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Writing a compelling hook takes skill. But you can use any of the following ways of writing a hook to get you started: 1. The Surprising Statistic Hook. Presenting a surprising fact or statistic is a great way to grab the attention of your audience. For example, an essay on the orphan crisis may begin with:
- Begin at a pivotal moment. We were people who had Mediterranean ancestors, dark hair, dark eyes, tan skin, and everyone else in White Pine looked very Scandinavian; we became the town’s diversity—before diversity was a good thing.
- Add an unusual situation. I coped by being careful and good and funny which was like an invisibility cloak in high school but as much as I tried to blend in, my older brother Ray stood out in the most threatening way possible for a good girl and that was as a bad boy.
- Add intriguing characters. My father was and is best described as an intense, idealist with a steel girder of a work ethic and a charm that wears thin under the gun of his laser focused attentions.
- Conflict. Outside the restaurant, just before swinging the door wide and walking inside my Dad would stop us and say, “Now remember everybody, this is for Mom.
Apr 12, 2021 · If readers find a given fact surprising or simply unlikely, they will want to read on, to see your evidence, to find out whether it’s believable. Like all hooks, it piques your curiosity (if successful anyway) and prompts you to keep reading. There is a certain risk to the Dragnet hook, though. If your audience is well-read on the subject ...
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- Raise The Stakes. This usually occurs by adding or escalating an element of danger to your main character. It acts as an obstacle to their goal and makes them realize if the fight is worth it and whether they will continue their pursuit or not.
- Enter The Antagonist. Dramatic conflict typically arises when a main character pursues a worthy goal and an antagonist obstructs them. Oftentimes, they will work from a distance.
- Character Revelation. This occurs when the main (or opposing) character reveals a hidden trait or knowledge. Consider our previous example of the main character returning home when there’s an intruder in the house.
- Revealing The True Goal. This occurs when the main character leads the reader and/or other characters to believe they have a particular goal in mind such as wanting to find someone or something.
- Surprise. First and foremost, something needs to be different in your story if you want to hook your reader. What’s the twist?
- Emotion. Kathryn pointed out that the brain uses emotion to gauge what’s important to us. In fiction, this means your character’s reactions to adversity will show the reader what’s important to them.
- Protagonist Goal. We’ve all heard this before, but only because it’s important. Your protagonist needs a goal. An agenda. And we need to know what it is early in the story.
- Need-to-Know Information. Discern what information the reader needs to know at the beginning. The tricky thing is figuring exactly what that is. Kathryn pointed out that while we believe readers need to know everything, in reality they require very little.
Image credit: Ivars Krutainis via Unplash. 5. Hide a piece of information. A hook that conceals specific pieces of information from the reader can work hand-in-hand with unusual imagery to create suspense and arouse curiosity. Writers Dennis Jerz and Kathy Kennedy give a great example to highlight this point.
Fiction: A hook can serve to introduce the plot, characters, or setting in an intriguing way. Non-fiction: A solid hook can present a compelling fact, example, question, or statement to draw readers into the topic. Blog posts and articles: Use this kind of opener to address the reader's immediate need or curiosity to keep them reading.
