What Writers Need to Know About Hooks

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Writers get a lot of advice on the value of hooks in a novel, but “hook” can mean different things depending on its usage.
At every stage of a novel, you have different hooks and different needs. In the idea stage, the hook is the cool thing that makes you want to write it, and will make readers want to read it. In the drafting stage, you want to hook readers with the scenes themselves to keep them reading. In the polishing stage, you want sharp hook lines and clever twists.

Every one of these situations involve hooks, but each one uses them in a different way. Not understanding the various types of hooks can lead a writer astray and cause them to struggle to fix something in their novel that might not actually be broken.

Someone might tell you, “There’s no hook,” and refer to reasons why a reader would want to see a scene unfold. But another might mean there’s no unique concept behind the plot. A third might say there’s no cool twist or clever premise behind the story.

Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com