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It's kind of like a challenge to myself to be able to hear somebody else's hook and kind of interpret the words. Because my own hooks, I already know what I mean when I write them.

Sometimes a writer just needs a hook.

Character design, like story design, requires a hook to grab the reader's attention.

A lot of times characters are combinations of people I come across in life. I people-watch a lot.

One of my complaints with American TV characters is that they all have a particular schtick, a hook.

People's imaginations are sort of there for the taking, I guess. If you tell the story right, you're going to hook them.

As a writer, there are times when you have something to say, and yet no particular 'hook' upon which to hang the missive you are burning to release.

I try to begin with a strong grasp of my characters. Even if it's schematic, I need it clear in my head who these people are.

Perhaps it's the people whose lives have taken sudden new twists - people who have learned to embrace the creative possibilities of change - who stand the best chance of penetrating life's mysteries.

I hear so many writers say - and these are writers that I trust completely - 'I just started hearing a voice', or, 'The characters came to life'. I am filled with loathing for my own characters when I hear that because they do nothing of the sort. Left to their own devices, they do nothing but drink coffee and complain about their lives.