Set The Hook! Set The Hook!
Ivan R. Bosanko
January 11, 2010
Set Your Hook! Set Your Hook! *
Set your hook! Set your hook! Okay, now reel ´em in! Easy like, easy like! See! You got him!
Those words were darned good advice way back then. I can still hear my father saying them as if it were yesterday, instead of more than forty years ago. We´d been fishing and had the kind of day that most anglers only dream about.
Strange as this seems, that´s also darned good advice for all you storytellers and aspiring authors out there. Always remember to set your hook early. Then reel in your listener or reader and you´ll have earned their undying gratitude and joy. It won´t be some lunker trophy bass, but you´ll have their attention. What´s more, they´ll be with you the rest of the way. And to top that off, your craft or profession will be all the better because you set your hook.
If you´ll lend me your eyes for the next few minutes, I can tell you how this all came about.
Storytelling has been around long before man first invented fire or the wheel. Whenever man spoke, man told stories. It made no difference if he were a tribal chieftain, a medicine man or a witch doctor, sooner or later a story evolved. Before the first word was ever written down or printed, you can bet a story or two had already made the rounds. Storytelling and history have shared a common link since the dawn of time. Storytelling kept history alive long before recorded facts were ever put down. True, many of those early facts were 'taken with the proverbial grain of salt,' but their intent never wavered. Errors and mistakes occurred then as they do now. Even today's best-kept records are not error-free. Disputed records often find their way into our court system for final judgment. Yet where would we be without them? Or the story behind the so-called fact?
Storytelling is truly an ancient art-form. Those that practiced it then and those that practice it now are masters of their craft in every sense. It makes no difference if Grandpa Jones or Aunt Jenny have gathered a flock of relatives or friends around. Story-time still takes center-stage. Those that continue this grand and glorious tradition continue to earn their audience and their reader´s admiration and respect.
Something fairly new has happened upon the storyteller's horizon: It's called 'the hook.' So just what is a hook? And how is it used in today's written and spoken language? A hook is anything that the teller or writer uses to keep or hold their audience's interest. In today's publishing world, it's those precious words or lines that makes the editor want to turn to the next page. It can often spell the difference between keeping many a good story 'alive and kicking' instead of ending up in some editor's round file.
Here's an example of storytelling using the hook: My father informed me that before he set foot at the Orlando Airport, he expected me to find an experienced fishing guide. After all, wasn't Florida famous for its large- mouth bass fishing? Never mind that I had only three days to pull it off or that I'd never fished for bass. Just find one! When my father asked, you delivered. My wife, bless her soul, tried to save my bacon the day before our trip to the airport. She handed me the local newspaper, then pointed to the smallest ad I'd ever read. Just three words: Fishing guide, 342-xxxx.
Come on now! Aren't you just more than a little curious about what happened next? Did I try that number? Did anybody answer? If so, was he an experienced bass-fishing guide? If I signed on, what kind of a fishing trip, did we have? There's at least half a dozen more questions that I'm sure you'd like me to fill you in on. Anyway, you get my point, now don't you? Yup! You've been 'hooked good´!
For those of you just dying to know what happened, let me continue: I dialed twice. No response. After dinner, one more desperate try. Eureka! A soft voice on the other end came to my rescue. With a slight drawl, he said why yes, he was a bass fishing guide. I´m sure he must´ve heard my deep sigh of relief on the other end. Then came a pause as he continued. Ain´t been out…let´s see…over six weeks. Been laid up in a hospital most of that time. Gotta be straight with you…sure could use the money. Still want me for your guide?
Face it, you´ve been hooked again! But Good!
In today's world, any good storyteller or writer worth his salt needs to insert a hook soon after he starts to spin his yarn. With a little practice, he'll have 'em hanging on his every word, dying to know how it all will turn out. All because he "set the hook."
By Ivan R.Bosanko, author, The Rubber Room. A nostalgic tour set in the 1950´s which is about change, commitment and challenge.
Set your hook! Set your hook! Okay, now reel ´em in! Easy like, easy like! See! You got him!
Those words were darned good advice way back then. I can still hear my father saying them as if it were yesterday, instead of more than forty years ago. We´d been fishing and had the kind of day that most anglers only dream about.
Strange as this seems, that´s also darned good advice for all you storytellers and aspiring authors out there. Always remember to set your hook early. Then reel in your listener or reader and you´ll have earned their undying gratitude and joy. It won´t be some lunker trophy bass, but you´ll have their attention. What´s more, they´ll be with you the rest of the way. And to top that off, your craft or profession will be all the better because you set your hook.
If you´ll lend me your eyes for the next few minutes, I can tell you how this all came about.
Storytelling has been around long before man first invented fire or the wheel. Whenever man spoke, man told stories. It made no difference if he were a tribal chieftain, a medicine man or a witch doctor, sooner or later a story evolved. Before the first word was ever written down or printed, you can bet a story or two had already made the rounds. Storytelling and history have shared a common link since the dawn of time. Storytelling kept history alive long before recorded facts were ever put down. True, many of those early facts were 'taken with the proverbial grain of salt,' but their intent never wavered. Errors and mistakes occurred then as they do now. Even today's best-kept records are not error-free. Disputed records often find their way into our court system for final judgment. Yet where would we be without them? Or the story behind the so-called fact?
Storytelling is truly an ancient art-form. Those that practiced it then and those that practice it now are masters of their craft in every sense. It makes no difference if Grandpa Jones or Aunt Jenny have gathered a flock of relatives or friends around. Story-time still takes center-stage. Those that continue this grand and glorious tradition continue to earn their audience and their reader´s admiration and respect.
Something fairly new has happened upon the storyteller's horizon: It's called 'the hook.' So just what is a hook? And how is it used in today's written and spoken language? A hook is anything that the teller or writer uses to keep or hold their audience's interest. In today's publishing world, it's those precious words or lines that makes the editor want to turn to the next page. It can often spell the difference between keeping many a good story 'alive and kicking' instead of ending up in some editor's round file.
Here's an example of storytelling using the hook: My father informed me that before he set foot at the Orlando Airport, he expected me to find an experienced fishing guide. After all, wasn't Florida famous for its large- mouth bass fishing? Never mind that I had only three days to pull it off or that I'd never fished for bass. Just find one! When my father asked, you delivered. My wife, bless her soul, tried to save my bacon the day before our trip to the airport. She handed me the local newspaper, then pointed to the smallest ad I'd ever read. Just three words: Fishing guide, 342-xxxx.
Come on now! Aren't you just more than a little curious about what happened next? Did I try that number? Did anybody answer? If so, was he an experienced bass-fishing guide? If I signed on, what kind of a fishing trip, did we have? There's at least half a dozen more questions that I'm sure you'd like me to fill you in on. Anyway, you get my point, now don't you? Yup! You've been 'hooked good´!
For those of you just dying to know what happened, let me continue: I dialed twice. No response. After dinner, one more desperate try. Eureka! A soft voice on the other end came to my rescue. With a slight drawl, he said why yes, he was a bass fishing guide. I´m sure he must´ve heard my deep sigh of relief on the other end. Then came a pause as he continued. Ain´t been out…let´s see…over six weeks. Been laid up in a hospital most of that time. Gotta be straight with you…sure could use the money. Still want me for your guide?
Face it, you´ve been hooked again! But Good!
In today's world, any good storyteller or writer worth his salt needs to insert a hook soon after he starts to spin his yarn. With a little practice, he'll have 'em hanging on his every word, dying to know how it all will turn out. All because he "set the hook."
By Ivan R.Bosanko, author, The Rubber Room. A nostalgic tour set in the 1950´s which is about change, commitment and challenge.
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