Your readers don’t care about your story unless you make them care about it. They don’t care about your intriguing plot, interesting characters, or complicated theme. That’s the tough truth about the literary world.
However, readers want to be entertained. They want to read about an intriguing plot, interesting characters, and a complicated theme. I mean, that’s why there’s a market. People want to read, but you have to make them want to read your book.
I understand; it’s easier said than done. Nevertheless, it’s not impossible. Many writers have managed to do so, and so will you. You just need to learn how to hook readers.
In this guide, you’ll learn the three steps on how to hook readers before the inciting incident.
Why Readers Lose Interest
People always tell you about the poor ways to begin your story. They’ll say, “Don’t begin with the protagonist waking up, a dream sequence, or info-dumping.”
But they won’t tell you about another way to begin that causes as much damage. It’s when you begin the story with the protagonist’s ordinary life without giving readers a reason to care.
Your protagonist goes to work. They go to school. They spend time with friends. Nothing is necessarily wrong with these scenes. The problem is that readers don’t know why they’re watching your protagonist.
Why should they care about the protagonist? What’s so special about this ordinary day?
The beginning of your story should answer those questions before the inciting incident arrives. It should show readers who your protagonist is, hint that change is inevitable, and make them wonder what will happen when that change finally arrives.
Do you want to know how to hook readers? Promise them that change is coming and for a good reason.
The 3 Steps to Hook Readers Before the Inciting Incident
How to hook readers before the inciting incident? It’s simple: make them care about your protagonist before their life changes.
You’re going to use the time before the inciting incident to build anticipation. Show who your protagonist is, how they navigate the world, and why they can’t keep living that way. By the time the inciting incident happens, they’ll already be invested in what’s happening next.
Step 1: Change Begins With a Dilemma
The first step in hooking readers is to create a feeling that change is inevitable. You have to create an atmosphere that’s something is off, that life can’t continue the way it is. Like the smell of rain in the air right before it falls.
It doesn’t have to be a big, explosive moment. It can be something small, like a conversation, an unexpected opportunity, or a slow realization. The only criterion is that it disrupts your protagonist’s normal life enough to make the audience wonder what’s coming next.
This is happening in your protagonist’s ordinary life before the inciting incident, so they’re not ready for change. Nevertheless, they face a dilemma that challenges how they see the world (their false belief).
They’re not going to make a choice just yet. They still believe their current way of living works, so they’ll cling to what’s familiar.
This step should also reveal two important things about your protagonist:
- Who they are: Show their personality and the life they’ve been living.
- Their false belief: The flawed universal truth that keeps them stuck.
Step 2: The Wrong Choice
After letting tension brew, your protagonist has to make a choice. Since they haven’t changed yet, they’re going to make the wrong choice, or the right choice for the wrong reason. They’ll rely on the false belief that had kept them in their bubble.
The protagonist is obviously trapped by their misbelief. They’re not ready to challenge it, so they reinforce it. For all they know, this view of the world has kept them alive and going; it has kept them safe. They’ll hold on to the false belief as long as it works.
However, after the inciting incident, this will change. Their misbelief will be the first thing to deteriorate, and eventually they’ll realize it’s false. Because of that, they’ll be able to change.
This step accomplishes two things:
- It reveals how the protagonist survives in the world.
- It proves they won’t change unless they’re forced to.
Step 3: The Old Way Fails
Every choice has consequences. The consequences of this choice aren’t meant to punish the protagonist; they’re meant to show that the old way of living has reached its limit.
This is also where you introduce the theme. The consequences should challenge your protagonist’s false belief and ask the central question your story will explore.
Read here to learn more about theme and how to create one for your story.
By the end of this step, your readers should understand one thing: the protagonist can’t keep living like this. All of this is clearing the path to the inciting incident, so when it finally happens, the change feels inevitable.
How to Apply the Framework in Your Story
I know this can sound like a bunch of words smushed together if you’re just hearing about this. You may ask, “How in the hell do I use this to hook readers?” Well, I’m pleased to tell you it’s not witchcraft.
This framework can look vastly different depending on story to story. In some novels, it can happen in a short scene; in others, it can be stretched over multiple chapters. Sometimes it’s obvious; other times it’s so subtle most readers don’t notice it. The point is, I can’t tell you exactly how to hook readers in your story using this framework.
However, I can explain the function of each step to help you achieve the same effect.
Dilemma: Introduce a moment where your protagonist’s life feels unstable. Like they can’t continue to live the same way.
Wrong choice: Have the protagonist respond the same way they always have, revealing the false belief that keeps them stuck.
Consequences: Show their usual way of handling problems no longer works, making change inevitable.
Final Thoughts on How to Hook Readers
Learning how to hook readers is about understanding and engaging them in the story. They should care about who it’s happening to and why.
There are three steps: Present a dilemma, let them make the wrong choice, and show why that choice is wrong. These three steps can vary in appearance depending on the story. The best way to master them is to practice them in your writing.
