HOOKS

WHAT IS A HOOK?The way the writer snags the reader’s attention and make him or her want to read more.

WE WANT MORE!

TYPES OF HOOKSQuotations – from movies, songs, poems, speeches, etc. (use someone

famous, not your best friend) Who can quote a movie line?

Anecdote – a brief story. It does not have to be about your topic, but does need to link to your topic. Comedians frequently use this, “A funny thing happened on the way to …”

Descriptive Detail – Paint a word picture. Use descriptive words (adjectives). Ex. As I walked up the trail towards the abandoned house, the trees moaning in the wind made what was a sunny day dark and shadowy. The house loomed up ahead, the greying wood of the patio made the house look rather ominous.

TYPES OF HOOKSAction Sequence – movies use this to start in the middle of a dramatic

moment.

Dialogue – begin in the middle of an important conversation (works best for fiction)

Shocking Fact/Statistic – self explanatory

Simile, Metaphor, Allusion – comparing the subject matter to something else.

Lead In - Open with an unusual detail or statistic, startling or striking fact from an authoritative source

Exclamatory – Not used as often as others, but done to try to show passion, or excitement.

Tongue Twister / alliteration - Pudding pops are pretty popular…