Creating Good Hooks in Writing

1. Creating Good Hooksin Writing

2. What are hooks? • Hooks are used in the beginning of your writing. • Hooks are a way to catch the attention of your audience. • If the beginning of your memoir is not interesting, the audience might not want to continue reading it.

3. 8 Kinds of Hooks • To make your memoir interesting to your audience, you should add: • A question • A quote • Onomatopoeia • A poem • A song • Interjection (something that expresses emotion) • Startling statistic • Dialogue

4. Question • When writing a question, try to create a picture in the reader’s mind. • You can use the words who, what, when, where, why, is, how, or are at the beginning of the sentence. • Example: • Where in the Pacific Ocean can you find a delicious Krabby Patty to eat, live in a pineapple, and drive in an underwater boat? Bikini Bottom

5. Quote • Can be a direct quotation from a book, TV show, movie, or a famous person. • Example: • "Do you smell that? That smell--It's the smell of a smelly smell that smells smelly," stated Spongebob from the show SpongebobSquarepants.

6. Onomatopoeia • Onomatopoeia is a word that makes sounds. • Can be animal sounds, car sounds, or any other sound. • Example: • "Meooowww!" said Gary, Spongebob's pet snail.

7. Poem • Use a poem from a famous author, or you can make up your own. • Example: • Roses are red, violets are blue. I love SpongebobSquarepants, do you?

8. Song • Use a line from your favorite song. • Make sure you relate it to your essay. • Example: • "Are ya ready kids? Aye, aye, Captain. I can't hear you! Aye, aye Captain. Ohhhh!" My favorite TV show started to play on Nickelodeon. Theme Song

9. Interjection • Interjections express an emotion you are trying to convey. • Example: • "Noooo!" Don't touch the TV, I am watching my favorite show, SpongebobSquarepants.

10. Startling Statement • Statistics show relationships with numbers. • Find a surprising statistic involving your topic. • Example: • Over 1 million adults and children worldwide tune in to watch the TV show, SpongebobSquarepants on a weekly basis.

11. Dialogue • Have two people talking in the middle of a conversation. • The reader will want to know what is happening. • Example: • "There's nothing wrong with getting kissys from your grandmother," said Spongebob. "No, especially if you're a big baby who wears diapers!" responded Fish.

12. Creating Good Leads in Writing

13. What is a Lead? • The lead, or opening paragraph, is the most important part of the story. • It gives readers the most important information in a clear, concise and interesting manner. • It establishes the voice and direction of an article.

14. Tips for Writing Good Leads • The Five W’s and H: Before writing a lead, decide which aspect of the story (who, what, when, where, why, how) is most important. • Conflict: Good stories have conflict. So do good leads. • Specificity: Though you are essentially summarizing information in most leads, try to be specific as possible. If your lead is too broad, it won’t be informative or interesting.

15. Tips for Writing Good Leads • Brevity: Readers want to know why the story matters to them and they won’t wait long for the answer. Leads are often one sentence, sometimes two. • Active sentences: Strong verbs will make your lead lively and interesting. • Audience and context: Take into account what your reader already knows. • Honesty: A lead is an implicit promise to your readers. You must be able to deliver what you promise in your lead.