Writing advice

How to hook your readers

Hooks. They’re designed for catching or holding things, right? Fish, picture frames… and in the writing world, readers!

In commercial fiction, a book’s hook is absolutely vital. It is what will snag the reader’s attention, make them pick up your book, and draw them into your story. Your hook should be a unique concept that makes your reader think, ‘Ooo…!’ The best ones are short, snappy and super-clear.

But how do we turn a concept for a story into a catchy, one-line hook?

Let’s take a well known novel – The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. The idea behind the book is that a woman with a drinking problem – an unreliable narrator – still travels on a commuter train every day, despite losing her job. Through the train window she sees inside the same couple’s house every day and becomes obsessed with them. Then one day, she sees something in their house that shocks her, and decides to investigate further: putting herself in danger and even coming under suspicion.

The above is not a hook – it’s a string of ideas. It’s several sentences long, and it covers a range of plot points and themes. 

To begin turning the concept into a hook, we need to first boil it down to its most important elements. In this case, these are the main character and her situation.

A woman gets the same train every day

This sounds pretty boring and low-stakes to say the least, because we don’t have a sense of anything shocking or interesting occurring. It sounds humdrum and everyday. Why would we want to read about this situation? What happens next?

Now we have: A woman who gets the same train every day sees something shocking

The shock factor gives us a lot more intrigue! But can we push it even further? What about the character herself? What is it about this woman that would make us want to read on?

A woman obsessed with a couple she watches from her train window every day sees something shocking in their home

This adds an element of mistrust towards the protagonist, creating intrigue. It tells us something about the woman herself – plus the couple she’s been watching. This gives the reader several burning questions. Why is the protagonist obsessed with this couple – what’s the relationship there? Can she be trusted? Exactly what did she see? Does she mean this couple harm, or will she herself be in danger?
 
In other words: the reader is hooked!

You can try this with your own story ideas. First, identify two or three key elements of your idea, and turn them into a statement. For example: A boy finds a magic stone. Look at the statement – does it feel exciting enough? Unique? If not, how can you add more information? How can you up the stakes? In this case – who is the boy? What can the stone do? What might that mean for him?

An imprisoned boy finds a stone with the power to alter reality…

In summary, a good hook should grab your reader’s attention – but it should also provide them with burning questions. Just like a worm dangling on a fish hook, it should be juicy and tantalising, to whet your reader’s appetite. It should reel them in… and ultimately, leave them hungry for more!
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