IN 25 WORDS OR LESS by Joanne Guidoccio
After completing my novel, I attended a number of workshops where the facilitators stressed the importance of a hook or logline.
What is a hook/logline?
Very simply, it is a concise sentence that answers
the question: What is your novel about? An effective logline provides enough
interest to prolong the conversation with a prospective agent or publisher,
encourages readers to pick up the book, and creates tweetable buzz.
At first, I found it a daunting task. How could I
possibly condense 69,000 words into 25 words or less?
I started by looking at the some of the great hooks
in literature and cinema:
A man goes into the jungle to search for a missing
general. (Heart of Darkness)
A reclusive chocolateer opens up his factory to the
lucky children who find golden tickets. (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
A sea captain forces his crew to search for an
elusive white whale. (Moby Dick)
A train engine thinks it can make it up a hill.
(The Little Engine That Could)
A young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated
and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer
who skins his victims. (The Silence of the Lambs)
Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years,
finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency. (The
Shawshank Redemption)
Forrest Gump, while not intelligent, has
accidentally been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny,
eludes him. (Forrest Gump)
And my all time favorite…
Film Director James Cameron pitched his idea for the
three-hour epic in just six words:
Romeo and Juliet on the Titanic.
My hook
A brunette lottery winner never has an alibi when
dead blondes turn up in Dumpsters near her favorite haunts. (A Season for
Killing Blondes)
Do you have a hook for your novel or WIP?
Blurb
Hours before the opening of her career counseling
practice, Gilda Greco discovers the dead body of golden girl Carrie Ann
Godfrey, neatly arranged in the dumpster outside her office. Gilda’s life and
budding career are stalled as Detective Carlo Fantin, her former high school
crush, conducts the investigation.
When three more dead blondes turn up all brutally
strangled and deposited near Gilda’s favorite haunts, she is pegged as a prime
suspect for the murders. Frustrated by Carlo’s chilly detective persona and the
mean girl antics of Carrie Ann’s meddling relatives, Gilda decides to launch
her own investigation. She discovers a gaggle of suspects, among them a yoga
instructor in need of anger management training, a lecherous photographer, and
fourteen ex-boyfriends.
As the puzzle pieces fall into place, shocking
revelations emerge, forcing Gilda to confront the envy and deceit she has long
overlooked.
Trailer
Buy Links
Amazon
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Amazon
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Amazon
(United Kingdom) - http://is.gd/8mknFJ
Amazon
(Australia) - http://is.gd/r843iX
Kobo
- http://is.gd/BpO9gY
Bio
In 2008, Joanne took advantage of early retirement
and decided to launch a second career that would tap into her creative side and
utilize her well-honed organizational skills. Slowly, a writing practice
emerged. Her articles and book reviews were published in newspapers, magazines,
and online. When she tried her hand at fiction, she made reinvention a
recurring theme in her novels and short stories. A member of Sisters in Crime,
Crime Writers of Canada, and Romance Writers of America, Joanne writes
paranormal romance, cozy mysteries, and inspirational literature from her home
base of Guelph, Ontario.
Where to find Joanne...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joanneguidoccio
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjoanneguidoccio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanneguidoccio
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jguidoccio/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7277706.Joanne_Guidoccio
Comments
Thanks for the info, and for hosting her, Marilyn.