SCORE
SHEET:
THE OPENING SECTION
A
TOTAL OF 10 POINTS
OPENING
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Story “hook” grabs attention
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Establishes character(s) or plot in an
interesting/unusual light
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Comments:
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To analyze the score sheet, I'm hoping you've all had the
opportunity to watch EVER AFTER: A CINDERELLA STORY (1998). If you've never seen the movie...it's one of
my favorites and I'm certain I'm not doing it justice (especially since I
completely suck at synopses).
QUESTION: What is a hook?
SIMPLE ANSWER: It’s the saleable
concept or marketing element of the story.
Series or Single Titles; Historicals or Futuristics...all have
marketing elements. Secret
babies, reunited lovers, bad boy, girl next door, Cinderella, heroine in
jeopardy, eye-witness on the run, librarian turned sleuth, cowboys, fish out of
water, run-away bride, the quest, searching for the truth, hidden treasure...and
many more romantic tropes.
For
the purposes of judging...?
EXAMPLES AS APPLIED
TO EVER AFTER: A CINDERELLA STORY (1998)
Story
"Hook" grabs attention
There’s more than
just a marketing element grabbing a reader’s attention on the first couple of
pages that makes them purchase a book. It has to do with a combination of
originality, voice, phrasing...lots of things just make a story jump off the
page.
In EVER AFTER, the movie has three
openings: the Queen beginning the recitation of the story to the Brothers Grimm
(we could call this a Prologue); the beginning scenes with the father’s (back
story); and then the true opening (or inciting event) where Danielle meets
Henry. Without the back story we wouldn’t be as sympathetic to Danielle. And
without the Queen, we wouldn’t be as intrigued to find out the true story of
the little Cinder girl. When Danielle meets Henry, the Prince, we can connect
with both characters more so because of the information we know about them.
Establishes
character(s) or plot in an interesting/unusual light
What
every author is searching for… No matter that there are 7 basic story-lines in
writing. Each story told or retold receives a unique voice from its author. So
it might be an age-old story of Cinderella, but is it a UNIQUE version?
In
EVER AFTER, Henry, the wealthy Prince who wants for nothing, is literally
running away from his castle and responsibilities. And Danielle, the commoner
with a wicked step-mother, never considers running from hers--no matter how
badly she’s treated. Now there’s an interesting twist.
Or
what about a Young Adult-- CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR by Maureen McGowan, Silver
Dolphin Publishing, April 2011. Or what about Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock,
Max Baer, and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History by Jeremy Schaap, Mariner
Books 2006. Lots of unique takes on a
very old story.
As
always, if you have questions relating specifically to an entry, contact GEcoordinator@ntrwa.org.
~ ~ ~
Most of the opinions on judging and interpreting the questions’ intent are my own words. I’ve been in the business over 15 years and have spoken to many authors, gathering information. A lot of the time when a question is asked, I go to authors who publish in that genre for advice. Please use your own expertise and experience, but keep our humble interpretations in mind.
~Thanks, Angi Morgan
Contributions and edits by Fenley Grant.
Additional help tips for judging all entries are available through our judge training on the blog.
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