Plot & structure · Tip 25 of 82 · 4 min read
Hook Your Reader With a Great First Line
Your first sentence is like a fishing hook. Make it so interesting that readers can't swim away.
Imagine a reader picking up your story. They read the first line. Will they keep going? A great first line is called a hook, because it catches your reader like a fish!
Okay 😐
Once upon a time there was a girl called Lily. She was nine.
Wow! 🤩
The day Lily turned nine, her shadow ran away.
The first one is fine, but the second one makes you ask questions. How did her shadow run away? Where did it go? When readers have questions, they keep reading to find the answers.
Five kinds of hooks
- Something strange: "My grandma has a dragon in her garage."
- Jump into the action: "I was halfway up the tree when the branch snapped."
- A secret: "Nobody at school knew that I could talk to cats."
- Dialogue: "Don't open that box!" Mum shouted. But it was too late.
- A surprising feeling: "I have never been so happy to be stuck in a lift."
Start close to the exciting part
Lots of writers begin with the character waking up, brushing their teeth and eating breakfast. Readers get bored before anything happens! Try starting your story just before the exciting part instead.