🎬 TREE 782: 3… 2… 1…
‘Nobody wants to read a book. You’ve got to catch their eye with something exciting in the first paragraph, while they’re in the process of throwing the book away. If it’s exciting enough, they’ll stop and read it. Then you’ve got to put something even more exciting in the second paragraph, to suck them in further. And so on. It’s exhausting for everybody, but it’s got to be done.’
— John Swartzwelder, writer Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, novelist.
Read the whole story. It’s full of good stuff.
No one is throwing away This is Not My Hat by John Klassen.
He completely hooks you with one fish and nine syllables. Both the picture and words work on their own.
The illustration is simple, but it’s the kind of simplicity that lets you know there’s a Whole Thing behind it.
Those nine words, ‘This hat is not mine. I just stole it.’ aren’t merely suitable for a picture book. They would be the perfect start of a novel or movie too.
But the synergy of the words and picture are perfect.
How a thing starts matters. It’s worth getting right.
Speaking of starting, how’s this for the beginning of an album?
If your first start doesn’t go so well, don’t worry. There’s time to iterate, to get better. Trees restart every year.
Also, read good picture books. They tell you most things you need to know about communication.
Grow slowly
Jeff
I stream to a tv from my phone. A habit from rv life that serves me. No cable. Just an hdm1 adapter gives me a plethora of old films. I began my study in the silent films and have seen most films up through the 40’s. The hooks are brilliant, the storylines teach intricacies of human nature. The music hooks me from the start. I’m in. And it’s a symphony of lights, camera, action!🎬🎥