One of the cardinal rules in writing, whether it be short or long, fiction or nonfiction, is that the writer is pretty much required to “hook” the reader right at the beginning of the piece, usually within the first page. You gotta grab him/her/it right away, and never let him go, they say. Many authors I’ve spoken to over the years stand by this nugget of advice and put it to good use all the time. For example, I recently attended a talk by the well-known mystery and thriller writer Joseph Badal, who seemed adamant in his advice to always use a strong hook at the beginning of any book. Well, for the record, Joe Badal has sold far more books than I have, has a substantial following of readers, makes a helluva lot more money than I do (or probably ever will) and is far better known in the writing community than I am—after all, he gave a talk to us writers—so it certainly behooves me to listen to him, and try to take his advice to heart when I’m writing a novel. Wouldn’t you think so?
Of course.
However, while that’s good advice, putting it to practical use is more difficult than saying it. How does one actually “hook” a reader? Something in the first paragraph or on the first page has to be so unusual, surprising, daring, or interesting that the reader can’t help but read on, “hooked” as it were, like a fish on a line. The major problem I have is figuring out or finding out just what, in my own book, is going to do that. How do you know if what you think will hook a reader, actually does hook others? In my first novel, I tried several different openings scenes, hoping to “hook” a reader, only to have others (reading groups, beta readers, agents) tell me they just didn’t get it. Possibly an experienced writer of Joe Badal’s stature has learned over years of experience and numerous books published by major publishing houses how to hook a reader easily enough. Maybe it eventually comes with experience.
In the meantime, I default to my own opinion of first paragraphs/first pages: start the story with action and get right into the story line. Don’t waste the reader’s time and interest with description and details. Bring in the main character and get him/her going with action. I suggest there need not be a specific incident that “hooks” the reader, the story line should do that. The author’s job is to set the tone and let the action carry the reader along. I’ve read several published books as well as unpublished manuscripts as a secondary reader where too much preliminary stuff is crammed at the beginning, too much to really identify the story. What’s going on? I say. Who is the main character? Where are they? When is this novel set? Get into the action right away and bring out the details one by one as they become necessary to understand the plot. That, in my opinion, will hook the reader better than almost anything else.
What do you think?