A hook is something that evokes intrigue in the readers. It can be a catchy title, gorgeous cover art, intriguing book summary, glowing book review, or compelling premise. Most often for writers, it’s little tidbits we put in the book to make the reader turn the page.
Why Hooks Work
The goal of a hook is to raise a question in the readers’ minds to make them want to know what happens next. When someone is intrigued, there’s a small burst of dopamine in the brain that gives them a rush of excitement. The emotional high stays at its height for about thirty seconds and lasts up to three minutes. For the average reader, that’s 750-900 words. Roughly, a page or two.
During those three minutes, you need to pull the reader into your story with a good character, detailed setting, and compelling conflict. Then, you have to drop another hook to keep them reading. Most writers try to put a hook at the beginning and end of a chapter. You can also use the strategies of putting a hook at the end of each scene or the end of each page. It’s whatever works best for you, but the more hooks the more likely people will keep reading.
7 Types Of Hooks
There are several types of hooks you can employ to intrigue the readers. The list is limitless. If it makes the reader want to know what happens next, it’s a hook. However, I’m going to list seven types of hooks writers commonly use.
1. Setting Hook
“We slept in what had once been the gymnasium.”
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
A setting hook is when you describe an environment that intrigues the reader. This happens most in Fantasy and Science Fiction books, but it can be used in any genre. Historical Fiction often has these hooks because the setting is so far removed from today that it captures the reader’s attention. But, you can do this with any genre by writing about unusual lifestyles. Most people don’t know what it’s like to be a millionaire and will find that lifestyle intriguing. Make the setting uncommon, and you’ll have a hook.
2. Character Hook
“All children, except one, grow up.”
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Character hooks are when you write an intriguing character. You can mention a mysterious past, quirky character trait, cool skill, or even just a fun personality. This kind of hook is anything that makes the reader want to know more about the character.
3. Conflict Hook
“It was a pleasure to burn.”
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Conflict hooks hint at tension in the story that makes the reader want to know how it works out. The conflict can be internal, interpersonal, or external. People keep reading to see what happens, but you also have to make sure the readers care enough about the characters to want to see what happens to them. This is probably the most impactful hook you can use since conflict is the driving force of a story.
4. Emotional Hook
“Scarlett O’Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were.”
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
An emotional hook is when you evoke such a strong emotion in your readers that they want to keep reading. This often happens with romance but can be felt with any strong emotion. When a deep feeling overtakes us, we tend to forget everything except what caused that emotion. It’s a very effective way to pull readers into a story and keep them reading.
5. Thematic Hook
“Justice?—You get justice in the next world, in this world you have the law.”
A Frolic of His Own by William Gaddis
A thematic hook raises an intellectual argument that gets your readers thinking. Some will read because they agree, others because they disagree but think your stance is intriguing, and others because they had never thought about it. This hook works best for people who like more thoughtful plot lines.
6. Treatment Hook
“We start dying before the snow, and like the snow, we continued to fall.”
Tracks by Robyn Davidson
Treatment hooks are sentences that are beautiful prose. They promise that the book will be well written with lots of stunning imagery. These are prevalent in Literary Fiction, but a good metaphor is appreciated in any book.
7. Combination Hook
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
A combination hook is when you combine multiple hooks into one sentence. Pride and Prejudice opens with a thematic and emotional hook. There is a promise of an intellectual argument and a romance. These can be powerful hooks, but make sure you don’t compromise the strength of one hook by crowding it with another. They must work together to make it good.
Final Thoughts
Hooks are promises you are making to the readers. If you use one, you better answer the question it raises in the readers’ minds or they will feel unfulfilled at the end of the book. Remember to use as many hooks as possible and several types, and your writing will gain people’s attention and hold it.
Thanks for reading!
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