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WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

And…Action! Applying TV Lessons to Chapter Hooks

September 11, 2018 by Writing Coach

jami-goldWe’ve probably all heard the advice to end our scenes and chapters on a hook. At the end of every scene or chapter, readers might put down our book and decide against picking it up again, so it’s important to know how we can keep readers interested. Hooks can ensure readers desperately want to stick around to see what happens next.

In that post I linked to above, I shared how we can make the last sentence of every scene stronger. Today, I want to build on those ideas and see what we can learn for our writing by looking at how TV shows build hooks into the end of every act.

How Is TV Writing like Novel Writing?

Just as readers might put down a book at the end of every scene, every commercial break in a TV show can prompt viewers to change the channel. So TV writers structure their stories into acts, one between each commercial break.

TV acts are different from novel acts, which are usually a simple beginning, middle, and end three-act structure. TV-style acts are closer to how we write scenes. (In fact, ad-free shows often still feel like they should have commercial breaks because of this structure.)

Whether for TV or written stories, hooks are an opportunity to make our readers sit up and take notice. While not every scene should end with a “dun dun dun” twist, we should make sure we have enough hooks throughout our story to strengthen the narrative drive, increase the pace, and keep readers engaged.

What Hooks Do TV Acts Use?

Let’s take a look at the types of hooks found in TV shows—some that are commonly used in novels and some that aren’t—and see if they give us ideas for our stories:

  • Appearance of Imminent Failure: Hooks that leave the characters facing an immediate threat of failure: knocked unconscious, notification of another serial killer victim, etc.
    These are one of the most dramatic types of hooks, so we want to save them for when our story deserves it—such as the major beats, especially the Black Moment or Climax—or else our writing can veer too close to melodrama.
  • Reveal that Changes Perception: Hooks that change everything the characters (or audience) thought they knew: mistaken identity, surprise answer, etc.
    These are also very dramatic hooks that we don’t want to overdo. They’re especially good to use when we want to drastically change the direction of our story.
  • Vow to Move Forward: Hooks that show the moment after the “imminent failure” sense of doom or the “reveal that changes everything,” when characters throw caution to the wind because they have no other choice: ignoring orders, taking a risk, etc.
    These hooks are great to use when we think showing characters bonding or making sacrifices will be more emotionally resonant to readers than the “dun dun dun” of the moment before.
  • Reminder of Stakes: Hooks that focus on the consequences lying in wait for the characters: someone needs rescuing or they’ll die, find the bad guy or be attacked, etc.
    The “ticking clock” aspect of these hooks helps escalate the stakes and increase the pace with less of a risk of melodrama (usually).
  • Jump to Another Point of View: Hooks that are the literary equivalent of zooming out to show the killer stalking the characters.
    Transitioning to another point of view wouldn’t help us end a scene, but this style of hook can be used like a cliffhanger at the end of a chapter, with just a snippet after the end of the main scene.
  • Hint of an Epiphany: Hooks that show a character’s had an epiphany but doesn’t yet show what they’ve discovered: answer to the mystery, figured out their feelings, etc.
    These hooks are good when a story question is about to be answered, but we want to drag it out through one more chapter break. These are typically a no-more-than-once-a-story type of hook, however, as they can feel “cheap.”

For each of those different hook categories, we can also change up the style, depending on our focus, such as:

  • Emotional: the hook leaves them reeling, distraught, worried, determined, etc.
  • Countdown: the hook escalates the tension, worry, dread, etc.
  • Opposites: the hook plays out opposite from expected—can also be played for humor: a vow of “I won’t do X,” and jump to them doing X, etc.
  • Bling: the hook is written in a flashy (often fragment and punctuation-heavy) style: “She wouldn’t let it happen. Not. A. Chance.”

While TV writing is different from novel writing, we might be able to find inspiration for our stories from the TV side. Next time you watch a TV show, pay attention to how each act ends and see if it helps you with ideas. *smile*

Do you have any questions about hooks—or have other TV-style hooks to share?

jami-picture-200-x-300_framedAfter muttering writing advice in tongues, Jami decided to put her talent for making up stuff to good use. Fueled by chocolate, she creates writing resources and writes award-winning paranormal romance stories where normal need not apply. Just ask her family—and zombie cat.

Find out more about Jami here, hang out with her on social media, or visit her website and Goodreads profile.
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Writing Coach
Writing Coach

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Filed Under: Characters, Conflict, Experiments, Fear, Flashbacks, High Stakes, Resident Writing Coach, Series, Story Structure, Writing Craft, Writing Lessons

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. :Donna says

    September 11, 2018 at 12:46 pm

    I just love how screenwriting helps with overall writing because it’s visual and so concise!

    • Jami Gold says

      September 11, 2018 at 4:38 pm

      Hi Donna,

      Good point! When we think about how the average movie works out to 100 pages of script, we realize how much they pack into each scene. 🙂

  2. Jami Gold says

    September 11, 2018 at 11:39 am

    Thank you so much for having me here again, Becca and Angela! 🙂

    • ANGELA ACKERMAN says

      September 11, 2018 at 2:39 pm

      I love that you’re looking to TV, Jami. It has a lot to teach us–there’s been a big shift from movie-watching to TV show-binging so understanding what makes shows so addictive is a chance to learn lessons we can apply to our books!

    • BECCA PUGLISI says

      September 12, 2018 at 10:00 am

      This was a great post. There are so many ways to learn the craft, and TV shows are probably the least expensive and most accessible. Thanks for the tips!

Trackbacks

  1. Resources on Romance Novel Plotting - The Romance MFA says:
    October 8, 2018 at 9:10 am

    […] Another plotting article from Jami Gold, this time at Writers Helping Writers, on the topic of hooks as used in TV writing. […]

  2. Top Picks Thursday! For Writers & Readers 09-20-2018 | The Author Chronicles says:
    September 20, 2018 at 1:02 pm

    […] So much goes into even the shortest story. Kristen Lamb looks at time as a literary device, Lee McKenzie shares what photographer Annie Lebovitz taught her about writing, and Jami Gold applies TV lessons to chapter hooks. […]

  3. Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links – Staci Troilo says:
    September 14, 2018 at 1:05 am

    […] TV Lessons for Chapter Hooks | Writers Helping Writers […]

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