First impressions are a huge part of life especially when it comes to literature. It can be hard to keep someone absorbed in reading a book if his or her first impression of the book is not good from the get-go. If a person is not hooked from the beginning they may lose interest and may not want to continue reading the book. Capturing a person’s full attention right away is essential. In order for a writer to capture his readers’ attention, the author has to develop a good hook to reel his readers in with. For a writer to insure his hook will catch his reader he must have it at the beginning of his writing, it must raise questions in the readers’ head, and it should contain some key elements to the story.
The beginning of a story lays the outline …show more content…
In The Hook Weiland writes, “Because of your ability to keep reading is dependent on your hook, you will need to present it as early as possible in your first scene” (Weiland, 2013). For the hook to be most effective it needs to be present no later than the first scene and should not be stretched out for a long series of time. Leading readers on at the beginning of the story with information that makes the story seem different than what it really is cancels out the effect of the hook on the reader. Meanwhile, Kardos believes the hook of a story should always be done during the first sentence not just the first scene. A story has only one first sentence, so it is important to utilize it to the fullest. Just like Weiland, Kardos thinks stretching out a hook can deceive the readers. Kardos says, “A story that begins in medias res eventually will need to supply the missing pieces. A reader (or viewer) will be willing to remain confused for only so long before becoming frustrated” (Kardos, 2013). It is important to have a clear hook at the very beginning of a story that starts the story off with strong, straightforward information. Stretching out a hook or starting with information that is not relevant at the beginning of a story can irritate a reader and can turn them away from wanting to continue to read the …show more content…
The Hook notes, “The important thing to remember about presenting this opening question is that it cannot be vague. Readers have to understand enough about the situation to mentally form a specific question” (Weiland, 2013). The hook of a story has to answer a few key elements so that readers can understand the story well enough to not get confused, but not enough so that they have curiosity about what will happen next. Character, setting, plot, theme, and voice should all be introduced within the hook of the story if possible. Knowing most of this information from the beginning can help readers get a glimpse at what the story will be like. Introducing something about a character right away creates a connection between the story and the reader. Introducing a little bit of information about a character can cause readers to want to get to know more about the character. Giving a detail about the setting of the story can hook the readers into the story. Giving the readers a hint about the setting can raise different emotions, such as foreboding, which will help the readers want to continue to read. Kardos confirms that key information needs to be present during the hook. Starting Your Story states, “The corresponding advice is that you shouldn’t withhold vital information as a secret until the end of your