Beginning Hooks Essay
10 Writing Hooks
Writing Class Notes: Beginning Hooks - Strategies to use to catch your reader's attention
1. Begin with a smile or a metaphor.
My life has been a carnival. My family is like an open book.
2. Begin with a question.
Who is the greatest athlete of all times?
3. Begin with a definition.
Friendly is the best way to describe my personality: I am friendly and caring. Perfect is the best adjective to describe me: I am flawless in every aspect of my life.
4. Begin with a quotation.
“Learn to laugh” is something my kindergarten teacher told me after Ralph Thorsen spilled paint on my picture.
5. Begin with a comparison to a well-known person or celebrity.
I am as photogenic as Tyra Banks.
6. Begin with placing …show more content…
yourself in the future.
In the year 2012 I see myself as a supreme ballerina performing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
7.
Begin with a dilemma.
Deciding to attend Hampton Roads Academy, a private school, was one of my most difficult decisions.
8. Begin with a scene.
The day of my birth began with Hurricane Charlie pounding at our door in Charleston, South Carolina.
9. Begin with the best advice you have ever received.
“Butch, did you practice the piano?” Since I was six years old, this has been a daily reminder from my dear mother. “Be all you can be” has been my inspiration from my grandfather who is a retired Marine Corps colonel and my mentor.
10. Begin with an anecdote.
As my cousin and I pedaled our new bikes to the beach, 6 years old, suntanned and young, we met an old, curly-haired man weaving unsteadily on a battered old bike.
Instructions * 1
Write down the most interesting things about your essay. Is there something surprising in what you have written? Does a specific image come to mind? * 2
Explain the most interesting aspect of your essay to someone else. If you're stuck, try completing these sentences:
When I was thinking about this, I couldn't believe that______.
It was amazing to me that ________.
Imagine what it's like to_______.
The image I can't get out of my head is ______. *
3
Determine the aspect of your essay that would be the most interesting and convincing to someone who has no idea what you are going to say. * 4
Write this "most interesting" fact or image in a sentence or two. Refine it. Read it out loud. It should match the tone of the rest of your essay. * 5
Insert your hook into the opening paragraph of the essay. Read over the entire paragraph (or have someone else read it).
Writing Class Notes: Beginning Hooks - Strategies to use to catch your reader's attention
1. Begin with a smile or a metaphor.
My life has been a carnival. My family is like an open book.
2. Begin with a question.
Who is the greatest athlete of all times?
3. Begin with a definition.
Friendly is the best way to describe my personality: I am friendly and caring. Perfect is the best adjective to describe me: I am flawless in every aspect of my life.
4. Begin with a quotation.
“Learn to laugh” is something my kindergarten teacher told me after Ralph Thorsen spilled paint on my picture.
5. Begin with a comparison to a well-known person or celebrity.
I am as photogenic as Tyra Banks.
6. Begin with placing …show more content…
yourself in the future.
In the year 2012 I see myself as a supreme ballerina performing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
7.
Begin with a dilemma.
Deciding to attend Hampton Roads Academy, a private school, was one of my most difficult decisions.
8. Begin with a scene.
The day of my birth began with Hurricane Charlie pounding at our door in Charleston, South Carolina.
9. Begin with the best advice you have ever received.
“Butch, did you practice the piano?” Since I was six years old, this has been a daily reminder from my dear mother. “Be all you can be” has been my inspiration from my grandfather who is a retired Marine Corps colonel and my mentor.
10. Begin with an anecdote.
As my cousin and I pedaled our new bikes to the beach, 6 years old, suntanned and young, we met an old, curly-haired man weaving unsteadily on a battered old bike.
Instructions * 1
Write down the most interesting things about your essay. Is there something surprising in what you have written? Does a specific image come to mind? * 2
Explain the most interesting aspect of your essay to someone else. If you're stuck, try completing these sentences:
When I was thinking about this, I couldn't believe that______.
It was amazing to me that ________.
Imagine what it's like to_______.
The image I can't get out of my head is ______. *
3
Determine the aspect of your essay that would be the most interesting and convincing to someone who has no idea what you are going to say. * 4
Write this "most interesting" fact or image in a sentence or two. Refine it. Read it out loud. It should match the tone of the rest of your essay. * 5
Insert your hook into the opening paragraph of the essay. Read over the entire paragraph (or have someone else read it).