WRITING A HOOK SENTENCE
In my previous post I was talking about what makes a good piece of writing or what helps in getting there. So today I am going to go into this a little bit more by focusing on writing a ‘hook’.
A hook sentence is what inspires your reader to continue, they are the words that grab your reader’s attention and don’t let go of it. Hook sentences are crucial in all types of writing disciplines. A good hook sentence for me, is when I’m busy with something else and I read the start of that something and that’s it, I stop doing whatever I’m doing because I just have to keep on reading. Of course not all hook sentences can have such a big impact but some kind of effect at least, they catch your attention for sure.
A hook can consist of the first 6-7 sentences but it can also be shorter, even of one sentence, for example ;
” This is what happened.”
– Douglas Fairbairn, Shoot
These first sentences have to be effective and engaging. Effective means transmitting key pieces of information such as who, what, where and when. Engaging is about transmitting an emotion, an opinion, a position and an argument. So, there are different ways to approach writing a hook, for example:
- Making a bold and challenging statement
- Including a quotation from a key participant or expert
- Expressing a personal opinion
What you need to consider when writing a hook sentence is what are you bringing to the discussion? Why should the reader listen to you? Why should they keep on listening to you past 6-7 sentences?
After all, you want your reader to be interested, intrigued and excited!
SALOMÉ GAUTIER 