Re: So just do it already
On 10/19/06, Dori Green <dgreen -at- associatedbrands -dot- com> wrote:
Back in the day my journalism prof referred to it as "the hook", and he gave
extra points if we included a good one with our article.
Hooks are appropriate for journalism, and absolutely required for
short fiction, but have little place in technical documentation. It's
just a different style of writing, and a different audience focus.
In Journalism, the hook is used to sell your story to the City Editor as much as it is to "hook" the readers. The goal of a good journalist is to get as many stories on page one as it is to ensure accuracy in whatever they write. A good hook will convince the editor to put the story on page one as well as convince the readers to read more than the headline. More stories on page one means more money when it's employee review time. Reporters don't make a lot of money, so anything you can use to get more is to be pursued in earnest. (Been there, done that)
Short fiction, non-fiction...virtually anything that is to be sold to someone needs some form of "hook" to get those someone's interested in the work. We're talking items involving writing here-magazine articles, books, scripts, etc., not goods like cars, houses, trips to the space station.
In technical writing, the product needs the hook, not the supporting documentation. The documentation needs to help the reader (user) understand how to effectively use the product.
Al
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References:
RE: So just do it already: From: Joyce Fetterman
RE: So just do it already: From: Dori Green
Re: So just do it already: From: John Cook
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