How to Write a Novel Opening that Hooks Readers 

What about starting with gibberish? Smiggle wiggle da da figgle! The reader will be captured wondering why you're writing in a bizarre language. They'll turn page after page to find out, but they won't be able to read a thing. As a bonus, it's an easy way to write a mystery novel.

Ellen is a great example of someone who knows what they’re talking about and can confidently express it without the arrogance and abuse that indicates insecurity and random success. When she uses examples they illustrate the point and more importantly, the function of the device or structure. She doesn’t need camera mugging or an ostentatious list of hack titles, she has well thought content and experience. Very refreshing.

Hey Ellen! Could you do a video on the pros and cons of writing in first-person and third-person respectively in regards to how the reader experiences the story as well as how it is presented? Thanks!

How to make a non-boring middle?? It's something I really struggle with.

hooking readers variable depending on setting - plot - genre (representative for your novel) 1- interesting setting (unusual elements) 2- interesting circumstance of the chch (invisible man) 3- raise question in the reader (why is she poising the soap) 4- conflict regarding desire or goal 5- conflict demonstrating the chch problem

"The city was in flames." - first line of The Blood of Elves in the Witcher series.

When Hiruho Tanaka woke up that day, she knew it was going to be big. She reformed and rehearsed her arguments countless times. She was confident that her persuasion would finally work out. That finally, after two hundred and seventy-four years, the gate of Vault 2112 would open. ---- This is the opening for my short four chapter story. It was originally written in czech and on about 4 pages for my high school finals last year, but I've decided to rewrite and extend it in English. We were given a basic, clichéd premise (earth overtaken by aliens, humans underground etc) but I think I'm doing a good job with it.

I have watched many many videos on craft, and most are just words with no practical application. I learned more in the last hour of watching your videos than I did over the last year.

Here's another tip. They say, "find your voice!" But what they don't know, that they really mean, "develop voices". Style. It's about the voiceS you've developed and the dynamics between them, not a bout A voice. Beastmode marmaduke. You either get it or learning

"I awoke to discover that the entire city had been covered in a layer of man-eating jam."

Mr and Mrs Dursley of Number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. I'll leave to figure out where it comes from

How to write good plot twists/reveals? How much information do you reveal, and maybe some tips on how to make something as unexpected or interesting as possible?

I love how you get straight to the point, and no extra stuff xx

This video is extremely helpful. I always struggled with the opening hooks. That's why I usually write books in reverse (from the end to the beginning). Cheers

An excellent video that well prepared and presented. I believe my opening hook is a combination of #4 and #5. I plan on watching all of your videos. Great job.

Thank you, so much! This video gave me a brand new idea for the opening of my book! This will add a significant twist to the story and set a much better mood for the story!

Thank, Ellen, and please continue your success in releasing these insightful vids💥

I literally redid my opening scene/hook right after watching this video. Good Golly, what a difference a few tips can make.

I admit I started watching your videos years ago because you're adorable, and I am so glad because your videos are just the best. Direct and to the point, complete, and clear. But most of all you are able to convey the rules of convention in a way that doesn't make this anti-conformist off. You have a great way of explaining the "rules" as if they are Tools rather than being requirements. You have changed my opinion on all the things I was resistant to. Thanks for that. You inspire and push me to work and improve.

Hi there 🙂 There are a lot of you tube videos out there giving advice on how to get going on novel writing. Thanks for being the best of lot Ellen. Your presentation is clean and informative. But mostly it's concise!! No filth just effectively bringing the viewer the salient points and necessary insights. Thanks again 👍🙂

I don't know how I found this channel but I'm so glad I did. Such great, practical tips. Thanks!

Ellen seems the most masterful with the craft of storytelling and writing out of all writers on RU-vid.

Last thing. You're a believable editor. I'm sure you're good at it. It's in the eyes.

The plan I already had for my opening scene fit nicely into a couple of these tips. That gives me hope that I'm on the right track. :)

Thank you so much for this! I just love your videos. You are very articulate and I like your honesty in the Q&As. Cannot wait for more!

I am so glad I found your channel! Your videos are helping me so much! I wish you were my editor or writing coach 😊

Awesome topic. If I may suggest a topic, writing with "good flow".

Your videos are very helpful. Thank you.

Thanks alot. I like you remain general in this video but give excellent examples. :) Great video.

thank you so much this helped me so much

Starting with a question: "Where's Papa going with that axe?"

Useful and refreshing

Hi Ellen. Because of this video, I am going to re-write the prologue of my middle grade novel.

Great video--thanks for the tips!

I love your content. As someone who has only recently decided to try writing, your information is invaluable! I will probably even inquire on your services (assuming I get that far lol).

Love all your videos! One request: more examples like your line from “The Invisible Man” from successful novel, to make your suggestions easier to understand. Like demonstrating a math formula with an actual problem.

Nice job! Helpful video!

Interesting. You have a good take on things and think the same as I do. I know this is an older video but I'm new here and looking for like minds. Think I found one.

You are very helpful.

Loving these frequent videos. Great content as always Ellen. Any chance you can do a video on an effective beta reading process?

This video just gave the idea for my opening sentence. Thanks!

Great insights, Ellen. Thanks. Have you considered doing any videos about writing memoirs or first-person narratives? What are specific tips for writing compelling first person stories?

another good one thanks for help

Even with the little cut on your lip that consumed my attention more than I wanted, this was a great video. Very informative!

finally some really good advice!

The first scene in my book is a battle against Edward II. I hope it works! (and also sorry If my English is bad, i'm still learning)

Thanks Ellen.

Pelase do a book saga stuff to take in consideration when making a book saga please

Hey Ellen! Thank you for this great channel and your excellent advice! Little request here: could you do a video on how to write relationships between characters (both love interests, friendships, family...) in a way that feels not forced but genuine, satisfying in terms of characters arc's and psychologically coherent? I feel like it's sometimes a struggle though it's important for me to devellop strong and interesting relationships in my stories. Thank you!

great advice

Glad to see you back Ellen, its been awhile. Anyway, I hope to see lots more videos about writing and writing techniques cause there super helpful and lots of fun. By the way, this may sound strange but maybe you've got some tips on what to eat before writing (besides coffee and donuts) so that we can maintain energy and not put on too much weight. =]

Hey Ellen I've been watching ur videos for some help on starting a book. But I'm struggling with making a hook for the first chapter. I'm new at writing so I'm practicing for when I start making books I'll really like ur advice.

Bait!! Then a steady flowing current! Watch out for the bends

Thank you for your help; I've read On Writing, Eudora Welty's pretty useless stuff, Jenna Bloom's really great advice; I intend studying everything you put out.

Thank you

I like it!

thanks Ellen this is great. can you please tell us if there's a preference about starting a novel with the protagonist rather than the antagonist and why? it seems the antagonist would have more action for the hook but I'm hearing otherwise. thanks!

Mine starts with problem, question and situation. Wake up in a cellar, not knowing how he got there or where it is, feeling really bad and realizing he has changed. :) I hope it'll keep the reader hooked and wanting to know why he is in a cellar, how he got there, what happened to him and later, how to deal with it. :)

Great video! Might i suggest adding your name in the title. It will help with SEO.

So I originally came to RU-vid because I was hoping that someone would have posted something on this topic, and luck of all lucks, I found your page! Yay. So... I'm struggling with my own novel. I say "novel" very loosely because in all honesty, I've probably started dozens of stories over the years and they all trailed off due to work, loss of interest or whatever. Its like I get on a line and then SQUIRREL and suddenly I'm writing something else or I stop writing completely until months later when I can't sleep and I start writing something completely different. (I'm constantly getting my ideas out in Word.) What I'm working on now seems to have (in my opinion) dynamic characters that all have their own flaws, which I feel would be relatable to readers... the issue lies solely in the fact that I can't seem to figure out where my story is going, or even what genre I'm going for. Short of throwing a dart at a wall of genres and landing on "crime drama" or "sci-fi" or "mystery" and being forced to change the character dynamic to fit that genre, I want to know how you would steer your characters into a direction that doesn't seem forced and establish a reason to hold a readers interest. Honestly, I'm in the middle of fictional vomit right now, just pouring words on a page. Different segments of the same story but no hook as to why someone should be reading it. I don't want to just fall back on my usual "Supernatural" genre and make them all vampires or whatever. I'm lost. How do you base a story in reality and make it interesting?

Good content

When you say Invisible Man, the first book I think of is HG Wells’s book, and that wasn’t the first line, but there’s probably other books called that. I really like your channel so far! You’re informative, to-the-point, and have experience. Thank you for your hard work! ❤️

"As the sun graced the city of Belka, the watchers of the night shed their masks." Dunno if it's going to hook people to my story.

could you do a video about editing. anything a "new" writer can find helpfull. i'ts the first time I finished my first draft and even though I did a lot of research, I would like to see your opinion about it.

how to write a great prologue and why some stories need them

Hey Ellen! A lot of help you are! lol. Seriously. That's the hook. Naw meen? Probably not. Maybe? There it is... ;)

Hello from the uk ! i just want to ask how do you keep the people or person want to not put your book down and how can you make your books/book feel more realistic thank you brian

can you talk about how to write a strong plot? Thank you

Ellen, I think I may have to start my story with a scene of mythical creatures fighting, even though for the rest of the it there aren't any more epic monster fights like that (its dominated by bronze age politics and humans fighting a war). The reason is, this fight really kick-starts the whole plot, with the main characters trying actively to make such a fight never happen again as it could destroy their civilization. What should I do?

I often have very detailed ideas for characters, but then don't know what obstacle or goal to give them to make a story interesting, apart from character development. The outside conflict is often missing.

HI Ellen, Thank you so much for all these videos and workshops. My question: When you have two situations happening at the very exact time, in two different locations... one with the protagonist and the other the antogonist... and one situation depends on the other to work... would you do two or three paragraphs and then skip to the other scenario and so on and so forth or would it be better to explain all of one and then jump to the other? Thanks a bunch! Anne-Marie

Oh Oh, I know, start the story with them waking up in a bed

So far my setting is really good, as my readers said but I need to introduce my characters in the scene, do you have any suggestion?

It's actually "Invisible Man," by Ralph Ellison that begins with "I am an invisible man." "The Invisible Man," by H.G.Wells begins, "The stranger came early in February, one wintry day, through a biting wind and a driving snow, the last snowfall of the year, over the down, walking from Bramblehurst railway station, and carrying a little blackportmanteau in his thickly gloved hand."

This video is a 10.

What do you think about the hook of "100 years of solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez?

I have one chapter that sets a scene to show the MC in action; one that shows the magical abilities of the people on my world, and one that shows the interpersonal relationships to set up his inner core values. Which one to choose?

Thank you so much I think I skipped the day we learned how to write hooks back in highschool cause im clueless on them

Does the circumstance need to be unique for the character or just for the novel? Would it be enough to introduce the reader to how the character copes with an interesting concept even though it applies to everyone in the world?

Thanks for the spoiler about the invisible man! Now I already know there's an invisible man.

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison? This is weird because I am reading that now.

Those are great opening hooks! As the story goes on its important to leave cliff hangers at the end of each chapter. That way your reader won't feel satisfied, close the book, and leave it on the shelf to sit for months :P My story grabbed my friends so well that they begged me for more!

In my novel, I have a prologue. Should I put the hook in the prologue or the first chapter or both?

At how many scenes I should be targetting my chapters?

I feel like my opening is a bit generic, though it hits all the points of what the novel is pretty well. Standard medieval setting (with some added unique things) Main protag is an orphan. At around page 4-5 the story starts to divert and head down the interesting path, dunno if I should change this around or not. I really like how it starts and spirals off, but this might also push peopel away from it.

"Patience was a virtue Tonya Wykowskya developed early in life. She developed patience among lines of citizens waiting for goods and services throughout the Soviet Union. In June 1966, on the collective farm called Derevna, the line consisted of two people waiting in the warm sunshine. Thankfully, as the sun climbed higher in the sky, the lengthening shadow from the awning protected them from the damaging rays." It may not be the most exciting hook, but this is a modern historical romance. A murder on the first page belongs in a detective story. This beginning expresses Tonya's character.

That helped. I'm about to write a novel actually and I know now how I'll start it: with the suicide scene. The catch is that my MC is immortal, quite literally. So it's not really a suicide. He just needs to "die" in order to live on with different personality. You wouldn't confuse a guy you met by chance with your former coworker who commited suicide even if their faces were pretty much the same, right? Much less if the guy is half the dead man's age. If he simply went missing, some people could be stubborn and look for him years later. Being immortal among regular humans can be tricky in modern society. Especially if being exposed as an immortal can have very nasty consequences.

Can you explain how to open your story, by first showing the ending, and later at the end getting back there. I'm working on a story about a timid middle aged banker who is pushed into becoming a bad ass vigilante after her daughter becomes entangled with a brutal gang. So I was thinking about opening with her holding a shotgun and drenched in blood, with an intense look and walking towards that only she can see. Then quickly go to her working at her bank months earlier. This is an attempt to show the contrast and have the reader itching to find out how she gets there. But, do I have to write 6 months earlier for the transition? How do you do that without having to clarify the time difference?

Great video! But, uh, the example about 'The Invisible Man'... my copy starts with "The stranger came early in February, one wintry day, through a biting wind and a driving snow, the last snowfall of the year, etc etc etc." Am I missing something here?

What do you think about adding illustrations to a book?

Hi Ellen, it would mean very much to me if you could read the first three lines below to the book Im writing. Really curious what you think of it, and what questions it awakes in your mind: "As I raised my hand and stabbed him, my fathers screams and wide open eyes didn't affect me at all. It was obvious to me that he never expected his well taught son to cause him harm. He had taught me well." Does it make you want to continue reading? Thankful for your (and everyone elses answer), and please keep doing what you are doing, your videos are so great and inspiring! :)

Love all your videos! My novel begins with my protagonist on her death bed. I know that opening a story with a character waking isn't a strong hook. Could this be an exception? Is there ever an exception?

"You and I 'Your Experience in English my Imagination, could find whatever the Moster Lurks beneath/"

thanks perhaps some day I will be as successful as you

Noises like that would have woken any ordinary person but not Mr and Mrs Draper of Appleyards Lane. - Mary Draper Dreams of Castles in the Sky

What should you write your novel on? Computer or paper? I'm currently typing my novel on my computer, but the app I have isn't working out for me. Does anyone know of any good apps to use for writing a full novel?

What's the latest the hook can be? Does it have to be in the first paragraph or line? And are there recomendations for prologues? Are they really short chapters that don't need to be IMMEDIATELY related to the current/initial progress of the story?

I am writing a novel that I am thinking of breaking into a series. I have different openings for each...trying to figure out how I want the story to be told. I am nearing the close of my rough draft...and truly want an outside perspective as to which opening best fits in my novel. Do you beta read? Also, you are an editor..do you take on new clients? If so..I would value your opinion, and your insight. I want to be a successful author and am open to your suggestions and critique.

Hey fellow writers! I had a question. Let's say I'm writing in first person and I want a sentence where my character is thinking a what if scenario. "If I could, I would wake up earlier." Is this right even if the story is first person?

How about this? The match flared. It gave a slight rush of heat and warmth to Lux numb fingers. For a moment, she sat there, dazed and amazed. Being used to the coldness of the cage, it was rather shocking for Luxiana Kingsley. The wind suddenly blew, and the flame wavered, struggling and that was when Lux shivered and snapped out off her daze. Covering the small light with her other hand, she shielded the burning match from the cold, cruel wind. The flame caught. It burned the small weeds, leaving dark black trails as it passed by. But the fire was still weak. Lux blew it slowly until the flame bursted to life, flickering peacefully at the midst of the coarse teepee of wood; the broken twigs, weeds and sticks. Lux sighed, and sat on the van's passenger seat, covering herself with her old navy green cardigan. She glanced at her wrist watch; it was early in the morning, 3:14 a.m. and she haven't rested, not even a mere nap. Lux was a light sleeper and being an insomniac didn't help the matter either. To quote the Life 101: Sleep is for the weak. #Insomniacsrule. But she seriously needed to rest her weary body. Her arms ached for hunting earlier- it was a fine game, resulting two bunnies and a stag- her legs, quivering and shaking. Her whole body pleaded for mercy, for sleep. She sighed once more, and took out a vial of Sleeping Potion which she stole somewhere, and took a sip, gagging slightly at the taste. It was deadly bitter, like licking a tree bark. Don't ask how Lux knew that. But it was worth it; her eyelids became heavy, everything had became rather blurry. The potion is at work. Resting her head, she slept still sitting, mind still alert for any signs of movement. It was so.. weird, hearing no curses nor insults, no bloody tomatoes hurled at her as a nuisance. The trees seemed to dance, bursting with life. Birds chirped; an owl hooted above. It felt safe, silent, wild and free unlike the shuddering coldness of the cage. Lux breathed. So intent she had been on listening, she had forgotten to breathe. The fire flickered, giving Lux warmth like an invisible blanket. A nightingale sung a hum. After that, the world turned black and came silence.