Good beginnings are crucial in capturing a reader’s attention. Every
writer knows that a narrative hook is needed in any successful type of writing.
Many readers pick up a book, glance at the first page, and if it doesn’t grab
them, simply toss it aside. Of course, creating a good narrative hook
for a novel or short story is easier said than done. However, here are a few
suggestions that I believe will help to interest readers in your novel:
Point of View:
One of the most important things in writing a successful work of fiction
is to develop a unique voice. That does not mean that you must write from a
first person point of view.
It is important to create a central character that your readers can
sympathize and/or identify with. Whether writing a realistic or fantasy novel,
if the reader can't care about the main character, then the reader won't believe
or accept what follows.
Regardless of whether or not you use first person narration, try to
stick to a main point of view which makes reader identification more likely.
This viewpoint should be from the perspective of a major character in the
story. This is one way of hooking your readers from the beginning. And it goes
without saying that the main viewpoint character should be either the heroine
or hero or both in a romantic novel. However, breaking the rules worked for F.
Scott Fitzgerald when he used a secondary character as narrator in The Great
Gatsby.
Element of Mystery:
Readers enjoy an element of mystery. Every good novel should have a plot
that keeps the reader turning the pages, wanting to discover what is going to
happen next. It's important to set up some sort of a question that can't be
easily or immediately answered, a secret of the human heart that must be delved
into. Prick your reader’s curiosity. This needs to be done in the first few
pages and if possible from the first paragraph.
Start in medias res:
Start with a bit of intriguing, provocative dialogue or some piece of
action. Get your reader involved in the plot from the beginning. Don’t begin
with detailed description of people and place. You will lose your reader!
Don’t start with your main character getting up in the morning or doing
anything mundane like tooth brushing. Long boring descriptions were fine for
Victorian novelists, but remember that Dickens was paid by the word. Plunge the
reader into the heart of the story from the beginning words.
When you do need to use description, keep it pertinent. Don’t overdo
adverbs and adjectives. Use active verbs. Replace your “is”, “was” and “are”
with action words whenever possible. Vary your sentence lengths and structures.
You want your writing to be dynamic and exciting. Your reader must be quickly
involved, must be made to care about what is happening.
Get your reader focused, placing your heroine and/or hero as close to
the main action and problem as possible. Build suspense from the beginning by
getting your reader into the thick of things. Weave details and necessary
background information into the story as you keep the action of the plot moving
along. Introduce the protagonists as early in the story as possible.
Make It Dramatic
Dramatize your story. Don't show, tell. I'm certain you've heard that
advice many times before before! How to do this? Create meaningful, realistic
dialogue for your characters. Each character should be an individual, talking a
certain way to reflect a personal point of view, a unique way of thinking. Good
dialogue leads to action and conflict between people with different viewpoints
and goals.
Avoid stilted dialogue. One way to accomplish this is by reading your
writing out loud. Remember readers have to accept the characters in your novel
as real people.
Setting the Scene:
Although you don’t want to overwhelm your reader with too much detail
from the outset, settings need to be vividly described so that they seem real. Think
like a film director. Create your novel in scenes as if it were a movie.
Finally, take the time to write and rewrite the beginning sentences and
paragraphs of your novel, recognizing that this is crucial. You probably won’t
get it right the first time through. I confess I never do! I truly agonize over
beginnings.
Go back after you finish your
novel or story and see if the opening could be more compelling. Ask some fellow
writers and intelligent readers to look at your beginning and give an honest
opinion.
Hopefully, these suggestions will help you create the perfect narrative
hook that will compel readers to read your work from beginning to end.
Here’s the beginning of my novel THE DEVIL AND DANNA WEBSTER, a YA
appropriate for both teens and adults. It’s got elements of mystery, romance
and a paranormal edge:
“When
my mother talked about Lori, she always got a funny look in her eye — not ha-ha
funny but strange funny. When I was little, I never understood. As I got older,
I wondered more about Lori, but I hardly ever asked because it just seemed to
make my mother sad.
Lori
was locked away in my mother's past life like the things in the old attic
trunk. I wondered about them too. But Mom would always say when I asked her to
open the trunk that the past was best forgotten. Yet, every now and then, I
would say something or do something that made her sigh and exclaim: "You remind
me so much of Lori!"
Not
long ago, I was sitting on the living room couch reading a novel I found on the
bookshelf. My mother walked into the room and gasped.
"Something
wrong?" I asked.
She
stared at me for a moment and shook her head. "No, but for a moment, it
seemed like I was looking at Lori. I remember when she read Rebecca. She loved to read old-fashioned
romances."
"Mom,
what happened to Lori?"
"Danna,
I'd rather not talk about her. It only brings back sad memories."
"Sure,
except I didn't bring it up."
As a reader and/or writer any
comments, suggestions or input you would like to share are welcome here.
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