Narratives: Hooks and Building Suspense

​Narrative Writing, Hooksm and Building Suspense

By Michael Regalado

Narratives

Tell the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and HOW of the event.

1. Introduction to the Event

• How can you hook your reader?

• How can you get their attention while introducing your story?

• ​What makes a good hook in narrative writing?

2. Body - Sequenced Events + Details

• Does your story follow a logical sequence of events?

• What events happen first, next, then, and last?

• Did you include who, what, where, when, why, and how things happened?

• What is the main conflict?

• Did you develop your characters?

• Did you include actions and feelings?

• Did you use literary devices and figurative language?

• Did you include dialogue?

3. Conclusion

• How can you wrap up your piece or resolve the events?

• Is there a final resolution?

• Did you share a final thought?

Multiple Choice

One way a writer builds suspense is...

• by creating a mysterious setting
• by introducing characters through out a text
• by providing clues of a future event
• telling the facts

Multiple Choice

Define foreshadowing.

• A flashback of what happened previously
• A hint at something that will happen later
• Giving human-like characteristics to non-living things
• Comparing two unlike things using like or as

Multiple Choice

What is a hook sentence?

• The opening line or lines of an essay or article that grabs the reader's attention and encourages them to continue reading.

• A hook sentence is a type of punctuation mark used at the end of a sentence.

• A hook sentence is the conclusion of an essay or article.

• A hook sentence is a term used in fishing to describe a type of bait.

Multiple Choice

Why is it important to have a strong hook sentence in your writing?

• To grab the reader's attention and create an engaging introduction.

• To bore the reader and discourage them from reading further.

• To provide unnecessary information and make the writing longer.

• To confuse the reader and make the writing more challenging.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an example of a hook sentence?

• I like to eat pizza.

• The cat is sleeping.

• I went to the store yesterday.

• The sun was shining brightly as I walked along the sandy beach.

Multiple Choice

What are some techniques to make your hook sentence more engaging?

• Using a boring and uninteresting statement

• Using generic and overused phrases

• Using vivid imagery, using a surprising fact or statistic, using a quote, and using a personal anecdote.

• Using a long and complex sentence

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a "Don't" when writing hooks?

• Write a quote from a famous person.

• Surprise with a misconception.

• Share a fact or a definition.

• Be boring.

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of a story hook?

• To use a metaphor to approach the topic.

• To get the reader to think about an experience.

• To provide insight into the thesis.

• To state facts about the topic.

Open Ended

Write a hook sentence for a story about a space alien you find living in your neighborhood.

Creating Suspense

• Dramatic Irony

• Foreshadowing

​

Open Ended

What is the most suspensful movie, tv show, or book you have ever watched/read?

Today we will be talking about specific ways authors create suspense in their stories.

​Conflict: Internal and External

​Internal conflict is when a character struggles with their own opposing desires or beliefs. It happens within them, and it drives their development as a character.

​Internal Conflict

 External conflict sets a character against something or someone beyond their control.

​External Conflict

• Character vs. Character

• Character vs. Nature

• Character vs. Society

• Character vs. Technology

Dramatic Irony

​Watch this video and answer the questions that follow.

Multiple Choice

In the movie Toy Story, human characters are not aware that the toys speak and move while the audience is aware.

This is an example of

• verbal irony

• dramatic irony

• situational irony

• none of the above

Multiple Choice

Dramatic Irony happens when ...

• the reader is aware of what will happen next but the characters in the story are unaware.

• the narrator drops clues about what will happen next in a story

• the reader and the characters are unaware of what will happen next in a story

Multiple Choice

How does this photo show dramatic irony?

• We know the girl is about to be eaten by a shark

• The shark doesn't know it's about to run into a swimmer

• All of the above

Multiple Choice

A hint or clue in a story that suggests some action is to follow to create interest or suspense is called:

• foreshadowing

• allusion

• stereotyping

• flashback

Multiple Choice

One effect or purpose of foreshadowing is to...

• trick the reader

• build suspense

• Add depth to characters

• give factual information

Open Ended

What examples of Foreshadowing did you notice in that video clip?

Verb Usage: “ To be or not to be”

The verb “to be”: Resource #1 Resource #2, #3

Forms: is, am, are, was, were, been, have, had, has

Your writing is much more interesting and exciting if you use
action verbs, instead of “to be” verbs.

Example 1: “One thing I remember is that I was climbing on the
kitchen counter to get a cookie.”

Example 2: “I vividly remember scaling the kitchen drawers like
a ladder, attempting to steal a sweet, forbidden dessert.”

Review: Vivid Verbs and Precise Adjectives

Multiple Choice

Look at the sentence.

Someone drove a car down the street.

Which rewrite is MOST precise and descriptive?

• There are a lot of cars that drive along my street.

• Someone drove a convertible down Green Street.

• A car roared down Green Street.

• A silver convertible roared down Green Street.

Multiple Choice

Identify a more vivid way to write the verb in the following sentence:

The boy found a sick cat in the woods and touched its fur to comfort it. 

• felt

• caressed 

• smelled

• admired

Multiple Select

What are some more vivid ways to write the verb in the following sentence?:

The hungry student ate his lunch in 10 seconds because he was starving.

• chowed

• inhaled

• nibbled

• gobbled

Multiple Choice

Identify a more vivid way to write the verb in the following sentence:

Her brothers and sisters told her to study harder so she can be successful.

• screamed at

• cautioned

• encouraged

• forced

Multiple Choice

Look at this sentence.

I had a busy weekend.

How can we rewrite it without the "to be" verb to make it more descriptive?

• Last weekend, I did many things that were fun.

• I like the weekends more than the weekdays.

• I was busy all weekend because I was doing a lot of stuff.

• My busy weekend included a bike ride and lunch with my friends.

Multiple Choice

True or False: Vivid verbs help readers see what you are saying in your writing

• True

• False

Poll

Which do you think is the best revision for the following sentence.

Sunbathers have put up their colorful umbrellas and they look like a rainbow across the warm sand.

• Sunbathers have popped up their colorful umbrellas, and they create a rainbow across the warm sand.

• Sunbathers have opened their colorful umbrellas and they notice a rainbow across the warm sand.

• Sunbathers have opened their colorful umbrellas and they observe a rainbow across the sand.

• Sunbathers have popped up their colorful umbrellas, and they make a rainbow across the sand.

Multiple Choice

Which is a more precise adjective for the underlined word?

That was a good movie that changed my life forever.

• boring

• compelling

• baseless

• mediocre

Multiple Choice

Which is a more precise adjective for the underlined word?

Don’t be silly, I get good grades.

• tender

• preposterous

• convincing

• unsubstantiated

Multiple Choice

Which is a more precise adjective for the underlined word?

The good fans cheered the winning team.

• furious

• few

• crazy

• loyal

Multiple Choice

Which is a more precise adjective for the underlined word?

Gustavo took his wife out for a nice dinner for their anniversary.

• ridiculous

• lovely

• crazy

• good

Multiple Choice

Which is a more precise adjective for the underlined word?

We were happy to see the gifts underneath the Christmas tree.

• delighted

• disappointed

• sickened

• confused

Multiple Choice

Which is a more precise adjective for the underlined word?

The bride looked pretty in her wedding dress.

• cute

• happy

• gorgeous

• absurd

Multiple Choice

Which is a more vivid verb than the underlined word?

The children went into the house to see the new puppy.

• walked

• crawled

• raced

• played

Multiple Choice

Which is a more descriptive adjective than the underlined word?

The ice cream was good, so we asked for more.

• delicious

• ok

• fine

• cold

Multiple Choice

Which is a more descriptive erb than the underlined word?

The man ran to his burning house.

• walked

• skipped

• flew

• jumped

Multiple Choice

Which is a more descriptive adjective than the underlined word?

We had a big party at the park for my daughter.

• small

• huge

• classy

• ginormous

Multiple Choice

Which is a more descriptive adjective than the underlined word?

It was a bad ending to an important game for the Los Angeles Rams. Sorry Shayden.

• compelling

• melancholy

• unsatisfactory

• sad