First Paragraphs, Opening Sentences and Hooks

Today's forecast for St. Peters: Overcast, chance for snow flurries. High 40 degrees.

If you've been following this week's posts, you know about literary agent, Nathan Bransford's, first paragraph contest. Although my paragraph wasn't selected as a winner, reading the finalists gave me insight into what captures the attention of an agent. To read the winners, hop on over to Nathan's blog, where Donald Draper, from the TV program Mad Men, introduces the finalists.
The generosity of publishing industry experts who are willing to share insider information is truly amazing. Another blog I recently discovered is The Book Deal, An Inside View of Publishing by Alan Rinzler's. Rinzler is a consulting editor. His "Ask the Editor" post on six tips on the power of opening sentences is --- well very powerful. The section on the Craft of Writing is a literary gold mine.

That's it for this week. I'll be back on Monday. Hope you have a pleasant weekend, and take time to write.