Dr. Phil's Life Strategies, #1 New York Times Bestseller catches us on page one. His bait? Oprah Winfrey.
A fisherman will spend hours throwing out into the lake one of the many trinkets he holds in his trusty tackle box "baiting" his catch-to-be. By trial and error, practice and perfection, the avid, alert fisherman builds strategy as to where his fish are hiding, when they eat, and what bait will draw his catch. Strategy produces success.
Dr. Phil? No different. A strategist. A master strategist from which we expect no less than expert strategy. And in his book, Life Strategies, we see this leader at work, both finding the fish and successfully baiting his catch-to-be. How, you ask?
Open this book and read. Page one, acknowledgments: Oprah, first sentence, third word, again in the second sentence and in the third. Introduction: Oprah, first sentence, second word, and a quick scan will give you almost thirty more. Chapter One: Oprah, twice in the first paragraph, once in the second paragraph, and fourth paragraph, Oprah, Oprah, Oprah. I'm drawn in and a bit curious. Who could be so lucky to have a hook like this one? It becomes a prosperous one as Dr. Phil "catches" enough to produce a best seller and an amazing career.
A "hook" is how you will draw your attention-deficit audience, and future fans, to continue reading your work.
Like the little fishes in the water, we need something to draw us. We swim around all day long ignoring the bits and pieces of rubbish floating around in front of our faces. But then, unexpected, we see a glimmer. It may be familiar or it may spark our curiosity. We swim over and nudge it here and there. If all else is going well--looks good, smells good, and holds our interest--we lunge at it. Set-the-hook success. Reel us in, cook us, sit back, and relax with your newfound fullness of a day well spent.
The first sentence in TIFFANY TWISTED: exposed, unraveled, rewritten reads, "I thought about bringing a gun over there." Our first thought may be, hmmm, familiar, I've thought about this too, or, unfamiliar, can't say I've ever wanted to kill anyone but, interesting, here's my chance to get into this head. "I thought about bringing a gun over there." Has one sentence set a glimmer through the muddied waters? Are you asking yourself, bring a gun where? Why? Has the sentence done it's job and propelled you to nudge the bait a little and read on?
"I thought about bringing a gun over there. Not just some little pistol. I had a statement to make. And a statement like this required one of those big shotguns..." Hmmm, one of those big shotguns? "One that would bring hell itself into the eyes of it's beholder." What? Why? What possibly could have brought on such horrid thoughts of revenge? These are the questions I hope you're asking because, like Dr. Phil and every other author out there competing for your time, I want to have at least tweaked your interest enough for you to lunge at my hook and read the book!
--------------------------
Tiffany Twist is the author of two books, TIFFANY TWISTED: exposed, unraveled, rewritten (June 2004 by Expert Publishing Inc.) and SOME DANCE: Hey Bartender, I'll take a decade of marriage on the rocks, a therapist straight up, and a fantasy guy with a twist (April 2005 by et al Publishing)
Tiffany has filmed for E! Television and Style Network's top rated "Diary of an Affair" to air in April and has currently been contacted by producers from both Oprah and Dr. Phil.
For more info and photos, visit http://www.tiffanytwist.com
My article this issue is an excerpt from a book... Read More
At some point, every serious writer is forced to sit... Read More
Complaint letters aren't always fun, but sometimes they need to... Read More
The works you've written are numerous, ranging from short stories... Read More
The self-indulgent writer listens only to the mumblings of sycophants,... Read More
1. Set aside a time to write and keep it... Read More
It was reported that the great American author Sinclair Lewis... Read More
You can create a great headline, a dynamic first sentence,... Read More
Structure in the form of frameworks, work processes and goals... Read More
If your dream is to get published, the chance is... Read More
Don't they drive you nuts?You can visit all the rules... Read More
11 Secrets from an Experienced InterviewerOne of the unwritten rules... Read More
The creativity of Jaisini is not designed to be preaching... Read More
The decision to publish a book is very exciting! It... Read More
It is satisfying to be a part of such a... Read More
First, let's tackle the question that is uppermost in many... Read More
ADAPTATION 101Brimming with confidence, you've just signed the check purchasing... Read More
WRITING THE PERSONAL STATEMENT TO GET INTO UK UNIVERSITYHOW DO... Read More
|| Graphology & Graphotherapy ||Everybody wants to know more about... Read More
1. Before you write anything down define not what you... Read More
While novels do not usually attempt to convey concepts about... Read More
There are so many ways for writers to make good... Read More
You know you've got writing talent. Others enjoy your work... Read More
You wrote a tips booklet. Maybe more than one. Oh... Read More
You may not remember this, but in the early days... Read More
Tips for your writing journeySo, you'd like to be a... Read More
Want to write an article or book, but are stuck... Read More
Maybe you should write a book! This is not as... Read More
Every writer eventually develops her own unique style of writing.... Read More
Bookcoaching clients come to me at different stages of writing... Read More
These are some of the snapshots I carry with me:... Read More
In the ten years that I've taught people how to... Read More
Your struggling to sell just a few copies of your... Read More
How many times have you forced yourself to sit in... Read More
My Dad has this old joke that goes, "What's the... Read More
For any great novelist, defining your cast of intriguing characters... Read More
William Faulkner, the great Mississippi writer, said, "The tools I... Read More
Quite a few years ago, I enrolled in a Degree... Read More
You know you've got writing talent. Others enjoy your work... Read More
By far, I have found that the lack of discipline... Read More
Writing for the web is very different from writing for... Read More
It turns out that "tips and templates on how to... Read More
Just about everyone is familiar with this beginning: "In the... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?The writer, who doesn't have the time... Read More
Rejection. This scary word plagues virtually every writer this side... Read More
Agents and publishing houses have their best interests at heart,... Read More
Business etiquette is fundamentally concerned with building relationships founded upon... Read More
Writer's forums are bustling with debate over whether or not... Read More
1 - Join a reading or writing group. Ask members... Read More
Have you heard the term 'ghostwriter' and wondered what they... Read More
Chaos and confusion come when established rules and procedures are... Read More
Every writer knows that the urge to write is not... Read More
Working on my first humorous novel, I started with a... Read More
User documentation is all too often written by programmers for... Read More
Your query letter can be a deal maker or a... Read More
Written communication is often the first impression you make on... Read More
If you want happy customers to use your service or... Read More
Our Image-Driven SocietyWe live in a new image-driven society. It... Read More
No one is born a novel writer. But do you... Read More
For those looking at the jobs listings for writers, they... Read More
Simply put, it is the art of writing scripts for... Read More
Whether you are writing a magazine article, composing a press... Read More
Connectors -- conjunctions, punctuation, and transitional phrases -- allow readers... Read More
Griselda spent hours polishing up her resume. No detail was... Read More
I recently read a book where everything was akimbo. Arms... Read More
Have you been guilty of procrastinating on your book project,... Read More
Writing |