Hook Your Reader

Chapter 6

A great hook states a fact:

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

I am an invisible man.

To be an awesome hook it needs to be an interesting or unusual fact that will tempt the reader to read on.

Most people are visible, it's just the way God made us!

So, does he have some kind of magical powers? Stumbled upon an invisibility potion? Or does he just feel invisible? Is he treated as if he's invisible? And if this is the terrible truth, then, why?

The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey

There will be no awakening.

This first line is chilling, ominous and hauntingly clear-there will be no exceptions.

The 5th Wave follows 16-year-old Cassie Sullivan as she tries to survive in a devastated world that has knocked humankind back to the Stone Age.

Well, with a hook like that, you kind of had to expect something along those lines.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

There is one mirror in my house.

Most houses have many mirrors. Why is there only one in hers? And what's the significance of it?

As we read on we find that there is a huge significance to this seemingly small fact. That mirror tells us her faction, and the rest of the novel is all about self discovery. Who is she? Where does she belong? And is she the girl she sees in the mirror?

Are we?

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were.

This line gives us an instant, exciting introduction to Scarlett, the woman men find so irresistible they don't even notice she's not beautiful!

Most women are not supermodel stunning, but the leading lady often is.

Here, however, in the very first line, is a woman who is not the typical beauty and yet men fall at her feet regardless!

Don't you desperately want to know more about her? What are her charms? What are her powers? How does she do it?? And twins? I'm thinking a major, messy, twinny love triangle? What do you think?

Legend by Marie Lu

My mother thinks I'm dead. Obviously I'm not dead, but it's safer for her to think so.

The first question is why does his mom think he's dead, you know, being that he's alive and all? What is he protecting her from? The main character's voice also comes across very strongly and you get the very personal feeling that he's talking directly at you, inviting you in to read more.

A great hook states a fact and flips it on its head:

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

All children, except one, grow up.

I thought it was only fair to include this hook as a nod to the great Hook himself.

Perhaps it is the lure of never growing old that continues to attract people to this timeless classic (all those anti-aging creams can only do so much, right?).

This sentence introduces us to Peter Pan. It's simple, yes. But it perfectly encapsulates the entire story and leaves us wanting to know more about the boy who wouldn't grow up.

Before I fall by Lauren Oliver

They say that just before you die your whole life flashes before your eyes, but that's not how it happened for me.

So what did happen to you? Are you dead? And if you're dead, why are you talking to me??

As you've probably noticed, a high number of hooks focus on death: an imminent death, a possible death, a suspicious death, a strange death, a dead person not sure if they're really dead - you get the drift. Why so much death?

Well, as in real life I suppose, death is shocking. Even if it's a death you've been spent years preparing for, no amount of preparation can totally prepare you for the ultimate end.

Because death goes against our very existence - Life.

Suffice to say, dangling one of your readers' greatest fears in their face makes for a good hook.

But word of caution - if death is not the central theme of your book, then no matter how enticing a hook, it is not the one for you!

But don't worry, there are plenty other ways to hook a fish :D