Ever wonder how authors scribble those great opening one-liners? Perhaps you have a few favorite writers who always manage to grab you within the first sentence of their book? Have you unlocked the secret to creating an irresistible hook?
Oh, ok...me neither. Well, actually some of you may be quite good at coming up with an opening hook for your story. For me, the rest of the book is no problem, but that first sentence always feels contrived for me no matter how I work at it.
I know I've talked about this before, but I'm curious how others go about generating their “hooks” so to speak. What elements make a good hook? Surprise, suspense, foreshadowing...what ultimately engages a reader from the get-go?
Hello Mark:
ReplyDeletePerhaps in answer to the questionyou pose, we should cite the opening sentences of two C20 but very different novels which, in our view, stand up to analysis for their capacity to engage the reader from the ouset.
These are E.M. Forster 'A Passage to India' and Iris Murdoch 'The Bell'.
I thought I had a great hook for my first draft until a friend pointed out what it took away from my story. Then she suggested I use another line that she liked a few paragraphs in. And you know what? My book is so much better because of it. Here it is if you want to mull it over. "I could die if I'm caught here; die on my own land."
ReplyDeleteThe beginning and end are always the most difficult for me. Like Jen, if the first line (or paragraph) doesn't seem to work, I consider starting somewhere further into the story--and it's usually within the next few paragraphs that I find the right line.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea how to do this. But I will say that I always go back after I've finished a novel and rewrite the opening, only because I know what I want to foreshadow or hint at better. Stuff I didn't know when I started. Still, I have no idea how to do this well. I need a formula or something. Or magic. A spell maybe. That might work. :)
ReplyDeleteThink I'm getting better at hooks.
ReplyDeleteSometimes just an unusual statement or word of dialogue will get my attention.
I spend more time on my first chapter, and on that first line especially, than on any other part of my books. I LOVE Rick Riordan's opening lines, both for his books and for his chapters. They are funny, strange, and immediately make me want to find out what's going on.
ReplyDeleteI try to do that with my opening lines. I want something that will make people want to know more. Something that makes them HAVE to read the next line to find out what's happening.
I had a creative writing instructor, and author, tell me to write the first line 50 times. She said the first 20 will be expected and easy to write one liners, the next 20 will make you work, and the last ten will be truly creative genius. I have tried it with my current WIP and am only up to 20. It's tough stuff.
ReplyDeleteHi, i'm new to your blog but saw your comment on Rachna's blog. I agree finding that first line is always a challenge. But I don't fuss about that until I've finished at least the first draft. By then I know what the book is really about - or think I do; sometimes it takes me a couple of drafts. In my current WIP I'm still looking for it. But I did discover my story doesn't really get going until chapter 2, so I'm really glad I didn't labor over that first line from chapter 1. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's either an engaging first line or an opening paragraph that makes an good first impression. That's what works for me.
ReplyDeleteI gave you a shout-out on my blog today. :)
I'm enjoying reading your blog and the responses!
ReplyDeletewww.rebeccabany.com
Great topic, I enjoyed reading your post and the responses! This is one of the hardest things to do, I think. I love opening a book and having the first line grab me, but I don't know if I can write a line like that myself. I always enjoy reading famous opening lines, some of them are just so memorable.
ReplyDeleteI love opening lines! Great post.
ReplyDeleteRight now, the opening line for my book is:
The man without a name walked the damp dark hallway, cobwebs clinging to his pants.
Wow, love this blog. I'm a follower now :)
ReplyDeleteI find myself using dialouge as hooks more and more. It wasn't a conscious decision, but everything I've started lately has put the reader right in the middle of a scene by virtue of either actual dialouge or a line of thought (since most of what I write is first person).
ReplyDeleteMy one complete manuscript starts with a description that (I hope) gives a bit of atmosphere, a breath right before the plunge into a battle scene. I'm thinking of changing it though...once I start I just know I'll end up revising the whole manuscript again, and I'm not sure I'm up to that just now!
Hi thanks for the comment on my blog. Following you now.
ReplyDeleteSometimes hooks come to me in weird ways. I frequent eavesdropper and I make mental notes on interesting conversations. That's what's missing in Hollywood. Some of those script writers are so insulated that they don't hang around 'real' people anymore.
I'm much better at writing my hooks after I finish a draft - something happens and I'll have a moment of realization telling em how to begin. In my current WIP, I've rewritten the first scene about five times. I can't seem to get it the way I want, but when I finish a draft, I have a new idea how to approach it. I'm a fan of suspense; I find it stimulates motivation to keep reading more than other elements. It's one of the hardest parts for me.
ReplyDeleteJane/Lance – Good choices with Forester and Murdoch, I especially like the language in _The Bell_.
ReplyDeleteJen – Ooh, I’m jealous, that sounds like a dynamite hook! Well done:)
Jayne – True, the end can prove problematic as well. I like your suggestion of starting at different parts of the story to see how it flows, good idea.
L.G. – Ok, then it’s not just me at least:) Magic spell probably wouldn’t hurt either;)
Alex – I’ve used unusual dialog for chapter starts, but I’ll consider it for a story opening as well. Can’t hurt:)
Michelle – I’ll have to check out Rick Riordan’s opening lines for suggestions. You’re definitely right to spend lots of time on those opening paragraphs.
J.D. – Thank you, thank you, thank you! That’s the single best idea I think I’ve heard! I’m totally going to try it out, thanks again!
Elizabeth – I follow a similar outline as you do regarding an opening line, def better after the second run-through. Thanks for checking out my blog!
David – Thanks for the shout out! I appreciate it:)
Rebecca – Thanks for visiting! Your blog looks cool too:)
Julie – I agree, that first line is def difficult and can really take some time to hash out. Literature also has some great lines, such as Melville and Austen to name a few.
Kelley – Groovy opening line! Thanks for stopping by, I'll def check out your blog as well:)
Caitlin – Dialogue certainly seems to be an intriguing way of getting a story started. You intrigue me with elements of your story...what's it about?
Msmariah – Eavesdropping, yup it's true that some
really great dialogue can come out of that, good point.
Paul – I agree, I tend to really try and go at it once I'm at least a draft or two into it. It still strikes me as strange just how much work a single line can be.
Wow. I've never unintentionally intruiged someone before, especially in regards to my writing. I guess there's a first for everything,thoug, haha. My story is, well, it's a coming-of-age story of a Swedish Viking named Varin. There's (obviously) a bucket load of other elements in it, but boiled down, it's the story of how he grows out of boyishness into honorable manhood.
ReplyDeleteI try to envision what my first chapter or “hook” or “goal” or “motivation” is and condenses that wow factor in one nice sentence. If I killed someone in the first chapter that put my story into motion, I would write.
ReplyDeleteFiling off the serial numbers of my Glock .40 cal, I went down my check list, if I was going to get away with murder everything had to go right.
Or
I rammed the magazine into my pistol and slid it under my coat, after tonight there’ll be one less politician.
Whatever you write it should move the reader forward, add tension, foreshadow upcoming events and leave the reader wondering what will happen next.
I also write 50 or so first sentences and dissect them all; hopefully I’ll come out with a good one.
First lines are SO hard, I mostly go with something that comes to me while I'm doing something else. Like housework. If I try to just come up with something and add EVERYTHING it's supposed to have, it feels much more contrived. Hm... Maybe I should sit down and write 100 first sentences before I start my next book. Then it won't seem so hard...
ReplyDeleteI've rewritten the first chapter of my manuscript so many times I've lost count. Hooks are hard. I always hope I get those first few sentences right, but I always wonder, second guess myself, then say screw it and let someone else read it. It takes a second pair of eyes to let me know for sure if I hooked them. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteNo secret here, but a good hook to me is something that raises a question or is simply so intriguing or funny that a person wants to keep reading. I've got no hook in my first WIP, but the second has one that just sprang out. No idea if I'll keep it or not, but it amused me so I can only hope it would amuse others and make them wonder how she got herself into this position so they want to read on.
ReplyDeleteFor me, that opening line doesn't have to be dramatic, but it does have to raise enough questions in my mind to keep me reading.
ReplyDeleteAn element of surprise and originality usually works as a good hook.
ReplyDeleteI kinda allow this concern cripple me. That is, I don't even want to go on plotting the story in my head unless I had an opening line that I can live with.
ReplyDeleteMark...the two of us sure have telepathy...not only are our topics similar, even the picture we have used is similar. By any chance have you developed the ability to read minds( albeit long distance). Great minds do think alike ;)
ReplyDelete