."
I love this because it's SO epic at first, like it's straight out of a standard fantasy story. And then he mentions Iowa and it gets as mundane as possible. And it continues mundanely, like its just another "literary" novel, but that promise of an epic future sticks with you, ever so subtly, pushing you further into Justin's web. And it delivers. Oh boy, does it deliver.
I wish more people would discuss this series. It's so good.
When you said your shelves were a mess because you had pulled all the books with great examples off I was shocked to see Lies of Locke still on there… but not for long as it turns out lol
It makes sense that Elantris would be Brandon Sanderson's first published book. It has a short one-page prologue ending in a one-sentence hook that can't be topped. It's clear and concise: "Eternity ended ten years ago."
I found Merph through One Piece, but now I'm binging these. I love the Dear Authors! I wish she could have been my writing teacher in school.
An opening sentence like “It was the day my grandmother exploded.” just invites you to carry on reading. (The Crow Road Iaian Banks). But more often it’s interesting prose which sets off in one direction, and then poses a question or a change in direction which intrigues the reader and hooks me.
Woop woop, dear authors was the reason I noticed and subscribed to your channel in the 1st place. All the other content is why I've stayed 😀
26:51
I feel it worth pointing out = sometimes, for some people, the hook is actually not what is going to be "different" about a story or a character or so on...sometimes the hook is actually what is going to be familiar or the same about a book, because it's all the little nuancial differences that aren't necessarily the hook itself that makes it fun to dive into anyway. (If that makes sense^-^) 💜🥰💜
It's kinda like the differences between giving new foods a try versus going back to the same few foods you really like but maybe made in a slightly different way or with slightly different ingredients or in a totally different place &/or by a different person! 💜💜💖💜
Yeah, it can be either or both! In some books, I am hooked because I see something clever or unusual or a question I want answered or something strange happens that doesn't make sense, and I love those original things! But there are also books where I get hooked in by a familiar trope I love. Honestly it's often both. In The Way of Kings, I was sold the moment I was introduced to bridge runs, because it was such an original way to make the characters suffer. But in the same book, I was also sold the moment it became clear that Shallan was planning to steal Jasnah's soulcaster, because I like heists so I was excited that there was going to be a heist! Though at the same time, this was original as well because Shallan wasn't your typical thief and stealing was so far out of her comfort zone. And in Kaladin's storyline, there were also a lot of familiar tropes I recognized and loved.
@@booklanerecommendations TRUE! Sometimes it truly is more than one thing that hooks us, personally, into a book-so oftentimes it is actually a bit of both. 🙂 (but in my comment, I just meant more the intentional 'hook', like that thing which the writer [theoretically ]intentionally wrote to be the thing which catches readers' attention and/or propels the story forward[..which often enough is also the thing which ends up personally hooking readers into it]; although that[ intentional-'hook'] could ALSO definitely actually be multiple different things sometimes too!.🤭🤭💜 And sometimes, it's necessarily just one singular thing or point within the story, but could be something or some things about the story more just overall. .. if that makes sense? ^-^)
@@jaginaiaelectrizs6341 It doesn't really matter whether it was the author's intention or not. I was just saying you're right that while some hooks are about what is 'different', other hooks are about showing the reader something familiar that they know they'll like.
@@booklanerecommendations I know 🙂 And I was just agreeing with you that sometimes it can even be about both something 'different' and something familiar all at the same time, rather than exclusively being one or the other; but I just also felt like it was worth pointing out that sometimes what hooks the reader personally is not necessarily specifically the general 'hook' of a story overall but also that it doesn't make it any less valid when a reader is hooked by some random detail or whatever about a story versus when they are hooked by the actual intended 'draw' or 'appeal' of a story either, even though I was initially thinking more of the general appeal than the personal one myself, I definitely should have been thinking of both personal and general 'hooks' not only differences in content tastes(and that part wasn't meant as a comment on anything your comment had said..more about a lapse in the way that I had been thinking/speaking of it, myself, previously...because I completely agree with you that it doesn't really matter if it's a personal hook or the author's intended 'draw' or appeal to the story or whatever).^-^
When you realize that one of your favorite Disney movies did the fake out death hook. Tangled is totally guilty of this but I still love it
Haha yeah, I thought about that too and how it's literally the first line: "this is the story of how I died."
Honestly though, kid me would have been so sad if he wasn't revived
I love the fact that you use examples and excerpts of how an effective hook/beginning can be pulled off. Some of the how to write youtubers just give people a set of rules. These examples and excerpts you use give aspiring writers references to draw on, perhaps the skeletal frame or an effective prose.
Thank you.
Merphy, that last hook you discussed... I just finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (as in just a couple of hours ago) and it was exactly like that! So well done and heartrendingly executed.
So glad i discovered this channel...
As an aspiring writer i love to hear what are the general things which people like and dislike. I mean i get that not everyone can be pleased,but this discussion fills me with joy.
Please keep going 🤗
That scene in Anxious People is so odd, but so funny!
Now trying to figure out the resurrection at the end you mentioned?
OMG I know what that is! It is a YA fantasy series I actually really enjoyed despite normally being put off of YA (not for snobby reasons, I'm just way too easily upset by drama). The writing style and most of the characters were great, but the plot was a hot mess with several anticlimactic 'climaxes' and a terrible ending where half the stuff is unresolved and the other half is resolved in stupid ways like resurrection. This is one of the few series I would recommend going into with lots of spoilers, so that you're well prepared for it to go downhill but can still enjoy the good bits.
Do you wanna know what it is? I can tell you, but that would be a pretty big spoiler. Despite personally being happy I went into it spoiled, I don't wanna shout it out in the comments unless you ask me to :)
@@booklanerecommendations I will message Merphy thru Patreon Discord to see what book she was talking about, no need to spoil here, thank you though
@@booklanerecommendations is it the raven boys?
@@ohohnenyeoo2654 ummm since you asked, spoilers ahead for whether or not this is the series I meant: it is, though I'm sure it's not the only series that does something like this.
@@booklanerecommendations got ya. I was frustrated too.
I can't think of many specific hooks that got me in terms of plot, but what really makes me interested to read more is the narrator. A silly narration like Discworld or Hitchhiker's Guide will make me want to see where this goes because I can't expect anything. A narration like Dresden lets me see his personality quickly and look forward to him making trouble for himself.
So if we merge all these together, a hook that has well established characters, is a prologue, mystery about the world, daily life and then sudden change...
Oh it's Attack on Titan.
For real tho....one of my favourite prologues..its just jaw dropping..they show the incident about to strike into their daily lives at the beginning then make us forget entirely about it..as they establish the world and the characters..
I just started that series! Two eps in and it's GOOD!
Not sure about that one. One of the biggest hurdle I had with attack on titan was its early story parts. I'm not particularly a fan of some of the main characters like Eren and Armin. But I guess you could argue they were properly established enough. Just not well enough for me though.
Sie sind das Essen? Und wir sind die Jaeger!
*epic trumpets*
@@freddice8156 I don't blame you. I liked Armin and Mikasa a lot, but early Eren was definitely a hard sell. I am a sucker for characters like Armin who have simple dreams like wanting to see the ocean.
SO HAPPY this section is back! Also, I can't remember the last time I've seen a video that starts with a sponsor and I'm actually interested in knowing what this sponsor is about (talk about a hook!)
Avatar the Last Airbender is definitely one of my top stories for good introductory hooks. You have the literal intro of the show which acts as a sort of prologue, "Avatar disappeared, fire nation attacked" but we don't know the results. As the episode goes on, we get bits of info about the aftermath, leading up to the reveal of Aang as the Avatar, and so on. We get four of our five main characters in this episode, hints for the overarching plot, a goal for the character's to chase, wordbuilding, learn the philosophical standpoints of the show, and probably even more.
it's a great hook on rewatch...well paced and done perfectly. That said i know people who got bored of it super fast.
Merphy, you should give the book, Cheaper by the Dozen a try. The opening, and majority of the book, is hilarious. Plus it's about a large, loving family and the shenanigans they get into. It's a beautiful tribute to the Gilbreth patriarch written by two of his twelve children.
Omg that is a fantastic suggestion! I think she would love that book!
@@hhoi8225 Right?! It seems like a very Merphy type story lol
@@meganb.higgins973 100%!
Is that the one that was adapted into a movie by the same name?
@@pipitameruje Yes but the Steve Martin one has almost no resemblance (and is trash to boot). The OG adaptation is super old-fashioned but reasonably faithful to the book. Quite cute if you don't mind a very retro vibe.
There was no need to be hesitant about doing a Dear Authors on Hooks! Marvelous video, thank you 😁
So grateful for all the advice Dear Authors series (and all other book review by you!) have given to me! You've helped me make my own book a lot better! Thank you for bringing back this series!
Wait, so this isn't about Peter Pan?
You need more likes. We have to get you up there
@@pipitameruje thank you☺️
Where’s a donate button for this comment?
Merph's vids are *highlight of the week* for me. :)
Thanku for considering starting this series again. I love it so much!
Hope u and ur loved ones are doing great!
I am so late lol but I'm so glad Dear authors is back. Love this series. I've rewatched so many of them.
Was half expecting a Captain Hook “hook” play on words joke for this video 😂. Great video as always.
A hook for me needs to happen within the first chapter or first few pages - even the first line. Hooks for me, are fantastic writing and imagery. The way of kings prologue is a fantastic hook. I am not one of those people to bear with a book, if I am not hooked in the first chapter then I probably wont keep reading.
I think this is one of the coolest ideas to have for the show. Not just for us Authors but also to help educate readers as to what makes a great story.
So glad that you brought Dear Authors back!
I'm stoked you're bringing this back!
Im glad this series is back
Love Dear Authors! Glad you brought it back!
Yay it’s back! I feel hooked when I feel like I understand the characters and their motives at least a little
You're back!!! Welcome!
Thank you SO much for starting this up again! Also, brilliant idea to start at the beginning. :D
Aaaaaah dear authors is baaaaaack! Never stop! I love love ❤️
I love this series don’t stop! So glad you brought it back!
Oh my goodness I’m so happy your bringing back this series!!
Thank you for bringing this series back!! As an aspiring author this helps me so much.
Glad you brought it back! I just found and have really been enjoying this series.
Dear Authors is my favorite! Love that it’s making a comeback! Thanks for making these videos! ❤️
Thank you for the series. It's always great to get feedback from readers
So glad you brought this series back. These videos were the ones that originally hooked me into your channel.
I was toying with something similar to the prologue in the middle of the story, but more so, at the end of a subsequent novel. You gave me lots of ideas. Thanks Merphy!!!
It is so obvious how much you love doing this series!! I'm happy it's back :))
I'm so glad you came back to Dear Authors. Easily my favorite series you do
So glad about new Dear Authors videos! As an author AND a reader, I'm obsessed with these videos.
So glad this series has returned!
Dear Authors is my favorite video series of yours. Glad to see it back. As an aspiring author, I find it really helpful too!
Great video! I’ve been an avid reader since I learned to read, but at 59 you are teaching this old dog a lot of new tricks. Thanks!
Yaaayyy! So happy that Dear Authors is back! I love this series!
I love a book with a mystery that keeps you so immersed in the story because you want to figure out what the mystery is and how it unfolds, searching for clues and wondering if something is foreshadowing or not. I also love interesting worlds where you discover more about it as the story or series unfolds.
Really liked that you started giving examples to each comment, makes it much more enjoyable and plus it gives some new recommendations each time!
and she returns!
So glad for the return of Dear Authors. As a prospective author this was one of my favorite series, so thanks again for bringing it back.
I MISSED THIS😅😅😅Dear authors was the reason I subscribed to your channel and I genuinely missed it. Glad to have it back♥️😁😁
DearAuthor is my most favorite series from your channel. Really unique way to dig topics deeper. Please keep it 💖
Thanks for bringing back this series. As an aspiring author, these help me reevaluate and improve my ideas. Also, thanks for the lordofmaps link and discount code. I ordered a map of Ireland immediately.
That wheel of time rant though 😂 I feel you, immensely unsatisfying ending
I am really excited about watching these videos please continue with them please. Please stay safe and enjoy your reading 📖 love your amazing channel love your Australia fan John xxx
The Time Zones are a real problem. I get this video 29s ago, but the comments are 23 hours ago. Damm.
I think it's because the video was available to patreon member early.
@@pintudesai131 Maybe? Maybe not?
Dear Authors is how i found your channel. I LOVE IT!!
I also missed this. So helpful for me. 💚
These videos are invaluable to me as a new amateur fantasy fiction writer. Thank you for this series!
Once again, you’ve changed my writing Merphy. I just rethought the start of my book and it’s so much better because of this video. Thank you 😊
Yes, please!! Keep going with this 👏🏻🤗
Love the Dear Authors series! It's helped me a lot when writing my own books. I'm glad it's back :)
Yes, yes, yes!
Ive missed this series so much
Glad to see this return!
I just finished reading The Lies of Locke Lamora thanks to you, and I loved it! Thank you!
Thank you for this video, I really enjoyed it and it is giving me a lot to think about.
I'm delighted you brought this series back. Not only can novice authors benefit, more seasoned ones can pick up pointers. We don't always get feedback from readers, especially if we're indie or mid-list trad authors.
Snapshot of what's to come and then taking half the story to see how they got there is actually incredibly common in recent episodic television.
YAAAY! Dear Authors is BACK!
Merphy Napier: Brings back Dear Author
Me: Breathes a sigh of relief
I love you for pulling out Jurassic Park as example! I wish more people would read the book & not just think oh I've seen the movie, why should I read the book? It's so different in a way, very well-written and unlike other books apart from the science maybe not a dull moment. Almost like having a movie night with popcorn but for the imagination
This series is how I found the channel, glad it's returned
I've missed this series. I love it
💜⚡
Excited to see a new dear authors
Yay! My favorite series is back!!! I'm so excited! I know the channel is for readers. But, for those of us who are authors, this series is GOLD!
YES!! IT'S BACK!!!
So happy this series is back!!! It's okay you needed a break from it to breathe, but I'm glad we are coming back. I love hearing other people's opinions on these topics and as an aspiring writer.
Can we also do a Dear Authors with a specific fantasy creature? Like with a focus on dragons, mermaids, unicorns, etc. Or even fantastical beings like elves, dwarves and other lesser known ones? I would really love to hear other people's thoughts if we could possibly get to these kinds of topics as well. Thanks for sharing Merphy!
Welcome back Dear Author
I really miss binge watching these
I love those maps. They're beautiful.
Missed Dear authors a lot
DEAR AUTHORS IS BACK!!! And somehow I didn't notice for two days... I'm so disappointed in myself, lol. Thank you for bringing Dear Authors back. This series was my introduction to Booktube. These videos and OSP's Trope Talk have been the best at helping my writing.
I read a book as a teenager that had the first line, "Ethan died of a burst appendix." That was quite a hook, just from the aspect of, "Who the heck starts off a book like THIS!?!?" And it was a science fiction book, that I really enjoyed!
I love the dear author's series. It's so helpful to me as a writer.
The hook where it’s a future piece of the story can be a hit or miss for me. Red Seas Under Red Skies had a great hook that had me invested and I was always waiting for it in the back of my mind. It has to be something interesting that gives me a feel for the story without giving too much away for the plot.