Let's talk about story Hooks, since everyone struggles to write these effectively.
Regardless of your genre, a good
way to start a story is to reveal a situation that is about to explode.
Most books start on the brink of
catastrophe or a character's catharsis (read “awakening”). Events are literally about to go
wrong, and your readers are going to have to witness the devastation and
recovery/enlightenment. You need to be sure which is the case for your story to
truly create the best opening.
That’s what we call the story's Promise: to take the readers on a ride and deliver them, along with the
character, to a new location and/or state of being.
Open with a Bang
Ask yourself this: “Is the
character's internal or external world about to explode, and how can I best
represent this building tension in the opening lines?” That explosion can vary
from literal world destruction to a simple marriage argument (when are those
ever simple?), from a lady’s dog about to stray into the road to a confirmed
bachelor about to meet the woman of his dreams (which might “destroy” the world
as he knows it).
Jessica Page Morrell writes in
her book “Thanks, But This Isn’t For Us: A (Sort of) Compassionate Guide to Why
Your Writing is Being Rejected”:
The best beginnings are like forces gathering, about to be
unleashed on the reader. With the first words, the writer establishes his
credibility, introduces viewpoint and voice, and makes the reader care about
people and the story unfolding. Obviously this is a tall order for a few
sentences or paragraphs to accomplish. Also, since fiction and memoir are based
on adversity, typically an opening introduces a character or person under
stress and they story world staring to tilt off balance.
Rarely do we read stories that
start with something going right. There’s no tension when the world is perfect.
The exception would be a character experiencing a lot of happy “rights” in
order to build tension because something is about to bring that character’s
world to a crashing halt.
Hook Your Reader Fast
A Hook typically involves the
unique problem/situation that your character must address in the story. Maybe
it’s a nun who gets pregnant. That’s a situation that MUST inherently, physically
change with or without the character's consent. Or a race car driver who nearly
died in his last race. There’s no inherent change for him, unless we see him
get back in his car. Then the reader will suspect something is about to steer
off course.
A Hook may only hint at the
unique problem/situation. That means a story of a confirmed bachelor doesn’t
open with him showing resistance to marriage, but him not taking on his
sister’s puppy when she unexpectedly has to move abroad. That shows a layer of
his commitment issues without throwing too much in the reader's face too soon.
His self-centered nature is revealed just enough in the opening that we know he
is going to fall. How he falls and the unique turns he takes along the way to
change make up the rest of the story.
Basically, when you start a
story you want to capture the readers’ attention so they ask, “What will happen
next?” In fact, every time you end or open a chapter you should be creating
that response for the reader all over again.
TIP: Hooks are not just for
opening the book. They are for opening EVERY chapter, EVERY scene. You can also
use them to end scenes and chapters to get the reader to turn the page.
Morrell sums this up well:
The best openings of a story, novel, or memoir are contagious—they
make the reader yearn for more because you chose the best words at the best
moment to launch the events that follow while raising questions that demand
answers.
Your Hook doesn’t necessarily
have to be the first line of the book, but nowadays you might as well put it
there, considering the immense competition and the little time your story’s
given by an agent or editor. My advice: go for the jugular fast, but keep it
natural to your character and story.
Here’s a good example from Kristen Higgins' Catch of the
Day: “Falling in love with a catholic priest was not my smartest move.” We are intrigued to know how she fell for him
and what she’s going to do about it. Moreover, we want to know what HE’S going
to do next. Will he forgo his orders to love her in return, maybe even marry
her? Or will he break her heart?
Remember: raising
questions that DEMAND answers creates reader engagement.
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