5 Ways to Hook Your Readers

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

It doesn't matter how you hook your reader, as long as you hook then.

"You need a strong hook" is advice you hear a lot of in writing, and it's good advice. A strong hook pulls readers into the story and makes them want to read on.

A hook is something that captures reader attention and piques interest in the novel. It can also be the gotcha or twist that makes the novel compelling and fresh, intriguing readers even further. It’s the “ooooh” factor that probably got you excited about the idea in the first place. It might be a plot point, a character goal, or a conflict. It could even be the theme.

In harsh terms, the hook is why a reader (or agent) should care about your book and not pick up someone else’s. Readers choose a novel because one book will stand out and sound more appealing than another—one “hooks” more than the other.

However, it’s important to remember that a hook doesn’t mean an original or unique idea. It’s easy for writers to get caught up in thinking that they have to be unique to be published, and throw out great ideas for not being different enough. Just being different doesn’t mean you’ll have a good hook.

What makes a hook strong is the type of reaction it gets from a potential reader. A novel about sentient snails might be unique, but it probably doesn’t make you want to read it. But The Wizard of Oz told from the Wicked Witch’s point of view gives you a new perspective on something you might already love—and probably something you’ve always wanted to know yourself.

Strong hooks can be unique, but they can also be fresh takes on a much-loved idea. Look at how many times Romeo and Juliet has been retold. It's the same core story, but a new hook is created each time by changing something and approaching it in a fresh way. West Side Story set it to music and used gangs to represent the feuding houses. Warm Bodies used a zombie apocalypse to create the two warring factions. But at the core, these stories are still Romeo and Juliet.

While hooks are important to a novel, don’t feel pressured into feeling you must be unique and compelling. That’s a lot to ask from a writer. When in doubt, go for the most compelling concept.

There’s no formula for a good hook, but it typically presents an unexpected combination of things or a surprising question or image.

• What if a killer shark attacked a beach during a major holiday? (Jaws)
• What if there was a world where everyone over thirty is killed? (Logan’s Run)
• What if a healer used other people’s pain as a weapon? (The Shifter)

Hooks are most often found within the protagonist, the core conflict, the theme, the setting, or the concept, but they can be anything that piques interest and shows off the compelling aspect of your novel. They might be phrased as a question, or just a statement about a situation or a character.

(Here's more on What Writers Need to Know About Hooks)

The Protagonist Hook

There’s something different about the protagonist. She has a power, she’s someone unexpected, she has a compelling occupation. Often the protagonist has decided to do something unexpected with that ability or skill. The protagonist is what hooks readers to want to read more about this person.

• A serial killer becomes a cop to put his homicidal urges to good use by killing only people who beat the legal system and get away with murder. (Dexter)
• A boy who is a strategic genius helps the military win a battle against an alien foe. (Ender Wiggins)
• A brilliant, yet abrasive, detective solves crimes no one else can. (Sherlock Holmes)

What the protagonist hook offers readers is a character they just can't walk away from. This person is larger than life in some way, and provides a look into a fascinating mind. Readers may or may not want to be this person, but they find them compelling all the same.

(Here's more on 10 Traits of a Great Protagonist)

The Core Conflict Hook

The core conflict of the novel revolves around a special or unexpected event or situation. The problem itself draws readers in, and they want to see how this issue will unfold.

• Children are chosen at random to fight to the death in a televised event. (The Hunger Games)
• America falls into a civil war between the red and blue states. (Empire)
• A town cuts itself off from the rest of the world during an epidemic. (The Last Town on Earth)

What the core conflict hook offers is a situation that has to be seen to completion. Readers need to know how this will turn out, what will happen, and what the results will be.

(Here's more on Building Your Core: Internal and External Core Conflicts)

The Theme Hook

The theme explores an idea in a compelling way. Often these novels are more literary in nature, but a solid theme hook can also drive a more commercial novel. The hook poses a philosophical question the reader finds intriguing and then explores it.

• Two guys with the same name have a chance encounter that profoundly changes both their lives. (Will Grayson, Will Grayson)
• A girl who longs to run away from home discovers there’s no place like home after all. (The Wizard of Oz)
• In a world where humanity is falling apart, what does it mean to be human? (The Road)

What the theme hook offers is a chance to look at a deeper concept, explore an idea, or be confronted with a philosophy you might not agree with. It makes you think or reflect in some way that lingers even after the book is done.

(Here's more on Theme Me Up: How to Develop Your Novel's Theme)

The Setting Hook

A setting hook offers readers a world (in the most general terms) that intrigues them and makes them want to explore it. It’s unusual and a place readers might want to visit regardless of what kind of novel is set there. It usually triggers a sense of adventure or what kinds of adventures might occur there.

• A wizard school hidden within the normal world (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)
• A boarding school for teen spies (I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You)
• The moor surrounding a mysterious estate (Wuthering Heights)

What a setting hook offers is a world you don't want to leave, or one you want to explore. It's a cool place to be even if there was no plot or story going on.

(Here's more on 10 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Setting)

The Concept Hook

The basic idea is unusual and poses a question that begs an answer. The concept is so intriguing readers want to see how the novel unfolds. These are often posed as “what if” questions.

• What if Peter Pan grew up? (Hook)
• What if Napoleon had had dragons? (His Majesty’s Dragon)
• What if you could clone dinosaurs? (Jurassic Park)

What the concept hook offers is a question that demands an answer. It's something readers didn't even know they wanted an answer to until you asked the question.

(Here's more on An Easy Tip for Developing Story Ideas)

Wherever the hook comes from, it’s the thing that makes people’s eyes light up when you mention it.

What are some of your favorite hooks? 

For more help on plotting or writing a novel check out my Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure.

Go step-by-step through plotting and writing a novel. Learn how to find and develop ideas, brainstorm stories from that first spark of inspiration, develop the right characters, setting, plots and subplots, as well as teach you how to identify where your novel fits in the market, and if your idea has what it takes to be a series.

With clear and easy-to-understand examples, Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure offers ten self-guided workshops with more than 100 different exercises to help you craft a solid novel. Learn how to:

• Create compelling characters readers will love
• Choose the right point of view for your story
• Determine the conflicts that will drive your plot (and hook readers!)
• Find the best writing process for your writing style
• Create a solid plot from the spark of your idea

Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure also helps you develop the critical elements for submitting and selling your novel once it’s finished. You’ll find exercises on how to:

• Craft your one-sentence pitch
• Create your summary hook blurb
• Develop a solid working synopsis And so much more!

Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure is an easy-to-follow guide to writing your novel or fixing a novel that isn’t quite working. 

Available in paperback and ebook formats.

Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, including The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The Shifter, was chosen for the 2014 list of "Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read" from the Georgia Center for the Book.

She also writes the Grace Harper urban fantasy series for adults under the name, J.T. Hardy.

When she's not writing novels, she's teaching other writers how to improve their craft. She's the founder of Fiction University and has written multiple books on writing.

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