Rewrite exercise
Open with one controlled witness whose emotional absence feels unsafe.
Test your versionRobert Louis Stevenson · 1886 · Project Gutenberg #43
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile.
hook Strength48
curiosity Gap37
mobile Readability66
shareability44
Pattern
Character portrait that makes restraint feel suspicious.
The hook is not action. It is compression: a severe observer enters first, so every later contradiction has someone credible to register it.
What to keep
- - A specific signal such as a time, number, place, or name makes it easier to remember.