The reading market is becoming increasingly global, and electronic books make the world even smaller. With websites open 24/7 for immediate download, a reader in Singapore or Australia could order while those in other places are asleep, and viceversa. This means that as the readers are becoming increasingly diverse, so too are the authors. And just because many of us share the same language, we don’t all speak it the same way.

Which creates a problem for authors and publishers alike. Does an author follow her home/native language, or does she follow the language conventions of the publisher’s location? And if the story is based in a third location, does the author follow that country’s language style instead?

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Last week I talked about scene sets and a very good question came up…if starting with dialogue, or even in the middle of the action isn’t a hook, then what is?

The important thing to remember is that a hook has many layers. It isn’t just a single line of dialogue. It isn’t just an action. It’s more of a scene, a feel, something that compels the reader. And that takes us back to beginning journalism and the five W’s.

Who? What? Where? When? Why?

That final question is probably the most important one when it comes to crafting, and baiting, a story’s hook, than the other four combined.

Who? Who is our lead character(s)? Who is in the scene with him or her?

What are they doing? What is happening to them?

Where are they?

When are they?

And why are they there, doing what they’re doing, and having those experiences?

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