A strong opening hook is a great way to pull readers into the story and get them invested in your novel. In this video I discuss five different ways you could create a hook for your story.
Video Highlights
- A hook is anything that gets the reader to want to keep reading.
- There are no rules for how to create an effective opening hook. If it works, it works!
- Most novels have more than one type of hook in the opening scene.
Five Types of Opening Hooks
1. The Setting – something about the location or time period is unique and captivating.
2. The Circumstance – something personal to your character is intriguing, such as a unique occupation, disability, or magical ability.
3. An Interesting Question – something about the opening scene raises a question and the reader wants to continue reading in order to learn the answer.
4. A Conflict that Demonstrates the Goal – a conflict that shows what the character is trying to achieve so that the reader is pulled in by wanting to see the outcome.
5. A Conflict that Demonstrates the Problem – a conflict that shows what problem the character is facing which hooks the reader on an emotional level.
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Ellen Brock 
This was a great video, especially on the heels of our first page critiques. I love how you broke it apart into five basic elements. I’m sure you see a lot of trope or cliche openings and I was wondering if you might have a list of the most common ones you see?
Thanks.
These are great tips. It makes me think about ways to rewrite the start of my various works in progress.