6 Ways to Start Your Novel (That Will Actually Hook Readers)
"Hook the reader immediately." Great advice. Completely useless in practice. In this video, we break down six specific techniques for opening a novel — what each one does, why it works, where it can go wrong, and examples of books that pull it off. From starting close to the inciting incident (and why prologues are usually a bad idea) to opening with action, character voice, and philosophical statements — by the end, you'll have an actual toolkit, not just a vague instruction to be more interesting. ⏱ Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:48 Start Close to the Inciting Incident 01:37 The Prologue Problem 03:48 Open with Action 05:32 In Medias Res 07:06 Introduce Character by Desire, Not Description 09:23 Enter Through Character Voice 10:45 Open with a Thought or Philosophy 12:14 Your Opening is a Promise 🖊️ Want expert eyes on your opening chapter? Browse developmental editors on the Reedsy marketplace: https://reedsy.com/editing 🖊️Read our blog guide to starting a novel: https://reedsy.com/blog/how-to-start-...
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