{"id":802,"date":"2023-10-03T12:21:07","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T12:21:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/?p=802"},"modified":"2023-10-03T12:21:07","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T12:21:07","slug":"the-flat-arc-hook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/?p=802","title":{"rendered":"The Flat Arc Hook"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today, we\u2019re going to be talking about the Flat Arc Hook\u2026 the first event in the story. This post might sound similar to the post I wrote on the Positive Change Arc Hook, but today we\u2019re going to look at the Hook from the angle of a Flat Arc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Hook occurs at the very beginning of the story, so it\u2019s super important that you get this plot point right. Some readers will put the book down if they\u2019re not satisfied with the Hook they are offered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a look at the three main things to introduce during the Hook:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. An overall question<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Audiences love mysteries, so giving them more questions than answers will make them want to keep reading. The questions might revolve around the story\u2019s Theme, the events of the first scene, or even something about the MC himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    In \u201cThe Basket of Flowers,\u201d the scriptwriters\u2014who adapted the book for the audio drama\u2014cleverly introduced listeners to the conflict by using a flash-forward Prologue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It starts out as Mary is dragged through a dungeon, and locked into a cell, where she meets a cranky fellow prisoner, and discusses her plight with him. All this time, we\u2019re wondering, \u201cWhy is she in prison?\u201d It\u2019s the perfect Hook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    In \u201cPendragon,\u201d we start out a bit more slowly. The narrator speaks in soft, wise tones, introducing us to the story with her brother\u2019s vision to protect his father\u2019s village. It\u2019s slower-paced but gives off an air of mystery\u2014another perfect Hook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    1. Setting introduction<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Setting plays a very important role in a story\u2014some stories more than others. However, it\u2019s important to not overwhelm your audience by throwing too much description at them at once. You have to find the balance between excessive and insufficient description.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/div>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cThe Basket of Flowers\u201d uses a lot of sound effects for description, since it\u2019s an audio drama. While we can\u2019t use sound effects in a book, we can learn from their use of showing instead of telling. The writers of this script also used some dialogue to show the audience the setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/div>\n\n\n\n

      In \u201cPendragon,\u201d the setting is first introduced by the narrator, then by the market sequence during the credits. We get a small glimpse of the MC in his Normal World before the craziness of the main conflict erupts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/div>\n\n\n\n
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      1. Character introduction<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        We\u2019ll talk about introducing the MC in a moment, but let\u2019s focus on the supporting characters for now. Just like your MC, many of your main supporting characters are going to have a few things that need to be introduced:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        1. Their Truth (or Lie, depending on their arc)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Their Goal (or Want)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. Their Backstory (or Ghost)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          <\/div>\n\n\n\n

          Not all supporting character possess all of these elements, and not all of them will be introduced at the Hook, but it\u2019s good to keep in mind as the characters themselves arrive on the scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          You\u2019ll introduce the MC by using what\u2019s called the Characteristic Moment. This is when their Truth, Goal, Backstory, and personality are all introduced in the same scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          The best way to do this is to provide conflict. When the MC is forced to defend their Truth, it will show the audience how dedicated they are to it\u2014and how much it will take for their belief in it to be shaken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          <\/div>\n\n\n\n

          In \u201cThe Basket of Flowers,\u201d we are introduced to Mary as she\u2019s being dragged through prison. We see her Truth under pressure (note how we also see her doubts right away, too), and her Goal to keep her father safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          <\/div>\n\n\n\n

          In \u201cPendragon,\u201d we are introduced to Artos\u2019 simple, carefree life in his father\u2019s village. We see his love and trust in God, and his devotion to his sister and his village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          <\/div>\n\n\n\n

          Here are a few more examples of Flat Arc Hooks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          1. Sophie wanders around the orphanage (\u201cThe BFG\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            1. Wall-E collects trash alone in the deserted city (\u201cWall-E\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              1. Elinor\u2019s father dies and her estranged half-brother and his wife inherit their house (\u201cSense & Sensibility)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                1. Will and Amy are married (\u201cHigh Noon\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                    \n
                  1. Paddington makes marmalade with his aunt and uncle (\u201cPaddington\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

                    Comment below the Hook of your favorite book or movie!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                    Today, we\u2019re going to be talking about the Flat Arc Hook\u2026 the first event in the story. This post might sound similar to the post I wrote on the Positive Change Arc Hook, but today we\u2019re going to look at the Hook from the angle of a Flat Arc. The Hook occurs at the very […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=802"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":804,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\/revisions\/804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}