Right off, I realized this was a much more difficult topic than I first thought. Perhaps unlike most writers, every story I ever wrote began with a scene or line that popped into my head, just as I saw it. If the notion is compelling, I keep writing. If not, I file the idea with the others, in hope of resurrecting it one day.
I knew that I wrote some good hooks before, but I never thought the process through. Alone in my quiet den while my wife and kids were at dance rehearsal, I paced the soft burgundy carpeting. I didn't know how to show the steps to hook readers. Dry-mouthed, I turned to the internet, but it was little help--practically everyone will sell you an explanation of how to do it, but few discuss it openly, for free. I was able to glean a few bits I'll share, however, from the words of writers such as K.D. Wentworth, Dave Freer, and Ben Bova, as well as from the forum discussions of slush editors at Baen.
The Hook & its Role
Obviously, the hook is intended to entice readers to finish your story. However, there's more to be done than that.
In the hook, a writer must identify to the reader a compelling character, at least part of the greater conflict that needs resolution, an indicator of the speculative (that is, how much this story is going to be different from the reality we know), and also establish the setting to the point where a reader feels this universe is real to them. Essentially, this is:
- Who am I reading about?
Why do I care about them?
What kind of story am I going to read?
What kind of place is this?
The Technique of the Hook:
Sadly, there is no step by step guide to crafting the perfect hook. If there was, we could all use it. However, there are some definite opinions about what a hook needs to contain.
One of the most interesting of these opinions reportedly belongs to Dave Freer, author of 14 books and counting. Apparently, he teaches that we have only 200 words to set the hook, and there are some special conditions we should meet as well (learned second or third hand, I'm afraid, so I'm not quoting):
- Use no passive language in those 200 words.
Include something that makes a reader empathize with the character.
"Ground" the reader to this universe by sharing observations and sensory interactions of characters with the world around them, preferably by engaging all five senses.
Show the tensions or mystery felt by the characters.
Convince the reader that the characters will try to resolve the conflict or problem themselves, and not just observe.
Start at the Interesting Part:
Consider the words of Ben Bova on the subject:
http://benbova.com/tips5.htm
(the other tips aren't bad, either)
I'll offer a similar variant: start your tale where things change for your character. If you retold Star Wars from just Luke Skywalker's perspective, it would start the day his uncle bought two troublesome droids, because that's when things changed for him. If the movie started with Luke repeatedly fixing the moisture condensers and nothing else happening for the next ten minutes, I might have walked out and asked for my money back. It's the difference from the norm that makes it interesting, and worthy of telling.
Putting it to the Test: How did my hook compare?
This essay had a hook, too. It is exactly 200 words long, and ends just before "The Hook & its Role". In it, hopefully, I met off all the conditions. Let's check me:
1) Who is the article about?
It's about me, struggling to write an essay, and how to set a hook
2) Why should readers care?
This is a difficult concept. It made me pace and struggle and research. I found people pay for this info.
3) What kind of piece is the reader going to see?
One that tells writers more about how to entice readers.
4) What kind of place is this?
This is from the real world, where writers struggle in dens, away from their families who are doing regular things, like preparing for dance recitals.
5) Use no passive language in those 200 words.
Check, as far as I can tell.
6) Include something that makes a reader empathize with the character.
Hopefully, that I was stuck, paced the floor, and then struggled to find info on the internet was enough.
7) "Ground" the reader to this universe by sharing observation and sensory interactions of characters with the world around them, preferably by engaging all five senses.
Uh-oh. Looks like I missed out on this one. I only used 4 senses, and then only if you count dry mouth as something you taste and not feel. The den was quiet, the carpet was burgundy, and soft, but I didn't find a way to include sense of smell. Oh, well. No one is perfect, but this isn't a story, either. It's an essay.
8) Show the tensions or mystery felt by the characters.
I volunteered to write something about craft each month, and it was harder than I expected. Hopefully, the frustration came through.
9) Convince the reader that the characters will try to resolve the conflict or problem themselves, not just observe.
Well, I promised to share what I learned, and I made good on that. That's nowhere near as big as the climax you'd expect in a story, but fitting here.
In the end, I guess the best proof of concept is: You kept reading, didn't you?
Nate
