HOME Writing Tips

Dead Body Girl (free book)

Modern Grammar (and Beyond)

Short Stories

Contact



How to Know if You'll Like a Book
 

Dan Brown Example

Brown didn't want to create awesome moments. Example:
The agent gave a dire sigh and slid a Polaroid snapshot through the narrow opening in the door.

When Langdon saw the photo, his entire body went rigid.

"The photo was taken less tan an hour ago. Inside the Louvre."

As Langdon stared at the bizarre image, his initial revulsion and shock gave way to a sudden upwelling of anger. "Who would do this?"

This is an awesome moment -- for the character. Brown could have made it an awesome moment for the reader too, simply by telling us what this image was.

But he didn't want to. He was building a hook -- we want to keep reading to find out what this shocking image was. His choice. Awesome Moments are like humor -- one way of making a book enjoyable to read, but not mandatory.

Summary