How to Write a Captivating Hook

Dear writer,

Have you struggled with the hook for your story? I wanted to talk a little about that this week, and hopefully help you out.

Often when we’re talking about a hook in a book, it’s the opening few lines, a statement or a couple of sentences that makes the reader read past the first page.

There is a golden rule in writing that I’m sure you’ve already heard about, and that is to always keep your readers wondering. Whether that be wondering how the characters got into the mess to begin with, how the characters will retaliate, or how certain events will impact the future. There are many more wonders, but I think you get the idea…

You see, there isn’t one answer or one formula on how to hook a reader in, because every reader is different, but the key element to a good hook is intrigue.

To get us started, a tip you might have already heard when it comes to hooking the readers at the start, is to start in an action sequence. I quite like this tip because it works. This would cause the readers to curiously question what’s going on. But beware, if you solely rely on the action sequence to keep your readers interested for the entirety of the first chapter, you’re going to lose them just as quickly as you’ve captivated them.

Think of these types of hook action sequences as shiny new toys. They’re fun and exciting to play with at the start, but they lose their appeal quickly. Why? Simply because we don’t know anything about the characters. We don’t know what the stakes are, we don’t know what the consequences are, we don’t know who that characters are, and for that reason, we just can’t care for very long. Unlike action sequences after the characters have been introduced, where we understand all the above concerns and therefore understand the stakes and care about the outcome.

So, what keeps it interesting? Well, as said above, intrigue. Always have your readers guessing why. Be weary, though, you don’t want your readers confused to the point where they can’t follow your story.

What else can you do to keep the story interesting? Create depth. How do you create depth? You can introduce the protagonists inner conflict. You see, readers will be intrigued by the shiny toy, but they’ll stay because they can relate to the character, become aware of the character’s internal struggle, or gain insight about the character that will make them want to find out more. An example of this can be seen below. Here is one of my favourite opening lines for us to analyse:

“There truly was a Phantom of the Opera. He was not, as was long thought, a figment of the imagination of artists, the product of the superstitious minds of theatre managements, or some fanciful will-o’-the-wisp created by empty heads of the young ladies of the corps de ballet, their mothers, assorted box-attendants, cloakroom girls and the stage-door-keeper.

“Oh yes! He existed all right, a creature of flesh and blood, though he strove hard to give the impression that he was a genuine phantom, in other words a ghost.”

The Phantom of the Opera — Gaston Leroux

Gaston Leroux was an investigative journalist in the early 1900s, who, until his death in 1927, claimed the existence of Erik, the so-called ‘Phantom of the Opera’. Not many believed him, and to this day, not many know the famous Broadway show was based on real events. The reason I’m giving this backstory and specifically chose this hook as an example is because of how timeless and intriguing it is.

Technically speaking, it starts extremely strong, revealing who the protagonist is and the claim that he is real, despite the naysayers. The very first line invokes the questions: “Who is the Phantom of the Opera?” for those who have never heard of his story, and, “How could he really have existed?” for those who do know about his story. Both questions are enough for the reader to be intrigued and read on.

Leroux then goes on listing those who knew of him at the time and those who claimed to have seen him but were dismissed as superstitious and empty headed. This conveys there was so much speculation about him by so many different people, that it would have been nearly absurd to believe they were all incorrect. They all knew of him, but how did they know so? Leroux is creating another mystery behind the mysterious Phantom. If there were so many encounters with him, what were they? What did he do to them?

In the next lines, we understand the most important thing to the Phantom, which was, making sure others thought him to be a ghost. Why would he want that? It’s also interesting that Leroux uses the word ‘creature’ to describe the Phantom. Not ‘man’. This difference paints an image in the reader’s mind. The Phantom was a human, but considered something inhumane. This adds more to the mystery of his being, while also invoking a sense that he is someone to be feared, providing the tone for the rest of the book.

So, stepping out a little bit, the first paragraph details the protagonist and his mystery, creating intrigue. The second paragraph details how the Phantom is purposefully presenting himself as a ghost to others, which is insight about the character that leads the readers wanting to know why he is that way.

Of course, you don’t have to start with an action sequence, just as Leroux didn’t, but you must always create some sort of intrigue. You can start with the protagonist’s thoughts, presenting a conflict they’re going through, big or small. This is how the readers will relate quickly to your character. You can also start with dialogue, just as long as there’s a bait of intrigue in the dialogue.

So, I hope you learned something or found this helpful. When it comes to hooks, always remember the key: intrigue.

Much love,

Elena