20-Second Writing Tip: Create a Hook for Your Book

Posted by Doris Booth | Aug 3, 2021 | Writing Insights | 3 |

To create a hook for the first line of your book, pose a question in the reader’s mind. Who? What? Why?

Example from 15 Best First-lines in Fiction. by Matt Blake, Penguin UK contributor:

‘I am an invisible man’

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (1952)

Not just an iconic opening line, but a deeply enigmatic one. As the unnamed narrator quickly explains, this is not a case of Edgar Allan Poe or Hollwood invisibility but a man ignored by the society around him. Thus begins one of the greatest novels of the 20th Century.

What is your first line? Add your comments at the end of this post.

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About The Columnist

Doris Booth

Doris Booth is founder and president of Authorlink®, the news and information magazine for editors, agents, writers, and readers, ranked among top websites for writers. The company’s separate literary agency represents some bestselling authors, both domestically and abroad. Doris has sold projects to St. Martin’s Press, Simon & Schuster, Sterling Publishing (Barnes and Noble), Berkley Books/Penguin, Farrar Straus Giroux and other dominant houses. She has also been involved in rights negotiations for two hit Netflix docuseries, as well as with other production studios. The agency is not accepting new authors at this time, but writers are encouraged to use Authorlink® as a comprehensive resource.