In case you don’t know, a narrative hook is the literary technique of creating an opening line to capture reader interest and entice them to keep reading. Believe it or not, it’s a sales technique. And it will help you bring readers on as well as agents and editors because the hook sells readers on investing their time and money into you and your story.

Hooks are a crucial part of every kind of writing, but what are the techniques to drawing readers in quickly? That’s what we’re here to address:

Drop Readers into the Action

This is one of the most popular hooks out there that is especially useful if you have an action-packed inciting incident. By starting with a high-action scene, you’re giving readers two reasons to feel fully invested: first, you’re giving them an infusion of energy from the scene itself. Second, you’re leaving them with questions they want answered by not providing context, and the only way they will get these answered is if they keep going.

The complication that this hook has comes from its popularity. As soon as a reader picks you up off of the shelf, it’s likely they’ve already seen something pretty similar. Same goes for when you’re trying to snag an agent or an editor. What does your inciting incident offer that competitors in your genre won’t? Make sure to emphasize it early and strong if you’re using this tactic.

Create an Emotional Connection

If your story isn’t action-packed, a great way to connect with readers might be through an emotional hook. This will allow you to tap into your reader’s need for empathy or belonging rather than their craving for thrill. By giving them an emotional connection to your characters early on, you’re investing in their interest of what will happen to them later. Start with a personal story. This is especially useful to make readers feel more attentive to a piece that may otherwise feel dry or fact-heavy.

Who is your book’s audience? In order to appeal to their emotional nature, first you’re going to have to understand it. If you’re writing for the every woman, it’s likely that you’ll have to water down your emotional connection too much and end up without a hook altogether. Giving readers emotional reactions is one of our favorite topics, but first you have to know what makes them tick.

Go for Shock Value

If you take a controversial statement and simply express it as fact, you’ll encourage your audience to keep reading. They will expect you to prove your statement, of course. This can set the tone for your novel quickly by providing a lens through which every scene can be considered. The most famous among this type of hook is Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, which begins “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”

There are two primary complications with this hook, however. The first is that it can be very difficult to come up with a single counterpoint or a theme for your entire story right at the beginning. The other is that for many writers, shock value can be a complicated balancing act. Too shocking and you may find yourself turning readers away before they get a chance to know your story. You could even find yourself cancelled down the line for a controversial statement you wrote four novels ago if it doesn’t age well. But if it isn’t controversial enough, your hook dries up entirely. If you’re considering a shocking beginning to your novel, getting a great editor or book coach to help you meet that balance is key.

Give Your Readers Questions

If you haven’t noticed, one thing that each of these techniques have in common is that each leaves behind questions for your readers. Readers want to know what happens next, what motivates your character, or how they became who they are. To keep them reading, you have to keep them guessing.

It’s likely you’ve started an essay or presentation with a rhetorical question before. Try that same technique now, but keep the actual question out of your story. Instead, write a scene that leads readers to a question of their own. This is the cornerstone of the hook in a novel, but it can be used throughout your story to build tension effectively. It’s what makes mysteries so enticing!