Horror Hook.

In horror, more than any other genre, the Hook is the most important of horror's many elements. The Hook is the opening of your story, the writing that captures your reader and makes them want to keep reading.

Ideally, the hook occurs within your first page. Now I known that some of you will argue that the hook can come much later and reinforce your arguments by naming some writers like King or Barker whom can ramble on for pages before throwing out their hooks and reeling you in. But they are King and Barker. They can get away with that. New writers like ourselves, cannot. As one publisher so exquisitely put it: 'If nothing happens in the first three paragraphs, I move on'.

So what does it take to craft a sterling hook? Ostensibly the hook is a statement of dialogue or exposition that forces the reader to ask what is happening and why, and then keep them reading to find the answer. Good hook take place in the third paragraph, excellent ones in the second paragraph, and great ones in the first paragraph. Many books on writing will instruct you that the proper hook is performed in the very first sentence of you narrative. Nonsense. That's impossible a task to ask of any writer. I almost guarantee you that such writing 'experts' have never managed the feat themselves so none of you should be expected to do it, either.

By definition, a hook is a line in the opening of your narrative that compels the reader to want to find out what's happening and keep them reading. Example. Once upon a time when I was writing the very first manuscript for my novel History Lane, now in its 17th draft, I thought I had come up with a sterling one-sentence hook. In my mind it had all the features of a great hook in that something was happening that demanded to be answered with what and why. It was this.

A girl was screaming inside of the Lambert house.

I, too, thought it perfect so I flipped it off to my own mentor and congratulated myself on a job well done with a mug of coffee. I was premature in my celebrations. Four days later CJ responded and in her quiet and polite way she told me how badly it stunk. She then proceeded to let me in on the secret of the Masters, which I am now letting all of you in to.

Your hook will work best when you can show the reader how the unfolding event affects a witness to that event. That is to say, apply your hook through the reactions of those witnessing what makes your narrative a horror novel. Are they frightened? Are they angry? However they feel should intrigue the reader into wanting to know why they feel that way and by default keep reading. This even works if you using First Person point of View in the vein of 'when my girlfriend/husband/son etc. saw what was happening, they...and the like.

Writing is rewriting. Please don't be a Saku, or a me, and get flustered and frustrated if you don't get it perfect right out of the gate. Nobody, including yourselves, can reasonably expect you to do. Write what you see in your mind's eye. Write from your wee little black hearts, and trust in yourselves. Your hooks will be sterling.