The Hook

I've heard that the first line buys you the editor's attention long enough to make it through your first paragraph.  The first paragraph buys you the first page.  And the first page may just buy you the chapter, which could very well buy you the book and get your book published.  And a good published book that really hooks a reader can lead to a lucrative career.  That's where to spend your time: on the hook.  It's always a good idea to read really good first pages from books that have done well.  How did J.K. Rowling draw the crowds with page one of Harry Potter?  How did J.R.R. Tolkien make his splash in the literary world with page one of his story?  Where do the greats start?

Then go look at your first line, first paragraph, first page.  Read it to people.  Does your first line snag your audience and not let them go?  Do you pose enough questions to intrigue or paint a setting that makes people curious or characterize in a way that helps people love your main character like you do?  Is it clear without being boring?  If you lose your reader with too many passive tenses, writing full of generic descriptions or cliches, too many adverbs,  description too dense or entirely lacking, or whatever, your reader is gone for good.  It does not matter if everyone would just love page seven.  If you can't get them past page one, seven can be fabulous.  46 can be prize-winning material.  None of that matters unless page one is awesome, awe-inspiring, intense, captivating, glorious, whatever.

Ask yourself a few critical questions.  Does it start at the right place, a place critical to the story?  If not, cut pages or add some.  Does it make your reader care?  If not, figure out how.  Does it make your reader want to know more?  Does it show more than tell?  Too much explanation in chapter one can end a story before it begins.  Read it to anyone who will listen and get feedback.  Read it aloud.  Take it to a professional editor.

Now go out and work on your hook.  Turn it from just a beginning to a real hook.  Do whatever you have to do to make a splash and make the reader thirsty for more.