HooksHow do I start my memoir?

Different Types of Hooks0INTRIGUING STATEMENT- DRAMATIC LEADExample: I wouldn’t make it through the night without

it.

0JUMP- STARTING IN THE MIDDLE OF A SCENE Example: I was sure we’d find the blanket ripped and

dirty.

0METAPHOR/SIMILE-MAKE A VISUAL COMPARISON OF TWO UNLIKE THINGS

Example: My life that year was a rollercoaster

0DILEMMA- DRAMATIC LEAD: Character has to make a choice

Example: I couldn’t find my shoe anywhere! I couldn’t go on stage without that shoe!

0QUOTATION- GUIDING, MEMORABLE PHRASEExample: Before I went to sleep each night, my father

always whispered, “Sweet dreams, Sweetpea.”

0DIALOGUE- SPEAKING IN A SPECIFIC SITUATIONExample: “How could you do this to me?” she shrieked.

Examples0“How come Jenny gets to do it?” my little sister

seems to say more than anything else.0The minute I crossed the finish line I knew this was

for me.0The damp rain, the blazing sun, the cool days, and

the freezing ice cold. When would you rather run?0If someone walked in the door wearing an

Abercrombie shirt, designer jeans, and Sperry Topsiders, my initial reaction would be, “I like her even though I know nothing about her.”

0Sweat, blood, torn up fingers, chalk in the lungs. Who wouldn’t want to climb?

Check your hook with these questions:

0• Does my lead fit with the purpose of my memoir?0 • Does my lead give the reader a clue of the importance of this subject to

YOUR TASK

0Sort the pile of hooks into six different categories

YOUR TASK

0Write THREE different possible hook paragraph for your memoir using THREE DIFFERENT styles (dialogue, quotation, intriguing statement, metaphor/simile, jump, dilemma)

0TOMORROW we will pass and give you feedback on which we think would be the most effective