Viewing entries tagged
natchez

How to Make Your Story’s Hook Great

Comment

How to Make Your Story’s Hook Great

“The only vampire I ever met was in Natchez, Mississippi.” That’s the opening line of a story* I’ve told hundreds of times both to entertain and  teach. It’s simple. But it’s a hook I crafted through many drafts and rounds of audience feedback. Why’s it great? And how can you make your own hooks great? I’ll dissect.

Comment

The Only Vampire in Natchez, Mississippi, Drove a Rolls Royce

2 Comments

The Only Vampire in Natchez, Mississippi, Drove a Rolls Royce

The only vampire I ever met was in Natchez, Mississippi. Natchez is one of the oldest towns on the Mississippi River—settlers were there in the 1600s. And when you look at it on a map, it’s as if the river actually bends toward the town, as if Natchez has this mysterious magnetic pull. It’s a town full of transients—Mark Twain slept there. It’s a town full of characters. I was there to find those people: to write a story about the most interesting locals.

2 Comments