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The Importance of Writing an Emotional Hook

What is your emotional hook?

What is the emotional hook of your story?  It’s almost as important as the opening lines in keeping your reader’s interest.

What is an emotional hook?  Some might call it theme or concept, but I disagree.  In my mind, theme is the one word or phrase that binds the story together.  Poverty vs. noble acts in any Dickens novel.  Judgment and self-isolation in Hawthorne ’s.  (Thanks, Mary for the examples) Lofty, high-level concepts, but not what I’m talking about.

An emotional hook is something visceral, a deep-seeded need in your character that not only drives his choices but connects with your reader and keeps him turning pages.

Switching genres, in the movie Independence Day, myriad emotions were touched upon.  Fear, helplessness and, in the end, determination to fight.  The one emotion that resonated with me was the overwhelming desire of the characters to make sure their families were safe.  Husband and wife, significant others, father and child, when the aliens came knocking, everyone’s main concern was ensuring their loved one’s safety.

We can all relate to that feeling.  After 9/11, Katrina or any other major disaster, our first thoughts are to make sure our families are okay.

Buy tying a strong emotional response to your character’s situation, you draw your reader deeper into the story.

In my next story, a dark paranormal, the emotional hook the story demands is betrayal.  Each major character has been betrayed by someone they’ve loved.  The trust they’ve given to someone important has been discarded, stomped underfoot and soiled.  Have you experienced betrayal?  It’s an emotion we can recall easily and, in doing so, our connection to the characters is intensified.

What emotional hook have you used?

I’ll be back later in the week.  Until then, stay safe.

Cheryl