Using a character from another book created a hook that kept me reading. Why is he in this story? How is he involved in the whole mess? I know the character Jack, but didn’t expect to see him here. Toward the end of the story, he is picked up by a motorist who introduces himself as Jack Reacher! Suddenly my attention is riveted by surprise. In Lee Child’s short story James Penney’s New Identity, the title character is on the run from authorities after setting a fire that raged out of control.
Recently, I came across an example of a fun hook that was a surprise to me, as reader, but didn’t faze the character. As readers, we look forward to the revelation that will surprise the character. When the reader knows more than the character does, it creates dramatic irony, a delicious brand of suspense.
You can craft an effective hook that is a surprise to the character, a surprise to the reader, or both. And using hooks is one way of drawing that attention. Like an illusionist who draws attention to one hand while concealing or maneuvering with the other. Instead of keeping readers in the dark, think misdirection. So how can we do that and still surprise them? As writers, we know when we have something sensational up our sleeve for our story idea.īut if we don’t let readers know about it, they won’t keep turning pages to find out what it is. The trouble was, there was nothing to pull readers through to the thrilling conclusion. The writer was afraid he’d give away the surprise and wanted to hide all traces of the ending until it was time to spring it. In her fabulous book Wired for Story, Lisa Cron tells a personal story about a manuscript she read that was boring and difficult to get through but had an exciting twist at the end. Think of it like a fishing line with a tantalizing bait-once you’ve got your reader hooked, they won’t be able to help themselves but keep reading. It’s often an unexpected situation or character, but it can also be a surprise twist or a cliffhanger. What is a hook?Ī narrative hook is the element of your story that grabs the attention of your reader and makes them want to keep reading. In this article, we’ll answer what is a narrative hook and look at how to write hooks that present surprising situations or something unexpected to rivet reader attention. The purpose of a narrative hook is to pull your reader through to the next page, paragraph, or sentence where you’ll have planted another hook to keep him going. But what is a narrative hook and how can you write a hook to captivate readers? One way to deliver is through a narrative hook. But one thing is certain-in fiction, you need them to write a book readers can't put down. In real life, some folks love surprises and others hate them.
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