Hooks...and easy characters to write

It took me a while to understand what a "hook" is. I mean, I wanted to write a story, and it had certain elements. Good enough, right? No. In this "gotta have it now" society, readers probably aren't going to hang around while you tell a meandering tale about a fisherman, and his nice little wife, and their cute little love story. Where's the meat? Where's the drama? Good writing isn't enough to save said quaint story from the circular file either. Nowadays you need to be able to encapsulate your story in a couple sentences. Here's the tagline of my menage Christmas story... "All she wants for Christmas is to lose her virginity...twice." Hopefully that tells a bit about the story while also catching a reader's interest.

And speaking of reader interest, I have an envy to share. Sometimes I wish my muse liked less difficult characters. I tend to get the most excitement when I'm writing characters who skirt lines. Ones some people may not get or even dislike. Why that is, I don't know. Whenever I'm faced with writing about decent, average people, my brain shuts off. I certainly enjoy those sorts of stories, but when it comes to writing them, I have trouble.

Random observations on a Monday in March... and don't forget to stop back next Monday when I'll have the awesome duo of Mari Carr and Jayne Rylon on the blog to celebrate the release of Northern Exposure (out Tuesday 3/15!)

Do you like characters that are more flawed than the norm? Or would you rather read about everyday Joes and Johannas finding their HEA?