If I wouldn't have moved, the Golden dragon would have incinerated me.
...............
My pulse pounded in my forehead as Witch Sava stood just around the corner, ready to zap me dead.
...............
I loved her. She was my everything. I hated them. They killed her.
...........
"Death to circus clowns!" the obnoxious rodeo monkey screeched as my least favorite cobra burped the ABCs.
.............
"This is top secret, Mr. President."
...............
Now, on with the lesson...ahem...stop reading those hooks over and over again, student.
"But professor Lewis-," you start.
"Hush, ink jar-which is my version of "grasshopper". We must begin."
So ANYWAY, today we'll discuss a tool which we can use to trap our readers; ensnare them in our worlds! Ever wondered how to secure your reader's attention? Well, think about it. The average person probably reads the first paragraph (or chapter if your lucky) of a book. That means you somehow have to pull them into the plot within the first....SENTENCE. This requires a "hook." I provided five of what I would consider "hooks" at the start of this chapter. They are simply sentences that grab your audience and drag them head-over-heals into the plot. The opening sentence (or hook) doesn't always make sense to the reader for they have no knowledge of what is going on in the story. This is what gets them to read on.
There are a couple different kinds of hooks which can be used. You can have a high-energy, action sentence or a sentence which provides interest and provokes your reader to become intrigued. I will probably touch into a couple ways of starting books in a later chapter, but for now we're just discussing hooks.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF HOOKS!
1.) There are the hooks at the beginnings of stories to draw the reader's initial attention.
2.) The equally important hooks at the end of chapters which DRAG-or should drag-the reader into the second chapter (or next chapter)
3.) The hooks at the start of the second (or following) chapter.
These may seem the same, but they are very different.
DIFFERENT WAYS OF MAKING HOOKS STAND OUT
Alright so we've discussed what hooks are and where to use them, but now we'll discuss the physical nature of hooks. So, if your hook is at the start of the book or the start of a chapter, you can put it in BOLD or Italics
Which is better? Well, BOLD is good because it makes your reader notice it. It stands out and maybe pricks some curiosity. I know I, in reading Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus books, often glanced over to the next page just to see what the next hook was. I would say: "Oh...I'm done, buuuuuut." And then would read the hook, be slightly confused (in that good, excited way) and get sucked into, yet ANOTHER, chapter!!!
EXAMPLE:
Who poisons doughnuts?
As opposed to:
Who poisons doughnuts!?!?
***************
Maybe that was a pathetic example, but I just want to show the kind of emphasis that bolding things (or italicizing) can create. I often start out my chapters with my character's thoughts. A thought that grabs your attention, breaks your heart or makes you laugh. Tell me how you decide on hooks! If there is anything you believe I left out, feel free to comment to let me know.
You're faithful writer, Lewis
REMEMBER!!! If you have questions concerning hooks or other writing themes, PLEASE comment or message me!!! I would love to address a chapter on it!!
YOU ARE READING
Lewis' Book of Reviews and Writing Advice
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