Beginning With a Hook
A nd so, we begin. Many people believe that a novel must begin with a strong hook . Think of the hook as a question. Some people confuse the hook and the inciting incident . They are not the same. The inciting incident is an event within the story that incites the protagonist to take action. The hook causes the reader to ask a question. Where the Red Fern Grows begins with a great hook , “When I left my office that beautiful spring day, I had no idea what was in store for me.” If Wilson Rawls had stopped here, we would ask, “What was in store for you?” We are “hooked” at this point because we aren’t going to quit reading until we find out what happened to him on this “beautiful spring day.” Foreshadowing is one way of creating a hook . The narrator has already experienced the events of the story, so he can tell the reader enough about what he is going to say that the reader becomes curious and decides to stick around. An opening problem is also a way to create a hook . A novel op...