narrative hook
Gripping first line
A narrative hook is an opening element designed to capture attention and compel continued reading or viewing.
It might be a provocative question, mysterious situation, dramatic action, or intriguing character.
The term comes from fishing—the hook catches the reader and pulls them in: The novel's narrative hook—a body found in the locked room—kept me reading past midnight.
- page-turnerCompulsively readable book
- cliffhangerSuspenseful unresolved ending
- plot twistSudden narrative redirection
- teaserSomething that piques interest
- first lineInitial verse of stanza
inciting · kick-off · framing device · conflict · dramatic tension · in medias res · cold open · exposition · flashback · attention-grabbing · vivid imagery · foreshadowing · prologue · intro · lede · opening lines · chapter one · opening scene
- storytellingstorytelling, story, tale, storyteller, story time
- literary elementsplot, character, setting, theme, conflict
- cliffhangersseason finale, plot twist, to be continued, twist ending, suspense
- plotplot, storyline, subplot, climax, plot twist
- game narrativestory, plot, storyline, dialogue tree, branching story
- story openersopening line, opening lines, first line, first chapter, chapter one
narrative hookresolution
Formal decision or determination
denouement · conclusion · ending · falling action · epilogue
hook, hooked, narrative, narrator, hooking, unhook, unhooked, narration, narrating