Here Are a Few Techniques to Hook Your Reader

Catchy Hooks

Ever heard the expression, “make a good first impression?” Because your introduction is the first part of your letter the reader will see, it is important to begin with a strong lead that is catchy and “hooks” your reader.

Here are a few techniques to hook your reader:

• Your Intro should raise questions in reader’s mind to make the reader keep reading

• Dialogue (between you and the book, you and author)

• Action/event – in medias res (in the middle)

• Vivid Description—show not tell detail

• Anecdote

• Quote

• Asking a question

• Answering a question

• Opinion

• Startling statement

• Flashback to a moment in your life, or in your experience reading the book

• Humor

Please, please, please do NOT begin your piece in any of the following ways:

• Your book taught me…

• Your book changed me because…

• When I read your book…

• It was the summer of…

• Hi, my name is…

• This letter is about…

Find your own: Take a look in your own book or another book in the classroom to find another example of a catchy intro that hooks you. Copy that example here, and explain the technique the author uses to hook you:

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Technique: ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Write your own: Try to write a new beginning for your letter using a different technique you learned in class today. Identify the technique you use.

__________________________(technique)_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Here are a few examples of catchy intros other students have used for their letters. Please identify the hook technique used in each one:

1. “I hold your diary in my hands and I feel as if you are speaking to me from years past. You are telling me how much it annoys you that the van Daans are always quarreling. You’re whispering sadly that you think you will never become close with your mother. Your scream rings in my ear, and the echo tells me you’re tired of crying yourself to sleep. And it tears my heart in half. Thank you for speaking to me. Thank you for your diary.” _____________________________________

2. “I think my passion for reading comes from my mother. She always has a book by her side and her knowledge of events and books is so broad that she amazes me. Until this year she has allowed me to read books that interested me, which were mostly fantasy, fiction, and mythology. However, now she has advised me to stretch my reading and challenge myself to read books I might not like. One of those books was Animal Farm. She said it was a political book and my first thought was, "Oh great this ought to be good and boring." To my surprise it was a great inspiration to me – not boring at all…” __________________________

3. “Imagine finding yourself trapped in a temporary prison, then ending up in a frightening world filled with unknown dangers. That is what happened to Chester in your children’s classic The Cricket in Times Square. And it’s exactly what happened to me, too. Except instead of being transported to the strange, scary world of New York City like your little cricket, I woke up one day in the terrifying world of pediatric intensive care being treated for cancer and relying on oxygen tubes to breathe.” _______________________________

4. “I believe that magic is important. It gets you through boring moments and helps you during sad times. Magic isn’t just superpowers or unnatural happenings; it’s happiness, wonder, love, and imagination. Every little petal, leaf, and pebble is like a little miracle exploding with magic. Children can see the magic better because we don’t have as many responsibilities and hard choices to make. Some people lose touch with the magic in their lives as they get older. Peter Pan reminds people of the magic in their lives.” ___________________________________