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Marisa Parker
a book bubble about
Ciao! We’re In Africa
Biographies & Memoirs
Author Insight
Thoughts on Hooking my Readers
The ‘Rule of Three’ is not just a fundamental framework for creative writing. Online articles by Brian Clark and Dave Linehan provide interesting insight into how following this will make your writing more engaging and contain the hooks that are needed. In fact, the Rule of Three is relevant in all aspects of life. The most acclaimed speeches use this technique–as far back as Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address–and for today’s classic joke structure of set-up, anticipation, and punchline. An academic once told me that if you delete the three sentences at the beginning of each chapter (from your manuscript’s final draft), you will arrive at the sentence that should be the first one. It’s about removing the fluffy stuff and hooking in your reader. What do you think of the beginning of my book, “Ciao! WE’RE IN AFRICA”?
Book Excerpt
Ciao! We’re In Africa
I watch my husband’s retreating back. He’s a five-foot-six, dark-haired, confident Italian man, always impeccably dressed in a three-piece suit. There is no backward glance or nonchalant wave. Nothing. He’s not in the least bit concerned about leaving me—his new bride—all alone. I don’t speak a word of English. Until three days ago, I’d never set foot outside of Italy. Never mind being on board a ship bound for Africa. If I were to be truly dramatic, I could almost state that I’d never really been left by myself with strangers. I’ve now departed from all that is familiar: my mother, Giuseppina; and my grandmother, Donna Maria. During World War II, the three of us survived bombings, hunger, and disease in Torino, Northern Italy.
But, now, I have left them.
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