Want to make sure you can successfully hook your readers given that small window of opportunity to catch their attention?
We got you! Well we have here Ukessay’s 10 writing hooks that are surely useful to make your readers read more on your topic!
We have also added short explanations per writing hook to give you a background on how these writing hooks can help you!
WAIT! You may want to click on other helpful blog articles below!
Best Opening Lines in Literature
Here are Formal Letter Formats You Can Follow
1. Begin with a simile or a metaphor.
Example: My life has been a carnival. My family is like an open book.
Using a simile or a metaphor can make the beginning of your piece creative and catchy.
2. Begin with a question.
Example: Who is the greatest athlete of all times?
Starting your piece with a question is one of the most effective writing hooks. Asking readers questions can make your readers curious and would make them read further in order to satisfy their curiosity.
3. Begin with a definition.
Example: Amiable is the best way to describe my personality: I am friendly and caring. Perfect is the best adjective to describe me: I am flawless in every aspect of my life.
Defining a word or yourself (just as the example above) at the beginning of your piece gives readers enough details about the piece, these details can potentially hook them to read more on your topic.
4. Begin with a quotation.
Example: “Learn to laugh” is something my kindergarten teacher told me after Ralph Thorsen spilled paint on my daffodil picture.
In using quotations, it is important not only to use a catchy one but one that captures the topic of your entire piece in one to two sentences.
5. Begin with a comparison to a well-known person or celebrity.
Example: I am as photogenic as Tyra Banks.
Using popular people to hook readers gives identity to your piece, it allows readers to imagine your point and can greatly help readers to relate to your topic.
6. Begin with placing yourself in the future.
Example: In the year 2012 I see myself as a supreme ballerina performing in Camelot at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Projecting your ideas for your future makes readers recognise a sense of vision in your way of thinking, more importantly, it also activates the imagination of readers.
7. Begin with a dilemma.
Example: Deciding to attend Hampton Roads Academy, a private school, was one of my most difficult decisions.
Presenting dilemmas can effectively engage readers especially when they are able to relate to it. If not, it can still hook readers to see whether the dilemma has been solved later or in the ending of your piece.
8. Begin with a scene.
Example: The day of my birth began with Hurricane Charlie pounding at our door in Charleston, South Carolina.
Starting a scenario at the beginning of your piece activates the imagination of readers. It makes them have a visual of your topic.
9. Begin with the best advice you have ever received.
Example: “Butch, did you practice the piano?” Since I was six years old, this has been a daily reminder from my dear mother. “Be all you can be” has been my inspiration from my grandfather who is a retired Marine Corps colonel and my mentor.
Most people like to hear things that will help them in life and providing a personally-proven useful advice can hook readers to read your piece further.
10. Begin with an anecdote.
Example: As my cousin and I pedalled our new bikes to the beach, 6 years old, suntanned and young, we met an old, shaggy-haired man weaving unsteadily on a battered old bike.
Anecdotes are also a powerful tool for hooking your readers because of the sense of authenticity it can make the readers feel. Most of us want to hear true-to-life stories, right?
Did this blog article help? Fee free to comment below and share to your friends on social media!
