Creating a Hook

“When I was little, my uncle Pete had a necktie with a porcupine painted on it.” Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli

“The building was on fire, and it wasn’t my fault.” Blood Rites, Jim Butcher

“You better not never tell nobody but God.” The Color Purple, Alice Walker

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number 4 Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling

“There was a hand in the dark, and it held a knife.” The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman

“All children, except one, grow up.” Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie

“It was a pleasure to burn.” Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy

“We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.” Feed, M.T. Anderson

What hooks you? “When I was little, my uncle Pete had a necktie with a porcupine painted on it.” “When I was little, my uncle Pete had a necktie with a porcupine painted on it.” “The building was on fire, and it wasn’t my fault.” “The building was on fire, and it wasn’t my fault.” “You better not never tell nobody but God.” “You better not never tell nobody but God.” “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number 4 Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number 4 Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” “There was a hand in the dark, and it held a knife.” “There was a hand in the dark, and it held a knife.” “All children, except one, grow up.” “All children, except one, grow up.” “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” “We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.” “We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.”

Start with… a question a question the middle of the action the middle of the action a sense of shock or surprise a sense of shock or surprise a truth about the world a truth about the world dialogue dialogue (a combination of the elements above) (a combination of the elements above)

INTRODUCTION HAS… Hook: (draw the reader in) Hook: (draw the reader in) Thesis: What I learned about me (from the event) Thesis: What I learned about me (from the event) Setting the Scene: Details and background knowledge to help set up the story for the reader Setting the Scene: Details and background knowledge to help set up the story for the reader Where Where When When Characters Characters (use descriptive language), etc. (use descriptive language), etc.