Hooked?

I’m excited to say that I am almost finished with the first draft of my new screenplay. Getting the story down, developing the characters, planning plot twists, doing the research has all been relatively easy because I developed my hook before starting.

If you’ve been in the writing profession for a time, you know the importance of a good hook. A hook isn’t exclusive to screenwriting, but its critical to getting your screenplay greenlighted for production. Be sure to keep a few things in mind as you work on your hook.

• Be sure to get your audiences’ attention.
• Be sure it will keep them invested in your story for the duration of the film.
• Be sure it happens as soon as possible to set up the premise of your story.

It is safe to say that we don’t hook our audience as soon as possible, we can’t sell them on our story. What’s the point of writing or telling our story if it isn’t interesting—what’s the hook?

Hooked!

In literature the hook is a literary technique used in the opening of a piece that “hooks” the audiences’ attention. It’s been said that the hook is the most important part of any writing.

The hook has to be strong enough to not just interest the audience, but to convince them them to invest time and money into our stories. Below are a few types of hooks used in literature.

1. Story or example hooks (antecedents).
2. Facts/statistics.
3. Strong statements/declarations.
4. Metaphors/similes.
5. Description hooks (visual writing).
6. Famous quotes hooks.
7. Interesting question hooks.

In screenwriting there is an additional approach to pitching a screenplay called the “what if” technique. This technique presents an interesting question by using familiar films to give someone a familiar idea to get a studio or producer interested.

Interest?

The age-old adage is true: always make a great first impression. Just like in dating, the first impression is what gets us interested. This is even more so in screenwriting. How many times have you begun watching a movie but failed to get interested in the first few minutes? Did you want to go on the journey with the characters or give up?

Screenwriting legend David Trotter explains it this way:

“the first thing your script should be concerned with is engaging the reader and setting forth the rules or parameters of your story.”¹

David Trotter

When I first started writing screenplays almost 20 years ago, the emphasis was placed on the first 10 pages or 10 minutes of screen time to hook an audience.

Nowadays, screenwriters don’t have that luxury. Technology has affected the audiences’ attention span. It is more realistic to plan your hook around 5 to 7 pages in, the sooner the better, but keep in mind the sooner it is, the more interesting it needs to be to keep your audience hooked for the remainder of the script.

 Still unsure? Check out these movies below and see how the hook is interesting enough to keep you following along with your characters through the story’s plot.

• Independence Day What if aliens invaded the earth and civilization fought for their freedom?
• Jurassic Park What if scientists used the DNA of dinosaurs to bring them back and then placed them in a park?
• Back to the Future What if a young teen used a time machine to go back to the past and then got stuck there?

Movies with great hooks take us on an adventure and make us want to follow the heroes’ journey from beginning to end. While working on my latest WIP, I’ve had to do a good bit of research, and the more I’ve researched, the more I wanted to write this inspiring story of adventure. For me, the writing process has gotten me hooked!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

---

¹  Trotter, D, The Screenwriter’s Bible. Silman-James Press, Los Angeles. (2019) , p11.