Writers: The Best Hook?
Great Storytelling
Digger O’Brien is an editing client whose memoir I Thought Pointing Was Rude recounts the early years of his son’s autism diagnosis and the family’s adjustments to it. Though this is Digger’s first book, it’s just one of his creative endeavors that so far has earned this filmmaker five Emmy awards.
I met Digger O’Brien the way I meet most of my editing clients, through an email he sent about the query letter service I offer at MarlaMiller.com. Since 2003, I’ve conducted query letter workshops that long form writers (especially) struggling to write ‘short’ find quite helpful. It’s not easy to write a letter that only allows the writer about 500 words to hook the reader into wanting more. In 2011, I brought a form of this workshop to video.
From my experience, writers in need of query letter help tend to fall into one of four categories:
1.Writers seeking help never had to write a letter to get the attention of an influencer/(agent/editor).
2. Writers w/out experience in the industry tend to write query letters without studying the form and therefore get rejected, usually without being read.
3. Writers still struggling to knit story parts together in manuscripts often meet that same struggle when they try to hook an influencer (agent/editor) with the few words limit required of a query letter.
4. Writers whose publishing credits/awards aren’t in harmony with the query letter contents.
After reading Digger’s query letter, I slotted him into category #3. I could hear the voice. The story was there. It hooked me right from the start, even before I read the last paragraph that delivered his credits. Digger hired me and we worked together for several months in the winter of 2014. I’m pleased to be the first editor of I Thought Pointing Was Rude. I’m also delighted to have a new friend.
Digger signed on with the William Morris Agency after several agents extended offers. He called me not long ago with the good news. When he told me his decision was based on the agent’s reaction to his memoir, “He loves the voice,” I was very pleased but not surprised. I’ve been in this business long enough to know when a storyteller takes me away. It’s a memorable experience to be led through a story by a voice you are compelled to follow. That’s the writing style of this fine story teller, a first time book author and five time Emmy winner.
With his permission, I’m posting the trailer for I Thought Pointing Was Rude.
His agent hasn’t sold it yet. If this trailer grabs you and you’re an editor, or know editors from NYC houses, please PM me here and I’ll send you to Digger.
