InsaneJournal

story hooks
I was reading in a forum about story hooks.

My thought on hooks is that sometimes they are way too hooky, if that makes any sense. If I start reading and the first sentence seems twee or cutesy, it makes me fear the rest of the novel will be the same.

I also don't like opening sentences that are too long and descriptive; if I have to stop and parse it, and memorize those character names which may or may not be important later, I might put the book down.

What I want as a reader is to be pulled to the second sentence. For me, the first sentence doesn't have to be a whale-sized hook. A gentle tug is enough. Then another tug. Then another, until the story closes over my head.