Writers Helping Writers
Hosted by Palo Alto Public Library
3rd Thursday of most months (check back for updates)
Produced by the San Francisco Peninsula branch of the California Writers Club
Thursday, January 15, 2026
Writers Helping Writers
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Eva Barrows
Hook Readers with Your Story’s First Five Pages
Do you know if your story hooks readers in the first line, first pages, or first chapter? If it doesn’t, it risks being set aside. In this Writers Helping Writers presentation, Story Coach Eva Barrows reveals how to write openings that grab attention, spark curiosity, and keep readers turning pages.
Focusing on what needs to happen in a story’s first five pages, you’ll learn what a story hook is, why it matters, and its function across genres. You’ll learn how strong hooks launch the plot and introduce characters, conflict, and your protagonist’s core desire.
We’ll look at different ways to craft a compelling hook and how to avoid common opening missteps. Writers will leave with concrete strategies and revision tips to craft openings that successfully immerse readers into the rest of the story, and make them eager to reach the end.
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Eva Barrows is a story coach and developmental editor who helps writers strengthen their stories through clear, practical revision strategies. Authors she works with have written fiction, memoir, and nonfiction projects.
Her collaborative approach working with authors focuses on the elements that carry readers through a story: character goals and growth, scene development, and story structure. She helps authors identify what works, what holds a manuscript back, and create a practical path forward together.
Eva is currently writing a historical novel set during the dawn of silent film Westerns in Niles, California. Eva brings both craft expertise and an active writer’s perspective to her coaching.
Connect with her at www.evabarrows.com.
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Attend these free events at the Palo Alto Rinconada Library.
Upcoming presenters:
February 19, 2026 - TBD
Presentations are the third Thursday of the month.
Eva Barrows
Hook Readers with Your Story’s First Five Pages
Thursday,
January 15, 2026
6:30 - 7:45 pm
1213 Newell Road
Palo Alto 94303
As you enter the library on the right off Newell Road, there is ample parking. The library is to your left opposite the Palo Alto Art Building. The Embarcadero Room is immediately to your right as you enter the building.
Palo Alto Public Library Events
Hosted by Cynthia McCarthy, Writers Helping Writers is offered jointly by CWC's San Francisco Peninsula branch and the Palo Alto Public Library.
Please join us the third Thursday of the month (except June, July, August, and December) at 6:30 pm. Meetings are in-person only.
To hear about other writing programs, subscribe to the library newsletter here.
Each month, CWC SF Peninsula branch members share learned techniques and experiences in our craft. From scoping out your memoir to finding inspiration for a poem to plotting your novel to learning the ins and outs of blogging—we teach what we’ve learned. This is an opportunity for all writers to meet and share their experiences.
Our purpose? To pass on what we’ve discovered to help other writers.
Anyone can attend, free of charge.